Builders Tool • Education Focus
Builders High School Classroom
Developed in partnership with
The Builders High School Classroom curriculum is a framework designed to empower high school teachers to foster braver and more constructive classrooms in America through curiosity, compassion, and courage. Through a free curriculum toolkit, we give teachers starter tools to navigate across lines of difference in the classroom to cultivate deep inquiry, active listening, and self-expression.
About Builders High School Classroom
Lessons & Downloads
Unlock the Curriculum
Sample the introductory materials and one lesson (Curiosity Lesson 1) below. To access the full Builders High School Classroom curriculum, please enter your email address.
Introduction
Welcome to Builders High School/3Cs Classroom! Learn about the program structure and how to use the materials.
Curiosity Lessons
These three lessons teach about curiosity by building up skills of asking questions in students. Not all questions are curious, so these lessons invite students to consider curious questions to better understand something in contrast to another kind of question — questions to persuade someone. When encountering a difference of opinion, perspective, or belief, what kind of question will you choose?
Compassion Lessons
These three lessons teach about compassion by building up skills of listening in students. All too often, we’re only partly listening when someone is speaking to us — particularly when we disagree with what they’re saying. These three lessons invite us to practice listening deeply as an act of compassion. When we’re truly listening, we hear things — spoken and unspoken — that add nuance and complexity to our understanding.
Courage Lessons
These three lessons teach about courage, particularly the courage to speak a differing perspective and the courage of the group to create a space where people can feel permission to share a differing point of view. The lessons invite students to identify what they would need to express dissent and what behaviors the group could agree to that would allow those needs to be met.
Additional Resources
Additional resources, including ideas for closing activities to wrap up the series of lessons.
“A lot of my students see the use in this more than how to write an argumentative essay. I’m not saying that’s not useful. It is. But you know, I love the example that one of them gave me. They were like, ‘I’m not going to write an argumentative essay to my boss if I want a raise; I’m going to talk to them. And this is really cool that I’m learning how to do that.’”
Cat A.
11th and 12th grade English teacher, Oklahoma
“A group of six kids would argue with each other a lot when we were doing group work [before the Builders High School Classroom curriculum]. And I’m just thinking back. I don’t remember any arguing at all [after Builders High School Classroom]. Actually, they worked without a problem. They were laughing; they were having fun.”
Vicky L.
10th–12th grade physics teacher, California
“It’s hard sometimes as a teacher to make a good classroom culture with kids. We have a really stressful job. There’s just a lot going on… I think that if more teachers had a guide — like, a lesson to help them do that — it would make their job a lot happier and make the kids a lot happier. [Builders High School Classroom] was a framework that helped establish that good classroom culture.”
Bridget C.
9th grade environmental science teacher, Georgia
“Builders High School Classroom [curriculum] helped me to have a deeper understanding about courage, and I feel that I will be able to do a better job at listening to others in the future.”
Student participant
“I have noticed as a result of the Builders High School Classroom [curriculum] that I was more curious about things, and I felt myself asking more questions.”
Student participant
Watch Testimonials from Builders High School Classroom Teachers
What do teachers with Builders High School Classroom really think about the program?
High school teachers across the country are using the free Builders High School Classroom curriculum for their students, and it’s making a difference. Hear from real teachers on their experiences and the real impact it’s having for their students.
