Introduction
Dear Educators,
This e-book is a compilation of lesson plans and unit maps that will help you use Pulitzer Center global journalism resources in your classes. From the Arab Spring to climate change to the global water and sanitation crisis, these curricular materials cover a broad range of contemporary issues rooted in long-term, systemic trends. They have been designed to promote deep thinking across disciplines, and can be adapted for a variety of grade levels. We hope you find them useful, and would love to hear your feedback. We will be updating this periodically with new materials. Please e-mail any comments or suggestions to [email protected].
Very best,
Mark Schulte Pulitzer Center Education Director pulitzercenter.org/education Stay in touch - subscribe to our education newsletter!
Exploring Downstream: Water Resources
Published November 9, 2010 by Kristin Collins, Updated August 22, 2013
Through this webquest, students will use several different projects on the "Downstream" Global Gateway to examine the impact of water around the world.
Overview
Water issues affect us all. Most Americans have access to plenty of clean water, and we don't give a passing thought to our own use of this vital natural resource. But water, and access to it, plays a significant role in the daily lives of nearly 1 billion people across the globe. Several journalists, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, set out to examine the impact of water resources on a wide-range of communities. Through this webquest, students will use several different projects on the "Downstream" web portal to examine the impact of water around the world.
Student Preparation
Prior to delving into the stories contained within this web portal, ask your students to think about the following: a. How many times a day do you use water? In what capacity? b. How might your day be different if you didn't have safe, clean drinking water at your disposal? Where would you get your water? How would you ensure that it was safe to drink/use in your cooking?
Read or play the video introduction to this project for your students.
***Special note: These videos are linked to the web portal through Youtube. If you do not have Youtube access at school, you may request a copy of the video from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, or assign your students to view the video at home.
The Lesson
Procedures
Part 1: Water Wars: Ethiopia and Kenya
1) Launch the project "Water Wars: Ethiopia and Kenya".
2) Have your students read the introduction to this project, or read it to them aloud. 3) To the right, under the "Recent" tab, there are two articles for your students to read. One is titled "Diminishing Water Resources Threaten Peace" and "Kenya Seeks Cheap Power at the Expense of Turkana." You may wish to print these out and divide them among your class to read. Then, have each group summarize their article and discuss how the need/desire for water is fueling conflict.
4) To the right of the introduction there are six menus from which you can choose. Under the tab "Articles," identify and open the reporting, "Africa's Growing Water Crisis". Then access the article through the link, "See their multi- media presentation…" Have your students read the article and answer the following questions: a. Many of the people of southern Ethiopia are pastoralists, meaning that their livelihood is based on moving their herds in search of fertile pastures. Because there has been so little rain, what is happening to their livestock? b. Why is there such a water shortage? c. How has the scarcity of water fueled conflicts between the tribes?
5) After students have read the article, you will find a video "Troubled Waters"* on the project page under the "Videos" tab. Play this for your students and have them answer the following questions:
*Note: this video is NOT through Youtube a. What is happening to Lake Victoria? (Explain the reason for this.) b. What countries are involved in the dispute over loss of water in Lake Victoria? c. What, politically, is the potential impact of this dispute in this region?
6) Scroll down and access "Haramaya: Voices from a Vanished Lake." Play this audio slideshow for your students and ask them to answer the following questions: a. Describe Lake Haramaya in 1987, 2004, and then in 2008. What are 2-3 reasons cited for the loss of this lake? b. Why should the rest of the world take notice when lakes such as this one disappear? c. What has been the impact of the loss of this lake on the local population?
7) Go back to the "Water Wars: Ethiopia and Kenya" project main page. Access, under the "Audio" tab, "Water Walker." Have your students listen to this story and answer the following questions: a. Describe a day in the life of a "water walker." b. How would not having easy access to water impact your daily routine?
8) Return to the main project page, and access the radio program titled "Clean Water for Kenya" under the "Audio" tab. Have your students listen to the story (or they can read the transcript) and answer the following questions: a. Why is the water in the Kibera slum of Kenya so expensive? b. Even if you buy the water, is it guaranteed to be safe? Why or why not? c. How does Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) work? d. Since the inception of the SODIS program in 2004 there has been a 20% decrease in diarrhea in the slum. How else might access to clean water help to enhance the lives of people in the Kibera slum (other than not having to contend with being sick)?
Part 2: South Asia's Troubled Waters
9) Launch the project "South Asia's Troubled Waters."
10) Have your students read the introduction to this project, or read it aloud to the class.
11) Under the "Articles" tab, access the story titled "Bangladesh Fights for Survival Against Climate Change."
Have your students read this story and discuss the following questions: a. What is a char? How are chars proving helpful to the people of Bangladesh? Why is life in the lowlands, where chars form, so precarious? b. How is climate change affecting Bangladesh? c. What is the government of Bangladesh trying to do to combat the country's water problem?
