compendium & resources - under construction!
Educators know that developing any kind of literacy requires practice. Building on the literacy model for reading and writing, we need to see peace as a skill set that we must work hard to master, and dedicate years to develop. And even once developed, the skills of peace making must be actively maintained, rather than passively habituated.
You will find on this page, some resources built around peace literacy themes, that will help students develop, master, and maintain their peace-making skills, including:
-
rubrics
-
group projects
-
assignments
-
in-class exercises
-
films
-
websites
-
scholarly articles
-
community activities
Want to share your own ideas? We'd love to hear from you! Contact sharyn.clough@oregonstate.edu.
rubrics to accompany skills taught in lesson plan 1
-
Respect (tba)
-
Conflict (tba)
college level exercises/assignments
-
College Level In-class Exercise for practicing the peace literacy skill of empathetic listening and reflecting on non-violence, prepared by Sharyn Clough
-
College Level Writing Topics based on Chappell's Road to Peace series, prepared by Krista Hensley
-
College Level Assignment for US History Classes using Chappell's Soldiers of Peace, prepared by Krista Hensley
-
College Level Assignment for English Comp using Chappell's Soldiers of Peace, prepared by Krista Hensley
-
College Level Writing Assignments for Eng 101 using Chappell's Soldiers of Peace, prepared by Krista Hensley
high school level exercises/assignments
-
High School Level Writing Assignment for English classes, using Chappell's Soldiers of Peace, prepared by Krista Hensley
-
High School Level Book Report Assignment/Template/Rubric for reading Chappell's Peaceful Revolution, prepared by Chris Mahon
-
High School Level In-class Exercise for practicing the peace literacy skill of empathetic listening and reflecting on non-violence, prepared by Sharyn Clough
-
High School Level Writing Topics based on Chappell's Road to Peace series, prepared by Krista Hensley
-
High School Level Assignment for US History Classes using Chappell's Soldiers of Peace, prepared by Krista Hensley
middle school and primary level exercises/assignments
-
Middle School Level In-class Activity on Animal Posturing to accompany Chappell's The End of War, prepared by Susan Radford
-
A "StoryBird" about respect to help kids doing group work in class, designed by Kim Cowperthwait.
classroom materials and books for educators
-
Poster: Aggression and the Fires Burning Beneath, inspired by a design from Krista Hensley.
-
The 4-Way Test for Transforming Conflict, pamphlet designed by Rotarian Action Group for Peace. For more on the 4-way test and other great Rotary Peace Resources, visit here: http://www.worldpeacepartners.org/resources.html
-
Books for kids 4-8yrs
-
The Barnyard Buddies STOP for Peace, by Julie Penshorn
Themes: Conflict resolution, calm, mindfulness
Age Range: 3 - 9 years
Grade Level: Kindergarten - 3
Series: The Barnyard Buddies
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Smart Tools For Life; First Edition edition (July 6, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0998869104
ISBN-13: 978-0998869100
-
The Contest Between the Sun and the Wind (Rise and Shine) Aesop’s Fable retold by Heather Forest and illustrated by Susan Gaber
Themes: Wisdom, calm, and forethought vs. rashness, brute strength
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: AD520L (What's this?)
Series: Rise and ShineHardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: National Geographic School Pub; 1 edition (June 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0874838320
ISBN-13: 978-0874838329
-
Moody Cow Meditates by K Lee MacLean
Themes: Aggression, mindfulness, meditation, calm
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool and up
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Wisdom Publications; 1 edition (September 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 086171573X
ISBN-13: 978-0861715732
-
When Sophie Gets Angry, by Molly Bang
Themes: Aggression, mindfulness, meditation, calm
Age Range: 4 - 8 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 3
Lexile Measure: 340L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 31 pages
Publisher: Blue Sky Press; 1 edition (March 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0590189794
ISBN-13: 978-0590189798
-
-
Caren Stelson’s powerful books for children, including Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story and A Bowl Full of Peace: A True Story
films featuring themes consistent with peace literacy
-
Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathaii's non-violent strategies for environmental advocacy are documented in Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Mathaii
-
Animals posturing
-
Humans posturing
-
With their characteristically brutal and incisive humor, comedy duo Key and Peele illustrate the human reluctance to engage in hostile aggression in “Hold Me Back” (Comedy Central)
-
-
Trauma and other underlying fires that cause human aggression
-
Mike Tyson Interview (HBO Real Sports)
-
With their characteristically brutal and incisive humor, comedy duo Key and Peele illustrate the vulnerable emotional life of a bully in “School Bully” (Comedy Central)
-
Children Full of Life - a documentary from Japan showing how Mr. Kanamori, a teacher of a 4th grade class, teaches his students teamwork, community, the importance of openness, how to cope, and the harm caused by bullying
-
-
Empathy building
-
Using infants to help elementary school children learn empathy: The Roots of Empathy Project
-
Using shelter dogs to help prisoners learn empathy:
Dogs on the Inside - Trailer
-
-
Using respect in policing
-
Segment from CBS, On the Road
-
-
On dehumanization
-
British comedy duo Mitchell and Webb, portraying two German SS officers, who start out, like all of us, assuming they’re on the side of good. At some point they are no longer sure: “Are We the Baddies?”
