WORKSHOPS | TABLING ORGANIZATIONS

"I am feeling inspired and energized,” shared Crystal Clarity from Hyattsville, Maryland, “This was amazing! I support secondary social studies in DCPS. I was able to gather a lot of helpful curriculum resources and network with folks who can lead professional development for our teachers.”

Pre-K–12 educators from across the D.C. area came together at the annual Social Justice Curriculum Fair on August 29. The day featured classroom resources from the Zinn Education Project and Social Justice Books, workshops on topics ranging from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to Reader's Theater to youth activism, and exhibit tables where attendees connected with D.C. area organizations like Instituto Mundo Verde, EmpowerEd, Free DC, and more.

Participants left with curriculum plans in hand. Educator Michael Graves from Arlington, Virginia noted, “I am excited to use the SNCC resources to further learning about the Civil Rights Movement in my AP African American course!”. While Zachary Wilson from Washington, D.C., shared his plan to have his students lead a community listening session and plan a Day of Action, and weave Reader's Theater into a unit on A Raisin in the Sun. Others shared plans to dig deeper into topics like D.C. Home Rule or bring what they learned into their community work.

Attendees also valued the time to engage not just with curriculum but make meaningful connections.

Once again, this curriculum fair was excellent. It’s incredibly well organized and well timed. I enjoyed both the informal portions for networking and chatting with other like-minded educators. I also really enjoyed my workshops which guided me towards important concepts, and curriculum that I could use right now. — Lesley Young, Silver Spring, Maryland
Thank you for organizing an annual event that is both enriching and empowering for educators! I loved making new connections with like-minded teachers, administrators, and leaders who share a heart for social justice. — Rose Cherussery, Chester, Maryland
This was amazing. Being able to brainstorm with other educators, as well as gain valuable lessons and information made it priceless. — Ramon G. Griffin, Washington, D.C.

All attendees received professional development credits and a free book. Our deep appreciation to Inspired Teaching Demonstration School for generously hosting for a fourth year.

Workshops

Beyond the Bookshelf: Sourcing, Fact-Checking, and Selecting Nonfiction Texts for Justice-Centered Classrooms
Bring Social Justice To Your Elementary Math Curriculum
The Echoes of Activism: Using Oral History Interviews to Craft a Lesson Plan
Jubilee: Using Reader's Theater Across the Curriculum
Justice in Action: Equipping Students to Reimagine Democracy
Lessons from SNCC for Organizing Today: Women & Gender in the Civil Rights Movement
Teaching Youth Activism: Inspiring Young People through Dialogue
Uncovering Marginalized Histories in the Archive
"We Want to Free DC From Our Enemies": Teaching about DC Home Rule
Who Gets Access? Who Pays the Price? AI, Disability Justice, and Data Centers

Beyond the Bookshelf: Sourcing, Fact-Checking, and Selecting Nonfiction Texts for Justice-Centered Classrooms

SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, History, Science, Arts Education

GRADE LEVELS: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Education

This workshop explored what makes a nonfiction text trustworthy, and worth students' time. In a moment of book bans, misinformation, and sanitized curricula, the stakes of text selection had never been higher. The session pulled back the curtain on ReadWorks' own editorial process for sourcing and fact-checking culturally relevant, historically accurate nonfiction, and invited educators to adapt those practices for their own classrooms.

Participants left with a framework for evaluating nonfiction and a concrete set of guiding questions, grounded in representation, accuracy, and equity, that they could use immediately in text selection and teach to students as critical readers. They practiced perusing sources critically and analyzing texts with sharper eyes, and many were glad to discover that ReadWorks is a free educational resource. One educator shared that the workshop reaffirmed the sourcing work their school has already been doing. Another took away how essential it is to approach sensitive topics with care, staying neutral and respecting both the facts and the people in the text. Participants called the information excellent and the session insightful, and they asked for more activities on false sourcing to push everyone to dig deeper.