Return to the main project page for "South Asia's Troubled Waters" and access "Fleeing Catastrophe, Stuck in the Slums of Bangladesh" under the "Videos" tab.* This story is connected to "Bangladesh Fights for Survival Against Climate Change" because many Bangladeshis have been displaced from their homes and villages as a result of rising waters. This video is about a young couple that fled to Dhaka's slums to escape the rising waters, but they, like so many others, face terrible conditions and the lack of opportunities in the city *Note: this video is NOT through Youtube d. Ask your students to ponder what options people like those highlighted in this video might have for a better life.
Part 3: Desertification in China
12) Launch the project titled "Desertification in China." Have your students read the introduction, or read it to them aloud. (You can also download a free e-book of this project for iPad or view it on the web.)
14) Under the "Articles" tab, access the story titled "Desertification: On the Trail of Abandoned Cities" (you may wish to help students locate, approximately, where in China journalist, Sean Gallagher, was reporting using a classroom map). Have your students read this article and answer the following questions: a. What is desertification? b. How has desertification been affecting parts of western China? c. What was the significance of the city of Yinpan, and what led to its demise? d. Why is important to protect historically significant places like Yinpan? Why is China unable to provide this protection?
15) Return to the "Desertification in China" main project page and click on the BBC World "Interview about Desertification in China" under the Audio tab. Access the story through "listen to the interview on BBC World," and fast forward to 16:56. Have your students answer the following questions: a. What is the Chinese government doing to help people that are fleeing desertification? b. What is an "environmental refugee"? c. According to Sean Gallagher, how did most of the people that he interviewed feel about living in these fabricated cities? d. When Gallagher stayed with the farmer and his family, what did he say the farmer was doing that was in violation of government policies concerning desertification? e. If you were a farmer that raised animals in this part of the world, what options might you have to ensure the survival of your flock? f. Why are tourists now heading out to the edge of the desert?
16) Return to the "Desertification in China" main page and access "Showcase: Shifting Sands" under the "Slideshows" tab. Then view the slideshow through the link "View the slideshow as it appeared in The New York Times." Have your students examine the images of desertification in China and the photo captions. After viewing these images ask them to discuss the following: a. What stood out to you about these photos? b. What do you think it would be like to be caught in a sandstorm like the ones you just saw? c. In your opinion, what ways of life do you think this environment could support?
Extension Activities
1) These three projects have looked at water issues in various parts of the world. Divide your class into three different groups, with one group examining each project. Have students share what they discovered about their assigned projects or region of the world with their classmates. This could be done through a class discussion, a poster project, or a powerpoint.
2) Hold a class debate on the international community's responsibility related to the issue of water.
3) Have your students research some of the innovations working to make water safe for people to consume.
4) Have your students create an awareness campaign at school to publicize the plight of people around the world without access to clean water. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a "public service announcement" over the PA system.
5) Have your students research water issues in the United States. What cities/states are most affected by water issues? How are they coping with water shortages/too much water?
6) Have your students calculate how much water they use on average on a daily basis. Then, have them compare this to people living in other parts of the world.
7) Have your students research ways that they can conserve water. Lesson Plan: China's Disappearing Wetlands
Published June 6, 2011, Updated August 22, 2013
Introduction
In his project, China's Disappearing Wetlands, and his free interactive e-book, "Meltdown: China's Environment Crisis" (Available on iPad, Kindle and browser), Pulitzer Center journalist Sean Gallagher explores the country's wetland crisis. As industrialization spreads and climate change intensifies, China's wetland resources continue to shrink. In this lesson, students will learn what wetlands are, where they are found, and their value to humans, animals, and the environment. Students can follow Sean's journey by using the interactive map in the e-book, found on the next page.
Specific Subject-Area Connections
Social Studies
• Impact of Global Trade on Regional Civilizations • The Political and Social Conditions of Developing Nations
Science
• Ecosystems • Effect of Human Activities on the Earth • Environmental Public Policy • Freshwater Resources • The Role of Water in Natural and Human-Made Environments • Watersheds
Procedures Background Information
Wetlands To begin this lesson, use the Environmental Protection Agency's “America’s Wetlands” series to help students understand wetblands: what they are, their importance, how they function as an ecosystem, and the benefits they provide for humans and animals.
Read the following sections: “America’s Wetlands,” “What are Wetlands?”, "Wetlands and Nature" and "Wetlands and People" and consider the questions included below.
"America’s Wetlands” • What do wetlands link? • Where do wetlands form? • Why have so many wetlands in the United States been destroyed?
“What are Wetlands?”
• What is a wetland? (Look at the definitions in both “America’s Wetlands” and “What are Wetlands?”) • What role does the prolonged presence of water play in a wetland? • Why are wetlands unique? What determines what makes wetlands different from other ecosystems? • What are the two general kinds of wetlands? How do the types of vegetation which they contain differ?