-
“Don’t be a Sucker” was made by the US War Department in 1943 and is a short (17 mins) and skillful illustration of how dehumanization works and how to resist it.
-
Four Hours at My Lai A devastating look at the massacre committed by American soldiers during the Vietnam war, the men who participated, the dehumanization of the Vietnamese women and children, and the one man who intervened.
-
The Power of Music An American World War II Veteran talks about rehumanizing German soldiers
-
A Class Divided - a 12 min. excerpt from Jane Elliot’s 1970 social experiment on dehumanization with her third grade class divided by eye-color.
-
-
Changing minds by appealing to worldviews
-
Talking to conservative voters about climate change
-
-
Strategy and discipline in the Civil Rights era protests as documented in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins.
online resources
-
A Force More Powerful, a 1hr documentary about Gandhi and and Civil Rights era nonviolence strategy, available on Vimeo and here: www.aforcemorepowerful.org
-
The Alternatives to Violence Project https://avpusa.org/
-
American Friends Service Committee, www.afsc.org
-
Center for Nonviolent Communication https://www.cnvc.org/
-
Center for Teaching Peace www.peaceed.org
-
Christian Peacemaker Teams cpt@igc.org
-
Circle of Insight, www.circleofinsight.org
-
Fellowship of Reconciliation, www.forusa.org
-
Institute for Economics and Peace, www.economicsandpeace.org
-
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, http://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/Vision of Humanity, www.visionofhumanity.org
-
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, www.thekingcenter.org
-
The M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, www.gandhiinstitute.org; see also http://www.mkgandhi.org/
-
The Nonviolent Peaceforce, www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
-
Peacemakers Bibliography, www.peacemakers.ca/bibliography/bib37nonviolentdirect.html
-
The Peace People, www.peacepeople.com
-
Peace Talks Radio, www.goodradioshows.org/
-
Paul K Chappell, Peaceful Revolution, www.paulkchappell.com
-
Pace e Bene, www.paceebene.org
-
Roots of Empathy: www.rootsofempathy.org
-
Voices for Creative Nonviolence, www.vcnv.org
-
Waging Nonviolence, www.wagingnonviolence.org
-
War Resisters League www.warresisters.org
scholarly articles by faculty who teach peace literacy
Baesler, E. J., & Lauricella, S. (2013). “Reaching peace by teaching peace: Assessing instruction of the nonviolent communication and peace course.” Journal of Peace Education, 10, 1-18.
Baesler, E. J. (2017). “I’d rather teach peace: An autoethnographic account of the nonviolent communication and peace course.” Peace Studies Journal, 10(2), 71-75. http://peacestudiesjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/PSJ-Vol-10-Issue-2-July-20171.pdf
Clough, Sharyn. (2020). “Charity, Peace, and the Social Epistemology of Science Controversies.” In Social Epistemology and Relativism, co-edited by Natalie Ashton, Martin Kusch, Robin McKenna, and Katharina Sodoma. New York: Routledge.
Clough, Sharyn. (2021). “Peace Literacy, Cognitive Bias, and Structural Injustice.” In Transformative Approaches to Social Justice Education: Equity and Access in the College Classroom. Co-edited by Nana Osei-Kofi, Bradley Boovy, and Kali Furman. New York: Routledge.
(email for a copy of either essay).
stories from the popular press
April 2019, article in Wired magazine on the personal connections provided by virtual reality - VR responds to our need for Belonging.
help sustain our work
The Peace Literacy Institute designs curricular materials that anyone can download and use for free to support Peace Literacy in their schools and communities. We also provide education rates for our workshops so teachers can make the most effective use of the curriculum.
Donations make it possible for us to provide this public service.
Your contribution will sustain our work to spread Peace Literacy during a time when humanity needs it the most.