Presenter Bios

Susanne Nobles has spent her career working to empower educators and students with research, structures, and tools for meaningful and effective learning. After a 20+-year career as a middle and high school English teacher and administrator, she now leads all things pedagogical and teacher-focused at the nonprofit ReadWorks, bringing research-backed free ELA resources to hundreds of thousands of educators every year. Susanne is also an instructional coach for career-changers and has been an adjunct instructor with Relay Graduate School of Education. Her Ph.D. research focused on creating effective digital communities of practice.

Paola Yuli is an English Ph.D. candidate at Howard University, specializing in Caribbean literature. In her pedagogical training, she has been a graduate instructor at Howard, a writing coach for undergraduate and graduate students, and a private English Tutor for K-12 students. In her fourth year at ReadWorks, she supports the development and publishing of ReadWorks passages in our library. Paola strongly believes in the power of education and in making learning materials free and accessible. She graduated from Barnard College with a BA in English.

Bring Social Justice To Your Elementary Math Curriculum

SUBJECTS: Mathematics

GRADE LEVELS: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary

Have you ever wondered how to bring more social justice into your math curriculum? Math is rich with opportunities to engage students with the real world and issues of equity and fairness. This work session presented a framework for revising school math curriculum to include topics of social justice. The session shared an example unit and provided time for attendees to work — on their own or with teachers of similar content — to add social justice content to their own curriculum.

Participants loved having the chance to talk through specific math topics and brainstorm how they could connect to social justice, and one educator called it "so fun." Participants also gained fresh perspective on what math teaching can look like, and one left with a plan for using math projects in their place value unit.

Presenter Bio

Vinny Prell (she/he) grew up in an interfaith interracial family in Los Angeles. More a fan of politics than movies, she moved to D.C. in 2006. He has dedicated nearly 20 years to anti-oppression work, including serving as the Executive Director of NUJLS, the National Union of Jewish LGBTQQI Students. Currently she spends time discussing racism, xenophobia, poverty, and Jewish values with ten year olds, at Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School. She has BAs in Literature and the Study of Race and Racism as well as an MA in Minority and Urban Education. Vinny enjoys crocheting, geocaching, playing ukulele, cooking (shows), growing vegetables, playing with kitties.

The Echoes of Activism: Using Oral History Interviews to Craft a Lesson Plan

SUBJECTS: Social Studies

GRADE LEVELS: Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School

This workshop introduced educators to oral history as a powerful tool for social justice education. In this 50-minute interactive session, participants engaged with excerpts from the Mind, Body, and Justice Oral History Project and other D.C.-based archives. Through guided deep listening, attendees examined themes of community care and resilience, and explored how to translate these narratives into culturally responsive, student-centered lesson plans that uplift local voices and histories.

Participants left moved and full of ideas. Many described the session as interactive, profound, and a privilege, and they valued learning alongside fellow teachers. They came away with a deeper appreciation for how valuable memories are, that everyone has a story, and how a single object can support memory and show the importance of a single story. Educators saw how oral histories can lead to rich lessons, and they left with ways to look at issues through multiple lenses, work with archival sources, and preserve memories as part of a lesson. Others highlighted the value of co-planning and collaboration, and of designing lessons that empower youth and center what they bring to their spaces.

Presenter Bio

Sari Leigh (she/her), aka the Anacostia Yogi, is a health advocate, education administrator and digital media activist living east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Sari Leigh teaches wellness classes and germinates creative projects that advocate for equitable health and wellness access for residents east of the Anacostia River. Sari recently completed the Mind, Body and Justice Project and the D.C. Superhero documentary about wellness and activism in Washington, D.C.

Jubilee: Using Reader's Theater Across the Curriculum

SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, History, Science, Mathematics, Arts Education

GRADE LEVELS: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School

This was an interactive, cross-curricular session. Reader's Theater is a collaborative reading strategy in which participants read from scripts aloud, using voice, expression, and minimal movement to bring a text to life, without the need for costumes, sets, or memorization. Participants read, moved, and discussed how to use Reader's Theater in a meaningful way in the classroom. Attention was given to teaching hard history in a respectful yet truthful manner.

