When it comes to engaging students, perhaps we are afraid of the obvious. Topics that are contentious and charged engaged us all. We have strong opinions and when allowed to express them we need little encouragement to comment and argue for what we believe. We make efforts to learn more without prodding. Gun control, equity issues, political candidates, climate change, health care, abortion, etc. are topics that attract attention and generate engagement. The level of engagement may reach the level that make us uncomfortable personally and may bring scrutiny from others (parents, administrators) when we share our position and logic. It is just frustrating that educators are asked to make dull topics interesting but are expected to avoid interests that already exist. These issues are huge in the decisions adults make and despite all of the rhetoric about preparing students for their futures, we avoid encouraging the development of skills for making personal decisions about such topics.
I am a fan of Newsela because the service attempts to offer “news” to students at multiple reading levels. This Newsela post comments on the issue of politics in the classroom and references a new book coming out of the Univ of Wisconsin on the topic. Also take a look at this related piece from NPR. I am really tempted to get the book noted in the NPR piece, but the $30+ price for Kindle book kind of violates my personal fair price guideline.