“Wetlands and Nature” and “Wetlands and People”
• Create a chart showing the benefits that wetlands provide for animals, for people and for both. • Describe the process by which the wetland provides each of these benefits (For example, wetlands filter water by retaining excess nutrients and some pollution as the water passes through. This reduces the sediment that clogs waterways and affects fish and amphibian egg development.) • How does the wetland ecosystem function? Think about the relationships between plants and animals, and between different kinds of animals, in a wetland. (In particular, think about the “biological supermarket” and food webs.)
Wetlands in the your state Use the EPA's website to locate what kind of wetlands your state has. Talk about wetlands that you have visited in your area. Then, read the EPA's factsheet about possible threats. Discuss what may be threatening the wetlands in your area.For more information on wetland services, the EPA’s fact sheet series goes into greater depth about the economic benefits of wetlands.
Special Focus: Wetlands in Louisina and the impact of Hurricane Katrina Watch EarthAssignment's Louisiana’s coastal lowlands video and consider the following questions:
• What is happening to Louisiana’s coastal lowlands? • What is driving the sinking of land? • Look up the following words: erosion Submergence Saltwater intrusion Discuss how they are involved in the process of wetlands degradation. • What happened to the marshes which protected Louisiana’s lowlands? • What role did wetlands (marshes) play in Hurricane Katrina? • What needs to happen to remake the Mississippi Delta? • How do state officials want Congress to pay for coastal restoration? Project Overview
Open the reporting page for Gallagher's photo slide show, China’s Wetland Revolution. Scroll midway down the page and click on “To view this slideshow as it ran” and open the article on National Geographic, Pictures: China’s Wetland Revolution.
Gallagher’s photos and captions provide students with a thorough overview of the reporting included in his project, China’s Disappearing Wetlands. As students look through the work encourage them to consider the questions below. Depending on the size of your class, and time available, you may choose to break students into six groups asking each group to review one photo and caption, and compile data on a class-wide document; or share their answers with their peers through a jigsaw activity.
Qinghai Lake
• What is the issue facing Qinghai Lake? • What has caused this problem? • Why are the Chinese wetlands important?
Boy by Flooded Dongting Lake
• What is the issue facing Dongting Lake? • How are groups working to protect the lake?
Dongting Lake
• What is happening to Dongting Lake? • Why is this a problem for residents living in the area?
Chinese Alligator
• What factors have led to the severely diminished numbers of Chinese Alligators? • What is the Chinese government doing to protect the species?
Rice Farmer
• What human activities are putting the wetlands at risk? • What impact does the destruction of the mangrove ecosystem have on the Chinese environment?
XiXi’s Children
• What is the Chinese government doing to protect the wetland ecosystems? • What evidence is there that these efforts are succeeding? • Why are experts concerned about turning wetland preserves into tourist parks?
The Chinese Alligator, Species on the Brink Have students read Gallagher’s blog post: The Chinese Alligator, Species on the Brink II, published in National Geographic, April 26, 2011. And, ask them to view the related video: The Chinese Alligator, Species on the Brink published by the Guardian UK on September 21, 2010.
As students review the article and video, ask them to consider the following questions:
1. What factors are leading to the extinction of the Chinese Alligator? What is being done to address these risks to alligators? 2. What is lake reclamation? Why would it be necessary? 3. Has breeding the Chinese alligator in captivity been successful? Have efforts to encourage alligator propagation in the wild been successful? What do you think is causing the discrepancy? 4. Do you agree with the research center’s decision to remove eggs from nests and incubate them until birth? Why or why not? 5. Do you think the plan to release the alligators into the wild in the future will be successful? Why or why not?
For more background on this story, students can read Gallagher’s related blog, The Chinese Alligator, Species on the Brink I.
Dongting Hu - A Lake in Flux Have students read Gallagher’s blog post: Dongting Hu – A Lake in Flux, and watch the related video, Dongting Hu: Lake in Flux.
1. What role has Dongting Lake played in this particular region in China? How has the lake helped to protect nearby communities? 2. What is causing lakes in China to shrink? 3. What are sand ships? What is the sand that is dug used for? What can be the result of digging too much sand from the bottom of a lake? 4. What is happening to fish supplies in Dongting Lake? Why? 5. What type of information and/or education must be provided to the residents living near Dongting Lake to help with preservation?
Education in the Mangroves Ask students consider the following questions after viewing Gallagher's video, Education in the Magroves
1. What is a mangrove? What makes them unique? 2. What factors have put Chinese mangroves at risk? 3. What makes mangroves such a rich environment for wildlife? How is this fertile soil and biodiversity exploited by Chinese farmers? 4. Describe the impact of American and European demand for shrimp on ecosystems in China. 5. Describe how shrimp farming has lead to desertification in certain areas of China. 6. According to the experts interviewed in the report, has mangrove preservation improved or deteriorated in recent years? Why do you think this is? 7. How is education being used to address the Chinese mangrove crisis?