Participants left energized and full of ideas. Educators gathered tips for building students' confidence in reading comprehension and strategies for engaging reluctant readers, nervous speakers, and students with multiple disabilities as they grow their reading fluency. They explored ways to modify Reader's Theater so every reader can take part, and they discovered that it works for any subject. One educator is already imagining more kinesthetic, participatory, and entertaining reading in their classroom, and another shared that the session excited them to teach in ways that meet standards they wouldn't have otherwise approached. Participants also appreciated how the session helped make history feel alive for their students.

Presenter Bio

Anne Smith (she/her) is a Teacher of Music in Alexandria, Virginia. She is a published author, poet, playwright, and composer. She serves as an Equity Liaison, New Teacher Mentor and is an active national clinician. Dr. Smith is a member of the DCAESJ , the DEI Council of the Virginia Music Educator's Association, and the Arlington County MLK Tribute Planning Committee.

Justice in Action: Equipping Students to Reimagine Democracy
From Democracy Action Cards to Real-World Student Civic Power

SUBJECTS: History

GRADE LEVELS: High School

In this workshop, educators explored strategies to empower students as active participants in democracy and social justice. Using the Democracy Action Card, participants learned how to spark critical inquiry and connect classroom learning to real-world civic action. The session emphasized centering student voice and lived experience, guiding educators in designing lessons and projects that encourage youth to challenge injustice and envision a more equitable society. Through discussion and hands-on activities, participants gained practical tools to embed anti-racist, justice-focused civic learning in their classrooms.

Participants left inspired and ready to act. The Action Card handout and its reflection questions for teachers were a clear highlight, and one educator plans to build lessons around the card for their history class this year. Others walked away with plenty of ideas for getting students involved in the D.C. community and giving them authentic chances to use their voices. Participants also took up a challenging question: in projects that center student voice, who actually holds the power?

Presenter Bio

Dr. Shelina Warren (she/her) is an Army veteran and social studies educator with 22 years of experience. Currently in her tenth year at Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., she teaches Constitutional Law, Law & Justice Advocacy, Youth Justice, and Human Rights and Social Action. Dr. Warren is also the director of the Eleanor Holmes Norton Law and Public Policy Academy, fostering student voices for change. She holds multiple degrees, including a Doctorate in Urban Leadership from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Warren is a National Board Certified teacher, with numerous awards such as the 2022 American Civic Education Teacher Award and the 2021 DC Teacher of the Year Finalist. Before moving to D.C., she taught high school Civics, Economics, and gifted K-6 students in Arkansas.

Lessons from SNCC for Organizing Today: Women & Gender in the Civil Rights Movement

SUBJECTS: History

GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School, Adult Education

The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), founded by college students in April 1960, quickly became a driving force of the Civil Rights Movement through direct action, voter registration, and party-building, based in Atlanta where co-facilitator Judy Richardson worked. The organization was notable for outpacing comparable groups in women's equality and inclusive leadership, later inspiring movements like women's liberation. This hands-on session introduced participants to a Toolkit on Women & Gender in SNCC, developed in conjunction with the SNCC Digital Gateway, using document analysis, oral history, and archival photographs to explore how gender shaped the organization. Facilitators guided participants through the free, downloadable 16-22-page toolkit, one in a series designed for use in K-12, academic, or community and activist settings, highlighting SNCC's continued relevance as a model for progressive organizing rooted in developing leadership in everyone.

Participants left moved, inspired, and eager to put what they learned to work. Many described the chance to learn alongside Judy Richardson and co-facilitator Jessica Parker A. Rucker as a privilege and an honor, praising Judy's firsthand accounts as invaluable and Jessica's dynamic delivery, and praising the storytelling. Educators took away a wealth of knowledge about SNCC and its women freedom fighters, including Ella Baker's work, along with the history of activism and voting rights and the importance of amplifying women's voices in this work, past and present. They welcomed the SNCC Digital Gateway resources and are excited to download the guides. One educator is connecting the session to their history class on the Civil Rights Movement, another plans to share the resources with teachers, and a third hopes to bring them into their community violence disruption work.

