Teacher resources for LGBTQ+ and Pride history lessons
Included above are a few Pride flags. There are many different Pride flags celebrating the queer community and different queer identities.
In June, we celebrate Pride Month. The month was chosen to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. While Stonewall was not the beginning of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, the event is often considered a tipping point that helped raise awareness and galvanize people and groups to the cause.
Pride Month and LGBTQ+ History Month are great opportunities to bring LGTBQ+ topics into your classroom and to help increase representation in the curriculum. Below, we’ve curated resources you can use to celebrate LGBTQ+ history in the classroom during Pride Month and all year long.
Pride Month and LGBTQ+ history resources for teachers
Nearpod has curated free resources to help teachers celebrate Pride Month and LGBTQ+ history in the classroom.
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LGBTQ+ and Pride history lessons
All of these Nearpod lessons can be found in our Pride Month lesson folder. We recommend teachers preview these resources, as some of the topics covered may be emotional or sensitive for some students.
- Different Types of Families (Grades K-2): In this lesson adapted from Learning for Justice, students explore how families all over the world have similarities and differences. They discover how diversity can help their communities and ways to celebrate diversity.
- Pronouns and Gender Identity (Grades 4-12): People use pronouns to identify themselves to others. This Nearpod Original Video provides an overview of gender identity and gender-neutral pronouns. Students will consider why it is important to recognize people’s personal pronouns.
- My Aunties: Father Figures (Grades 9-12): In this Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson, students watch a StoryCorps video about Stefan Lynch, who was raised by gay parents in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic. Students consider how Lynch’s story can serve as a window, a mirror, or both for them. (Sensitive content)
- Marsha P. Johnson lessons (Grades 9-12): This Flocabulary video and the corresponding Nearpod mini-lesson introduce students to the life and activism of gay and trans rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. Students learn about Johnson’s childhood, her life in New York City, and her involvement in the gay rights movement of the 1960s and ’70s. They explore her legacy and the lack of recognition she received while she was still alive. In the accompanying Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson on Nearpod, students will watch the video and explore how Johnson’s story serves as a window, a mirror, or both.
- James Baldwin lessons (Grades 9-12): This Flocabulary video and the corresponding Nearpod mini-lesson introduce students to the life and work of American writer James Baldwin. Students explore Baldwin’s frank discussions of racism and discrimination in the United States and abroad and learn how Baldwin’s refusal to pigeonhole his writing, national identity, and sexual orientation made him a true iconoclast. In the accompanying Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson on Nearpod, students can watch the video and consider how Baldwin’s story serves as a window, a mirror, or both.
- Stonewall Riots (Grades 9-12): In this video from History, students learn how the Stonewall Inn Uprising sparked the beginning of the gay rights movement in America. They also learn how the LGBTQ community came together to protest exploitation and police harassment.
- The history of the word “gay” (Grades 9-12): In this video from Origin of Everything, students learn about the history of the word “gay,” including the evolving meaning of the word “gay” and how it entered the mainstream vocabulary.
- An Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement (Grades 9-12): In this video from TED-Ed, students learn about the life of Bayard Rustin, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, a gay rights activist, and one of Martin Luther King’s closest advisors.
LGBTQ+ resources for teachers
Looking for more? Below, we’ve included additional teacher-recommended resources to celebrate Pride and honor LGBTQ identities in the classroom. Be sure to preview these materials to be sure they meet the needs of your learners, and some of the topics may be emotional or sensitive for some students.
- Learning for Justice’s Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students: On this page, you’ll find a range of valuable resources for creating a more inclusive classroom for LGBTQ students and for all students. The free Teacher Resources contains an LGBTQ library of books and films, a list of historical figures, a glossary of terms, and a school checklist.
- Queer Icons FREE Bulletin Board Set from Visionary Classroom Decor and The Superhero Teacher: The free bullet board setup comes with portraits of queer icons. Each has a QR code, which students can scan to read biographies.
- Lindz Amer’s LGBTQ+ resources on Teachers Pay Teachers: Lindz is a GLAAD Rising Star and host of the series Queer Kid Stuff. On this page, you’ll find resources for educators, including a social justice songbook, LGBTQ+ vocab posters, and more.
Start teaching with Nearpod
The learning doesn’t end in June! You can use any of these resources at any point in the school year. And remember, a more inclusive classroom benefits all learners, creating more room for empathy and understanding and helping all students feel engaged, valued, and heard.
Happy Pride Month!
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