Conclusion Activities
Once students are familiar with the function of wetlands and why they are so vital to nature, encourage them to identify and compare the environmental and economic consequences of continued wetland deterioration in both China and the United States. Ask students to consider the following questions:
• Do you believe the need for wetland preservation is as pressing in the United States as it is in China? Why or why not? • Are the causes of wetland destruction in the United States similar to those in China? • What solutions would you propose to address this issue? Have similar ideas been put forward already? If so, are they working? If not, how could you help encourage the implementation of these strategies? • Do you believe the international community should be playing a larger role in the preservation of global wetlands? Why or why not?
This lesson can accompany a larger study of the Earth's ecosystems and/or the impact human activites are having on the Earth's surface. Students could conclude such a unit by creating posters or dioramas to represent the various ecosystems studied, and the benefits they offer humans.
Ask students to create an awareness campaign at school or within their home communities to publicize the wetland crisis both in the U.S. and China. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a "public service announcement" on the morning news program or over the PA system.
Lesson Plan: The Global Water Crisis
Published February 2, 2011, Updated August 22, 2013
Download a pdf of this lesson plan and accompanying documents (right click and select "Save Link As")
Introduction
Whether it's the steady depletion of groundwater, incremental shifts in rainfall over decades or the drumbeat of deaths from diarrheal disease, water issues don't often generate headlines. Water is a quiet crisis, but it's fundamental to human and environmental health, robust economies, and peace.
With rising populations, increasing standards of living, and climate change, the challenge is only becoming more difficult. Nearly 900 million people lack access to clean water, 2.6 billion don't have a safe way to dispose of feces and urine, and climate change is altering historical weather patterns, affecting where water is found and how much is available.
Few know the extent of the crisis. The Pulitzer Center has covered the water crisis with more than seventeen multimedia projects from across the globe. These reports are collected on our special content channel, Downstream.
"The Global Water Crisis" lesson plan draws on select video reports from Downstream. After completing this plan your students will have:
• Learned about four manifestations of the world water crisis: o lack of access to clean water in Ethiopia o unsustainable water policy in Yemen o inadequate sanitation in Kenya o climate change in Nepal • Considered the consequences of each of these issues • Imagined life in a society vastly different from their own • Used the C.I.A.'s World Factbook
Specific Subject-Area Connections
Science
• Ecosytems • Effect of human activities on the Earth • Environmental public policy • Freshwater resources • Renewable/Nonrenewable resources • Role of water in natural and human-made environments
Social Studies
• The political and social conditions of developing nations • U.S. foreign policy since World War II
Common Core State Standards: Social Studies & Science
Key Ideas and Details
1. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
1. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. 2. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Materials
• Pulitzer Center World Water Day DVD • World Political Map e.g., Eduplace World Political Map • Computers with Internet access • Attachments A&B
Student Preparation/Background Information
Country Background
1. Begin this lesson by having your students use a political world map to locate each of the countries that will be highlighted in the videos: Yemen, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nepal using a political world map. Depending on the level of background knowledge your students have on these four countries, you may choose to use one, or both of the student preparation activities described below.
Option A 1. Once they have located the countries, have them complete the country profile sheet (Attachment A) – all of the information required to complete the profile sheet can be found on the C.I.A.'s World Factbook. 2. After completing the activity, have a brief discussion with your students asking them to imagine life in each of the four countries as compared to living in the United States. Ask students to identify information that was surprising (both positive and negative aspects) and elaborate on why this information surprised them.
The profile sheet can be completed independently, in small groups, or as a class. For a large-group activity, you may choose to assign one or two sections of the grid to each student, have them quickly research the answer and contribute to a large, class profile sheet. For a small group activity, you might assign groups of students a specific country or research area (GDP, population, etc.) and once the research is completed, have students break into new groups with one representative from the original country or research area in each new group to share their findings.
Option B
Video Background
1. Before watching the videos, ask students to consider the following questions given the information they have learned about each country.
• In each country, which group(s) of people do you think will be most impacted by the water shortage, sanitation, or climate change issues? • What do you think will be the primary cause of water and sanitation problems in each country? • What will be the health, economic, or political implications of the water or sanitation crisis in each country?
You may also choose to have students complete a brief anticipatory activity -- asking them to match the fact to the correct country.
The capita city of this country could be the first to run out of water. Yemen Residents of this country's capital pay approximately 7 cents to use Kenya public toilets each day. Women in this country carry 20L of water over 3 miles a day. Ethiopia Glacier melt in this country affects rivers in India and Bangladesh. Nepal
As students watch the videos, have them complete the grid (Attachment B) comparing water and sanitation issues in Kenya, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Nepal. World Water Day Videos: Discussion Questions and Follow-Up Activities
1. ETHIOPIA
"Words from a Water Walker", By Sarah Stuteville
1. Why do you the people who live in Fadi Jillo's village get sick from the water? If they know they will get sick, why do you think they continue to use it? 2. How would a water supply system help the village? Who do you think would benefit the most from the installation of a water system? 3. How do you think the lack of accessible, clean water influences issues of gender equality? 4. Students may choose to put together a water awareness event for the school or larger community. For an example visit the Pulitzer Center's Student Reporting page and view the Nerinx Hall Water Haul video. 5. How much is 20L of water? Can you carry 20L of water?