Presenter Bios

Jessica “Jess” A. Rucker (she/youngin’) is a doctoral student in the Department of American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park where she is studying Black radicalisms. She is also a 2022-2023 Prentiss Charney Fellow. Prior to Jess’s graduate work, she was a D.C. high school social studies teacher, department chair, and instructional coach, as well as a participant in the 2018 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Teacher Institute at Duke University. She has also previously volunteered as a docent at both the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History. Jess resides in her home city, the U.S. colony of Washington, D.C., on the unceded ancestral lands of the Nacotchtank, with her loving partner.

Judy Richardson was on SNCC staff in Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. Her experiences in SNCC continue to ground both her film and education work. She recently co-directed the new visitor center film for the National Park Service’s Frederick Douglass House in Washington, D.C. In 1968, she was a co-founder of Drum & Spear Bookstore, once the country’s largest African American Bookstore. She was on the production team for all 14 hours of the seminal PBS series, Eyes on the Prize, as its series associate producer, then its education director, and then continued to produce documentaries for PBS, the History Channel, and museums. She co-edited Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC, a compilation of the testimonies of 52 SNCC women. She is a member of the SNCC Legacy Project board, was a Visiting Professor at Brown University, and has an honorary doctorate from Swarthmore College.

Teaching Youth Activism: Inspiring Young People through Dialogue

SUBJECTS: History

GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School

This session focused on creating youth activism lessons that inspired and empowered students. Participants used the examples of the Children's March, East Los Angeles Walkouts, and present-day youth activism to frame how to teach youth activism and how to make these topics most engaging for learners. All lesson materials kept in mind diverse learners, such as English Language Learners, students with literacy needs, and learners of all engagement levels. Participants discussed recent examples of youth activism, like ICE walkouts, and how to include discussions of these in their units. Participants also created a plan for using the youth activism materials in a purposeful way in their classrooms, and crafted and shared an essential question for their mini unit with their small groups.

Participants called the work wonderful and found every part of it important. Educators walked away with key case studies and ways to present the material that draw students into critical reading and conversation. Others took away how to bring activism into their teaching and gained fresh perspective on what that work can look like in the classroom.

Presenter Bio

Amber Myren is a Social Studies Teacher at Richard Montgomery High School in MCPS. She is passionate about social justice and embeds this passion into all her U.S. History lessons for her students. Amber thinks the best PD is talking and creating with other classroom teachers and is excited to connect with other educators.

Uncovering Marginalized Histories in the Archive

SUBJECTS: History

GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School, Adult Education

This workshop explored approaches to uncovering marginalized histories in archives. It introduced the concepts of archival silencing — the suppression of certain voices from the mainstream record — and reparative archiving — acknowledging these failures and engaging in conscious actions toward wholeness — through a brief presentation. Participants then dove into the archival material. After a quick training on how to handle and examine items, participants looked through documents from the University Archives, searching for evidence of marginalized narratives. The workshop centered on archival dissent: rejecting the dominant paradigm and resisting silence.

Presenter Bio

Evangeline Giaconia is the Reference & Processing coordinator at the University of Maryland University Archives. She is passionate about creating just and transformative cultural heritage institutions. Her research focuses on reparative accessioning, Indigenous archival ethics, and queer archiving. Her work has been published in Serial Librarian, Unbound: A Journal of Digital Scholarship, and in Disappearing Queers: A Survey of Queer Material Accessibility in Mainstream Archives by Litwin Books.

