Exploring the Civil Rights Movement Using Interactive, Game-Based Learning

Presented by Michelle Chen, Senior Producer, Kids’ Media and Education, The WNET Group; Lily Exantus, M.Ed., Program Coordinator, District of Columbia Public Schools; Dr. Charity Brown Griffin, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, and Director of the Minority Academic Achievement and Development Lab, Winston-Salem State University; and Dr. Pamela Walker, Assistant Professor of History, College of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University–San Antonio

Sponsored by WNET

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In this edWebinar, middle and high school social studies and humanities teachers, and school library/media specialists have the opportunity to look at new ways of teaching history and contemporary issues. We explore the use of game-based, interactive resources that immerse students in transformational moments from U.S. history, with a special spotlight on Mission US and the program’s newly launched interactive mission, No Turning Back, a look at the 1960s civil rights movement.

Mission US is a free, award-winning educational media project with more than 3.8 million registered users across the United States. The presenters share best practices for implementing interactive tools like Mission US in the classroom, the extensive collection of accompanying teacher resources, and the game’s historical, cultural, and contextual significance. If you’re looking for ways to energize, inspire, and inform your social studies students, this is an edWebinar you won’t want to miss.

This recorded edWebinar is of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, school leaders, education technology leaders, curriculum leaders, and social studies department chairs.

About the Presenters

Michelle Chen is Senior Producer, Kids’ Media and Education at The WNET Group, where she has been creating content for public television and digital platforms since 2004. She has received Emmy Awards for her work on the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase and the multiplatform project, Get the Math. Other projects include the groundbreaking educational gaming series Mission US, which has received the Best Work in the Digital Media Division of the Japan Prize and the Games for Change Award for Most Significant Impact; the “Youth Collective” Gen Z engagement initiative; the PBS KIDS video and gaming series Oh Noah!; and professional development series for educators.

Lily Exantus is the program coordinator for the District of Columbia Public Schools. Her work includes the design and implementation of the district’s New Teacher Network, a 10-month professional learning community for new teachers. She also plays a key role in her district’s delivery of professional development sessions, collaborating with internal and external team members to ensure the successful delivery of professional learning. Lily received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of North Florida. She serves as an active and valued member of the Mission US Advisory Board.

Dr. Charity Brown Griffin is an associate professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Winston-Salem State University and the director of the Minority Academic Achievement and Development (MAAD) Lab. She earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and an M.A. and Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of South Carolina. After completing her graduate training, Dr. Griffin served children and families through her practice in K-12 public schools as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She is also licensed as a psychologist by the North Carolina Psychology Board specializing in psychoeducational assessments and educational intervention plans. Dr. Griffin’s research program examines cultural and contextual factors that contribute to Black youths’ development. Her work has been published in popular media outlets such as Successful Black Parenting Magazine and PBS KIDS, and peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of School Psychology, Psychology in the Schools, Journal of Black Psychology, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Applied School Psychology, Sex Roles, and others. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work including the American Educational Research Association-Society for Research in Child Development Fellowship in Middle Childhood Education and Development.

Dr. Pamela N. Walker is an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M-San Antonio. Dr. Walker received her Ph.D. in African American and women’s history from Rutgers University. She is currently revising her manuscript, Signed, Sealed, Delivered: How Black and White Women Used the Box Project and the Postal System to Fight Hunger and Feed the Mississippi Freedom Movement, which examines motherhood, race, activism, benevolence, and political consciousness in 1960s-era women’s social movement networks. Dr. Walker has contributed articles to all three volumes of the award-winning Scarlet and Black Project at Rutgers University. Her work has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the American Philosophical Society, the PEO Sisterhood, and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Dr. Walker serves as the university liaison to San Antonio African American Archive and Community Museum.

Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.

Join the K-12 Social Studies and Civics: Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

The WNET Group’s award-winning Kids’ Media and Education Team produces the PBS KIDS series, Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading public media producer for nearly 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including multi-platform initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding and the environment.