• For this activity, you may choose to conduct a water-walking relay in which all of the students in your class carry a bucket or jerry can of water for a portion of a 3-mile walk to simulate the experience of women and children around the world. The bucket of water could also be replaced by a backpack full of textbooks to represent the weight of a water can.
Additional/Related Reporting: "Wells in Ethiopia Draw on Community Support", By Fred de Sam Lazaro; PBS Newshour
2. YEMEN
"Yemen's Water Woes", By Paul Stephens
1. What are the two main causes of Yemen's water shortage? Describe how Yemeni short-term solutions to agricultural problems are leading to serious long-term consequences. 2. What role do you believe the Yemeni government, or international governments should play in addressing the misuse of water in Yemen. What incentives can be put in place to encourage the people of Yemen to become better stewards of this natural resource? 3. The United Nations has described water as a human right. If a nation is exploiting their water resources, leaving their population without water, should the international community take action? 4. If Yemen does run out of water, where do you think their water refugees will go? Why? 5. How does the water shortage in Yemen directly affect U.S. security concerns? Additional/Related Reporting: "India's Growing Population Strains Water Supplies", By Fred de Sam Lazaro; PBS Newshour
3. KENYA
"Kenya: Sanitation in the Slums", By Fred de Sam Lazaro; PBS Newshour
1. Do you agree with Kuria's marketing approach (providing toilets to wealthy neighborhoods first)? Why or why not? 2. What do you think about Novogratz's theory of "patient capital"? Do you believe it will work? 3. And, do you agree that charity, alone, can never bring about social change? Why or why not? Do you think a community has to support a project like Kuria's to make it successful? Why or why not?
Additional/Related Reporting: "The World's Toilet Crisis", By Vanguard Documentary Series
4. NEPAL
"Consequences of Himalayan Glacier Melt", By William Wheeler
1. As the glaciers in Nepal melt, river levels in India and Bangladesh will drop dramatically. Describe the political, health, and economic implications a change like this could have. 2. Even if the government of Nepal were able to consistently provide safe drinking water to the country's population now, scientists are unable to predict the impact climate change will have across the globe – what challenges does this present as governments, scientists, entrepreneurs, and NGOs work to address the global water crisis?
Additional/Related Reporting: "Bangladesh Reels from the Impact of Climate Change", By Stephen Sapienza
Extension Activities
1. Creative Writing Project:
• Imagine you live in a country that has completely run out of water. Write a story describing your day-to-day life. What is the government like? Do people go to school/work? How is water distributed/rationed? Are there social services in place to support families who cannot purchase sufficient water? Have water refugees fled the country? Has your family stayed together? Include as many details as possible to help the reader imagine life in a country without water. • Imagine you are a water refugee. Create journal entries to describe your journey out of your home country, to a new location. Where was your family living? Where are you moving? Are other people going with you? Is the new country welcoming you? Where will you live? What will you do? What have you left behind? What are you looking forward to? What are you worried about?
2. RAFT Assignment
Role Audience Form Topic Life in a country that Modern-Day American Water Refugees Blog has completely run out Citizens of water A Medical Creative Clean water is a human Future Generations Professional Writing Story right. 40% of the world's Government Your Community/Your Newspaper population lacks access Official Peers Article to a toilet The U.N./The A Young Girl International Poem Life as a water walker Community
Other Downstream lesson plan ideas from Kristin Collins, Social Studies Teacher, Parkway West High School, St. Louis, MO
3. Awareness Event
• Have your students create an awareness campaign at school to publicize the plight of people around the world without access to clean water and/or proper sanitation. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a "public service announcement" over the school's P.A. system. For an example of an awareness event hosted at a school in St. Louis, visit our site: Nerinx Hall Water Haul
4. Hold a class debate on the international community's responsibility related to the issue of water.
5. Have your students research the innovations working to make water safe for people to consume.
6. Have your students research water issues in the United States and/or your local community. What cities/states are most affected by water issues? How are water issues playing out in your community? How are different states, cities, communities coping with water shortages or too much water? 7. Have your students research ways to conserve water. Encourage them to calculate how much water they use on average, on a daily basis. Have them compare this to people living in other parts of the world. Unit Map: A Right to Safe, Clean Water for Everyone?