Manuel Duran Mendez is a doctoral student in the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. His scholarship and professional practice critically examine how libraries and archives function as epistemic institutions that shape historical knowledge and mediate racialized narratives. Grounded in community-engaged and reparative frameworks, his work advances recordkeeping approaches that center Black and Afro-Latino epistemologies and community authority over memory. His research is informed by over a decade of practice as a bilingual professional with the District of Columbia Public Library. In this role, his library work in programming, outreach, and exhibition planning directly critiques institutional neutrality, advancing a vision of librarianship as active cultural stewardship and social engagement.

"We Want to Free DC From Our Enemies": Teaching about DC Home Rule

SUBJECTS: History

GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School, Adult Education

D.C. Home Rule has been in effect for half a century. But while it's decades old, many folks in D.C. and beyond don't have much working knowledge of it, nor do they know how to talk to and teach others about it. With Home Rule routinely under threat, it's incumbent upon all of us to know how to teach its history and implications.

In this workshop, participants explored the D.C. Home Rule curriculum developed by the D.C. History Center and received free digital access to it. Vanessa opened with a lively quiz and trivia round, moving into a hands-on stations activity, and creating space for educators to share where they're teaching D.C. history. Participants uncovered Home Rule facts dating back to the 1700s and considered the impact of teaching Home Rule to students across the DMV. They also learned that the D.C. History Center website offers four distinct Home Rule lessons for secondary educators. Participants left energized. One shared, "Love the D.C. curriculum and excited to try it out," and that PTA visits to the center are on the horizon.

Presenter Bio

Vanessa Williams is the manager of education at D.C. History Center, where she practices public history via interpreting local D.C. history with the K-12 audience. Williams previously served as program manager for D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, a project of Teaching for Change. Before moving into program managerial work, Williams taught secondary social studies for a decade. She has been featured on panels for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium. She’s also been a guest on the EmpowerEd Educator Wellness Revolution and Anti-Racist table podcasts. Her writing is published in Washington History magazine, Rethinking Schools and Education Post. Williams has also served as a fellow for Oral History Summer School.

Who Gets Access? Who Pays the Price? AI, Disability Justice, and Data Centers

SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, History, Science, Mathematics, Arts Education, Other

GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School, Adult Education

This interactive workshop examined artificial intelligence through disability justice and environmental justice lenses, drawing on the facilitator's experience as a dyslexic educator and special education teacher to explore how AI could support disabled learners while acknowledging the environmental and community harms tied to data centers. Participants began by choosing a seat reflecting their position on AI (supportive, curious, neutral, or concerned), then broke into mixed-perspective small groups to share their experiences and identify areas of agreement, unresolved tensions, and practical ways to reduce harm while preserving meaningful access for disabled learners. The session also included the real story of a student who used AI as an accessibility support while returning to school and entering college, examining the difference between AI that supports a learner's thinking and AI that replaces it.

Participants left with a justice-centered framework for discussing AI, questions for evaluating school policies, and actionable strategies to support disabled learners while demanding greater environmental and corporate accountability. Hearing a range of perspectives stood out for many, and educators came away with a clearer view of both the resources and the pitfalls of AI, especially for people with disabilities. They also saw how often AI fails to consider the needs of disabled people. Others took away a way to start the conversation on youth activism.

Presenter Bio

Kimberly Kelley (she/her) is a humanities and mathematics educator at the Goodwill Excel Center, an adult public charter high school in Washington, D.C. A special educator by training, she teaches adult learners with a wide range of disabilities, literacy needs, and educational experiences. As a dyslexic educator, Kim brings both personal and professional insight into the ways technology can reduce barriers and help disabled learners communicate their knowledge more fully. Her work centers joy, accessibility, student dignity, and educational equity. She has presented professional development on joyful and liberatory teaching, cross-curricular instruction, identity, and inclusive classroom practices at local and national conferences.

Thank You to Publishers

Thank you to the publishing companies that donated social justice themed books for event participants, including: Beacon Press, Candlewick, Groundwood Books, HarperCollins, Haymarket Books, Lee & Low, Levine Querido, MacMillan, Random House, Simon & Schuster, The New Press, Viking Books for Young Readers, and more.