Workshops and Curricula

Welcome to Our Neighborhood (Grades 1-4)

In the book, The Fair Housing Five, Samaria and her friends have a problem on their hands. A landlord in their neighborhood is discriminating, and together they must find a way to ensure that their community stays open to all different kinds of people. (1.5 hours)

• LaFHAC staff facilitate an interactive reading of The Fair Housing Five.
• LaFHAC staff lead an art project to further explore themes addressed in the book.  Ex. Students design a map of a neighborhood where everyone is welcome and everyone’s needs are met, or design posters to educate the public about discrimination.
• Participating schools and libraries receive free copies of the book and curriculum, and Engagement Guide for parents or guardians.

The Housing Choice Game (Grades 4-9)

The Housing Choice Game is an interactive board game in which students experience first-hand the impact of housing discrimination and the importance of housing choice. (7.5 hours over 2-5 days)

• Students develop a vocabulary around civil rights, and discover the ways in which where a person lives affects how they live by expanding or limiting access to educational, employment, healthcare and retail opportunities.
• The workshop engages Louisiana state Grade Level Expectations (GLEs) in English Language Arts, History, Civics, Geography and Economics. Fair housing offers a thematic umbrella for the real-life application of lessons in a number of subject-areas.
• The workshop requires high level critical thinking and engages a variety of learning styles through a project-based learning approach.
• Participating schools receive detailed curriculum guides for possible extensions in writing and art.
• LaFHAC provides all materials, and will tailor the curriculum to your classroom needs and goals.  Curriculum extensions are available for teachers who seek ways to further explore fair housing issues with students.

 Bringing Justice Home (Ages 14-24) 

This workshop engages young people ages 14-24 in an exploration of how a long history of racially discriminatory housing policies in the United States led to widespread segregation, wealth inequalities and unequal access to opportunity, which still shape our neighborhoods today. This interactive presentation uses primary sources and critical thinking to show the impacts of these policies while also emphasizing the power of individual actions to combat injustice, from the Fair Housing Movement of the 1960s to today. (2 hours)

•  Students will develop understanding and vocabulary around historical housing practices and trends such as redlining, restrictive covenants, suburbanization and white flight. .
• Workshop includes interactive PowerPoint presentation on housing history, primary source analysis, and role plays.
• Extension opportunities available upon request.