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 9-12. The recommended timeframe is 4-6 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Two children cool off from the afternoon heat in Cité Soleil. The community has high rates of child deaths from diarrheal diseases, according to Haiti Clinic. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if basic water sanitation precautions had been taken. Image by Meghan Dhaliwal. Haiti, 2012.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Humans have the right to safe and clean water. • Governments and individuals alike have the responsibility to preserve the safety and cleanliness of water for the present and future generations. • Selling bulk water will create have and have not classes. • Governments, news agencies, and individuals have tools and the responsibility to communicate the importance of maintaining clean and safe water for all humans.
Essential Questions
• Why should all humans have the right to safe and clean water? • Why should governments guarantee that all people have access to safe and clean water? • How can the private sale of bulk water harm humanity and change our different cultures? • How can governments, news agencies, and humans communicate the importance of maintaining clean and safe water for human consumption?
Common Core Standards
• Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. • Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. • Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence. • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. • Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. • Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. • Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. • Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. • Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. • Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).
Content
1. Informational text on the Pulitzer Center Downstream Gateway 2. Effect of the world’s population explosion on access to water 3. Lima, Peru’s problems in providing water to the people 4. Environmental causes of water shortages 5. Human causes of water shortages 6. Solutions to global water shortages of clean, safe water 7. International bulk water sales for a profit 8. Maintaining clean, safe water
Skills / Strategies
1. Examine and explain the difference in the authors’ points of view on access to safe and clean water in multiple texts. 2. Explain how the authors respond to conflicting points of view. 3. Analyze the connections that a text makes among ideas and events and make connections to ideas and events from own background knowledge. 4. Analyze the relationships among the ideas expressed by multiple authors about access to water. 5. Integrate information from diverse primary and secondary sources into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. 6. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 7. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims. 8. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Global Warming • Nomads • Semi desert conditions • Windbreak • Shantytowns • Glaciologist • Fog catchers • Cistern • Ecologist • Watershed • Turpidity • Water Hub • Water bags • Desalinate • Bulk water purveyors • Privatization of water
Learning Plan & Activities
• Conduct group discussions outlining the benefits and drawbacks of the selling of bulk water from U.S. to other countries. Use a collaborative tool such as Type With Me to collect thoughts and opinions and analyze data. • Use WolframAlpha and World Mapper to collect data on world-wide access to clean, safe water. • Research online for international conferences that examine access to water such as The Cloud Institute on Sustainability Education. Download form to apply to present a policy brief at the conference. Create the policy brief on a class wiki for everyone to participate. Concentrate on access to clean, safe water and the ethics of privatizing and selling water and solutions to the problems presented. • Interview of individuals involved in making sure that the water supply where you live is clean, safe, and available to everyone. Use Digital Storytelling Wiki to share the interview and information on a class or school website. • Create a blog that can be maintained by the discussion groups to obtain information and opinions from people around the world. Assessments
• Collection of benefits and drawbacks of selling bulk water with data analysis. • Charts, graphs, and data created on WolframAlpha and World Mapper to indicate the availability of safe, clean water for all world-wide. • Policy brief on a class wiki that will be shared at an international conference. • Digital Storytelling Interviews and information collected problems with the world’s water supply and access. • Analysis of discussions on the blogs and list and explanation of possible solutions to the problem of free access to safe and clean water world-wide.
Resources
• Dan Grossman. “Holding Back the Gobi.” National Geographic. Jan. 30, 2011 • Dan Grossman. “Lima’s Brown Coast.” National Geographic. May 22, 2011 • Dan Grossman. “Waiting for Water.” National Geographic. May 23, 2011 • Dan Grossman. “How Will Lima Slake Its Thirst?” National Geographic. May 22, 2011 • Peter Sawyer and Stephen Sapienza. “Fight for Water Hits Crisis Levels Worldwide.” Voice of America. March 22, 2011 • Film: Chattahoochee: From Water War to Water Vision • Video clips on water sanitation in Bangladesh: Dhaka's Challenge • Kate Seche and Peter Sawyer. Lesson Plan: “The Global Water Crisis.” Feb. 2, 2011 • Stephen Sapienza. “As Bangladesh’s Population Grows, Slum Dwellers Struggle for Clean Water Access,” PBS Newshour. March 22, 2011 • “New York City’s Water Maintenance.” January 14, 2011 • Xibo Chen. “Water Affects the People and Controls Us.” Jan. 6, 2011 • Fred De Sam Lazaro. “India’s Growing Population Strains Water Supply.” PBS Newshour. Dec. 29, 2010 • The Pulitzer Center Student Journalism Challenge: Global Water. March 10, 2012 • Fred De Sam Lazaro. “Delhi’s Dilemma: Numbers, Limited Water.” Dec. 26, 2010 • David Zetland. "The End of Abundance." Nov. 24, 2010 • Brett Walton. “Bulk Water Company Plans to Export to India, East Asia and the Caribbean.” Circle of Blue. Aug. 27, 2010 • Janeen Interlandi. “The New Oil.” Newsweek. Oct. 8, 2010 • The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education • Digital Storytelling Wiki • WolframAlpha • Type With Me • World Mapper A woman empties a bucket of water onto the banks of one of the many canals running through the commune of Cité Soleil. Residents often dispose of their sewage in these canals. Image by Meghan Dhaliwal. Haiti, 2012. Peacebuilding: Taking Home Lessons Learned in Africa
Published November 15, 2010
Overview
In this lesson, students will explore the concept of peacebuilding on both an international and local level. Students will use what they have learned to evaluate existing peacebuilding efforts in their community, and take initiative to suggest peacebuilding projects of their own.
