Educators from around New York City attended the interactive workshop at Retro Report’s office in Midtown Manhattan on Nov. 7.

Teachers attending a daylong workshop this month hosted by Retro Report and the New York City Department of Education’s Social Studies team came away with new ways to engage students.

The workshop introduced classroom resources for Hidden Voices, a curriculum collaboration with the Museum of the City of New York that spotlights stories from underrepresented communities. Those resources included Retro Report videos on the Chicano rights movement and the history of the fight for transgender rights, and the Teaching About Immigration and Migration collection.

“I like the videos that I can now integrate with the overall curriculum,” said Napthali Ross, who teaches at the School of the Future Brooklyn. “Most of my kids like to work virtually, so I’m glad that everything is online, so I can tap into that and also give them a diverse view on what we’re covering.”

Educators watched a number of Retro Report films throughout the day, including this video above, titled, “The Crime That Fueled an Asian American Civil Rights Movement.”

Educators attending the event, held on Nov. 7 at Retro Report’s newsroom in Midtown Manhattan, analyzed primary sources and learned about interactive tools like digital story maps. They also heard from one of the nonprofit organization’s filmmakers. Retro Report producer Joseph Hogan discussed his work on two films, “The Crime That Fueled an Asian American Civil Rights Movement” and “How a 1944 Supreme Court Ruling on Internment Camps Led to a Reckoning.”

Retro Report Producer Joseph Hogan talked with educators about some of the films he produced, and gave a behind-the-scenes look into the reporting process.

David Olson, Retro Report’s Director of Education, walked teachers through some of the free resources created for these videos, including classroom-ready student worksheets.

Valerie Green Thomas, a member of Retro Report’s Council of Educators, said she looks forward to future professional development opportunities from Retro Report. 

“I hope that more teachers get to come so they can understand and use these resources that we have to engage students,” Thomas said, “especially in an era where we talk about culturally responsive teaching.”

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