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How stories can transform a classroom

How stories can transform a classroom
When students conduct StoryCorps interviews, teachers say it can “reorganize the ions of a class.” Photo: David Andrako, courtesy of StoryCorps Caitlyn, a quiet seventh grader, was bullied by the other kids in her class at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, California. She wore the same cowboy boots every day. “The other kids were awful about it,” said English teacher Rebecca Mieliwocki, remembering this student who has stayed lodged in her memory for 10 years now. “Even the best kids can be horrible sometimes. The law of the jungle, however, can change. When Caitlyn was in her class a decade ago, Mieliwocki introduced StoryCorps to her students. Caitlyn had interviewed her mom. “None of us knew any of this about her,” said Mieliwocki. The teasing stopped. “Telling our stories brought all of our lived realities into the classroom,” said Mieliwocki. StoryCorpsU launched in 2009 to echo that emotional transformation. Interviews are a powerful tool for increasing understanding.

(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies Interweaving groundbreaking experiments from celebrated behavioral economist Dan Ariely with personal stories from individuals affected by the unraveling of their lies, Ariely and a team of scientists uncover our propensity to be dishonest—sometimes even unknowingly. What’s revealed is a fascinating look at the forces behind our collective behavior and the many truths behind lies. Institutional & Public Viewing Edition Includes: - An unlimited public performance license for a single campus or location - Feature film & One hour version (both on a single DVD) - Comprehensive Discussion Guide (designed for High School audiences, but contains valuable information for all ages). See a sample of the Discussion Guide here - Screening Kit (poster artwork, supplemental images, press kit, etc) Quotes “Brilliant” – Psychology Today "Illuminating" - New York Times “A deep-think doc animated by the researcher at its center” – The Hollywood Reporter “Intriguing” - Esquire “Tells it like it is.

Great Invisible On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. It killed 11 workers and caused the worst oil spill in American history. The explosion still haunts the lives of those most intimately affected, though the story has long ago faded from the front page. At once a fascinating corporate thriller, a heartbreaking human … >more At once a fascinating corporate thriller, a heartbreaking human drama and a peek inside the walls of the secretive oil industry, THE GREAT INVISIBLE is the first documentary feature to go beyond the media coverage to examine the crisis in depth through the eyes of oil executives, survivors and Gulf Coast residents who experienced it first-hand and then were left to pick up the pieces while the world moved on. >less

Terms and Conditions May Apply Have you ever read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies connected to every website you visit, phone call you make, or app you use? Of course you haven't. But those agreements allow corporations to do things with your personal information you could never even imagine. What are you really agreeing to when you click "I accept"?… >more Have you ever read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies connected to every website you visit, phone call you make, or app you use? Through interviews with technology thought leaders and futurists, including Moby, Chief Google Engineer Ray Kurzweil, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, TERMS AND CONDITIONS MAY APPLY brilliantly documents the sign posts on the slippery slope of internet privacy. >less

Sites That Help Kids Do Good close(x) Don’t Miss Out You’re all set! Look out for our weekly updates soon. Connect with us Jump to navigation "Best of" Lists "Best of" lists Get age-appropriate ideas and inspiration for every interest: Poll Did this specific Top Picks list help you decide to do any of the following? Let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 41% (800 votes) NOT let your child watch/play/read/listen to a particular media title 14% (274 votes) Buy, rent, or download a particular media title 24% (472 votes) Did not impact my decision 22% (426 votes) Total votes: 1972 Learning ratings Best: Really engaging; great learning approach.Very Good: Engaging; good learning approach.Good: Pretty engaging; good learning approach.Fair: Somewhat engaging; OK learning approach.Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning. Find out more Share this List FavoriteSign In or Sign Up to add favorites Sites That Help Kids Do Good We Give Books Kiva

King Dork (Age 15+) This debut novel by East Bay punk rocker Dr. Frank has so much going for it that it may be the literary find of the year. First, it's laugh-out-loud, still-chuckling-10-minutes-later funny, the kind of clever, sardonic, intelligent humor that will have your teens calling up their friends to read passages out loud. The humor, though, is set in high relief by the story's depth, complexity, and sophistication. There's a realism here that goes far beyond most books, either for teens or for adults. Very few ends are neatly tied up, but unlike most books that try this, it isn't frustrating at all -- in fact it makes perfect sense.

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