Curriculum Standards (Common Core State Standards) Reading
Key Ideas and Details
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
Read and comprehend complex literary and information texts independently and proficiently.
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. History and Social Studies
Key Ideas and Details
1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of this source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Craft and Structure
1. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
1. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
2. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Time Required
Two 45-minute classes or one 90-minute block. Background Information and article exploration (45 minutes); Local Connections (45 minutes)
Materials
• Chart paper • Student subject-area notebooks or journals • Internet Access or map and country profile print-outs • Articles: • "An Experiment in Building Peace" by Jina Moore • "In Chicago, Talking Sense to Angry Young Men" by Richard Mertens
Student Preparation
Assign the following questions for homework:
1. Explain what the term "peacebuilding" means to you. 2. Where in the world do you believe peacebuilding is happening? Why? 3. How does peacebuilding look in these countries? 4. Do you see examples of peacebuilding in your community? 5. How does peacebuilding look in your community? 6. Provide students with a map of Africa; ask them to identify the countries of Sierra Leone, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Guinea Bissau.
Anticipatory Set
1. Working with partners or in small groups, have students share their answers to the homework questions.
2. Write "Peacebuilding" on a large piece of chart paper, and ask groups to share their definitions. Once every group has shared how they define the term; ask each group to share an international and local example of peacebuilding (if they were able to generate an example).
Procedures
Background Information
1. Using a world map, help students identify the countries of Sierra Leone, Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Guinea Bissau. 2. Depending on the readiness of your students/instructional time available, you can put together a brief country-profile presentation touching on geography, population, people, economy, history, etc. of each nation, or ask the students to create brief over-views of the countries. Jina Moore has a brief description of the Central African Republic among her reports: Peace in Central Africa and the U.S. Department of State has a user- friendly page of basic country information: Country Background Notes. 3. Once the students have a better understanding of the four nations, ask students to discuss the common strengths they see in the countries as well as the common struggles and needs facing each nation.
"An Experiment in Building Peace"
1. As a whole group, read through and discuss Jina Moore's work on U.N Peacebuilding efforts in four African nations: An Experiment in Building Peace 2. Ask students to return to their journals/subject-area notebooks and answer the following questions:Moore refers to the notion of "sustainable peace," what does this term mean to you?
• What is being done to build sustainable peace in one of the nations we discussed today? • In your opinion, why is peacebuilding a challenge in each country? • In your opinion, why do you believe peacebuilding is necessary in each nation?
1. Provide each student with a Post-It Note or square of paper, and ask them to share their definition of sustainable peace, and why they believe it is necessary, by writing it on the piece of paper, and then sticking/taping it to a large piece of chart paper with the term "Sustainable Peace" on it.
Local Connections
1. Ask students to focus on the second-to-last paragraph of Moore's article in which she discusses the need for effective government, health care, economic, social aid systems in the four African nations targeted by the U.N. Peacebuilding efforts. As a group, discuss why these systems would play such a crucial role in establishing sustainable peace in these countries. 2. Ask students to reflect on how these same systems (health care, schools, jobs, police support, local government) look in their community. Are they functional? Are the services they provide meeting the needs of the community? 3. Provide students with time to reflect on the following questions related to peacebuilding in their community. These questions may be answered independently in the students' journals, in small groups, or as a large group.
• In your opinion, which of these systems work in your community? Please provide a specific example. • In your opinion, which of these systems do not work? Please provide a specific example. • What role do you believe you need to play in making these systems more effective? • Will increasing the effectiveness of these systems build sustainable peace in your community? Why or why not? • How could you play a role in improving one or more of these systems?
Local Connections in the Media
1. Provide students with a copy of "In Chicago, Talking Sense to Angry Young Men with Guns," a June 2008 article by Richard Mertens in the Christian Science Monitor describing CeaseFire one of the anti-violence organizations working to support Chicago youth, and keep neighborhoods safe. Ask students to read the article with a partner, small group, or with the whole class. As they read, students should reflect on the following question:
• Is this an example of a successful system in your community? Why or why not?
1. As a whole group, discuss and record other systems which do/do not work towards building peace in Chicago. These systems can range from large- scale organizations such as city government agencies and national corporations; to smaller-scale projects such as churches, sports leagues, and school support groups; to individual-efforts by teachers, coaches, and religious leaders. 2. Ask students to discuss what makes certain organizations succeed while others (sometimes with significantly more funding) fail. Allow students to discuss if they believe the U.N. faces similar difficulties as they work to build peace in the four African nations discussed at the start of the lesson.
