Are you aware that August is Win With Civility Month (also known as National Civility Month)? As you prepare for the new school year, creating a supportive environment and teaching and reinforcing character are very important. Civility is a valuable skill to teach as it can help establish a supportive classroom environment. So let’s look at how you might approach civility with students.
If you incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into your curriculum, Win With Civility Month ties neatly into SDG16, the goal of promoting peaceful and inclusive societies. Kevin Bower’s recent blog shares many ideas for incorporating the SDGs into Middle School classrooms, which are adaptable for both elementary and high school classrooms.
National Today provides a range of clear, easy-to-follow information to assist students in learning about National Civility Month. This resource includes background information, a timeline, FAQs, information on how to observe the occasion, examples of celebrities exhibiting civility, and an explanation of why civility is essential.
Using the observation of Civility Month as an example and including the topics found on the website, let’s look at how students might use a resource like Genially (reviewed here) to share interactive and engaging information that supports their understanding of civility. Genially is an easy-to-use tool for creating and sharing content such as slide presentations, images, videos, and more with interactive content.
- Images from Unsplash (reviewed here) – Unsplash is an excellent resource for finding quality images to use in any presentation. Although not required, attribution is always appreciated.
- Timeline from ReadWriteThink (reviewed here) – this timeline creator is easy for students of any age to use and incorporate into projects. It offers the option to add images, save and share them as a PDF document.
- Flip prompt (reviewed here) – from the hyperlink, students access Flip (formerly known as Flipgrid) to create a video response to a prompt about courtesy. Encourage students to respond to their classmate’s responses to start a collaborative discussion about civility and manners.
- Link to definition of civility on Dictionary.com (reviewed here) – it is easy to assume that everyone knows the meaning of civility. Including the definition provides specific information and a starting point for sharing examples of civil behavior.
- YouTube video (reviewed here) – adding a link such as this video that shares information about SDG16 provides another opportunity for students to share or learn about the topic in the interactive.
This example shares just one way that you or your students can create interactive content that shares information about National Civility Month. Other approaches might include one group of students sharing an interactive image featuring classmates demonstrating civility. At the same time, another group might focus on societal changes in courtesy over time, and yet another might share important examples of civility and social justice.
As you usher in a new school year and set expectations for classroom behavior, consider introducing students to National Civility Month. Using a tool such as Genially provides an opportunity to conduct in-depth explorations of civility and how it applies inside and outside your classroom.
How do you teach civility in your classroom? As always, we enjoy hearing from our readers and learning together in the comments below.