Conclusion
Conclude the lesson by providing students with a new Post-It Note or square of paper, and ask them to list at least one way in which they feel empowered to build a sustainable peace in their community, a way in which they will commit to building peace. Write "I will help to build sustainable peace in my community by..." on a piece of chart paper, students may choose to post the note openly or post it folded in half and sealed.
Glossary of Important Terms
• UN – United Nations • PBC – Peacebuilding Commission • Peacebuilding • Sustainable Peace
Assessment Options
1. Peace Journal
Ask the students to commit to one month of local peacebuilding. They can keep a journal (written, photo, video) to document their efforts, and the efforts of those around them, to bring peace to their neighborhood or community. At the end of a month, meet with the students individually to review their efforts and discuss areas of success or difficulty. Are they able to make a renewed commitment? Would they like to incorporate other local agencies or organizations?
2. Letter Writing Assignment:
The student will compose a letter to a local government official requesting support for improved systems (health care, jobs, police, schools, etc.) in their community. The student should outline why they believe the system requires improvement, how they feel this improvement could be made, and the results they anticipate if necessary resources are provided.
OR
Identify a "Local Hero" award or weekly spotlight in a school, community, or local newspaper or on a nightly news program, and ask the student to nominate an individual they feel has worked hard on behalf of peacebuilding in their community. The student should outline specific ways in which this individual has contributed to the betterment of their community, and clearly demonstrate why they are deserving of recognition. The class could hold a brunch or after-school event to honor all of the nominees. Lesson Plan: Rebuilding Hope Sudan Classroom Activities
Published March 21, 2011 (Updated August 22, 2013)
Explore the experience of three Sudanese "Lost Boys" as they return to Sudan 20 years after fleeing their homes to escape Civil War.
Part 1: Background
Rebuilding Hope is a documentary film directed by Pulitzer Center journalist, Jen Marlowe. The film explores the experience of three Sudanese "Lost Boys" as they return to Sudan in 2007, 20 years after fleeing their homes to escape the Sudanese Civil War. Throughout the film, the young men assess their own hopes, dreams and fears as they return to their villages across Sudan, as well as those of the Southern Sudanese people nearly three years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. They explore the connections between the conflict in South Sudan to the conflict in Darfur, probing the larger questions of identity and ethnicity in Sudan. The In-Depth Video Segments featured in this lesson plan are available for free online.
Through this lesson, students can explore the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the conflicts in Darfur and South Sudan, the role of women and girls in Southern Sudan, and the challenges facing education and health care in South Sudan.
Additional Resources
If students are interested in learning more about the history of Sudan, the recent referendum, and/or the story of the "Lost Boys," a variety of additional student and curricular resources have been outlined below. The resources are appropriate for a range of students and should be pre-viewed by the class teacher before use in the classroom.
Books
• Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan, By John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech • A Long Walk to Water, By Linda Sue Park • Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival, By Jen Marlowe
Movies
• "Darfur Diaries: Messages From Home," By Jen Marlowe • "War Child," By Karim Chrobog • "The Devil Came on Horseback," By Brian Steidle
Websites • The Darfur Crisis, PBS: The Online NewsHour • Doctors Without Borders: Sudan • Human Rights Watch: Sudan: Failing Darfur • BBC News: Darfur Conflict Q & A
Part 2: Student Preparation
Before beginning the in-depth video segments, which will provide students with information on the recent history of Sudan, have students use a map of Africa (you can use the interactive map or an atlas, etc.) to identify Sudan, its neighboring countries, the capitals of Juba and Khartoum, the potential North/South border, the region of Darfur, the Nile River, and other natural resources (oil) on a map of Africa. As students work with the map, have them consider some of these questions:
• How do you think the geographic location of Sudan (Northern Sudan bordering Libya, Egypt, and other predominantly Arab countries and Southern Sudan bordering Uganda, Kenya, Central African Republic, and other more African nations) has affected its national identity? How would the influence of Christian missionaries working in the Southern part of the country further impact the national identity? o To help students connect this question to their lives, it may be useful to discuss the development of the U.S. demography: such as white Europeans with roots in Western Europe and Scandinavia settling in the Northest and Midwest; the "Americanization" of the Southwest (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona) and the impact of regional identities on the United States. • Why do you think Sudan was difficult for the British to govern as a colonial power? (Large country, lots of terrain that is difficult to travel, minimal infrastructure put in place) o What areas of the United States face similar problems? (Rural areas, Indian Reservations, Inner-city communities) Is there a similar lack of governmental presence in these areas? • As the country prepares to split into two independent nations in July, what areas will belong to the South? How about the north? What resources will be easily available to southerners? Northerners? What role do you think oil will play in the separation – will the resource help keep peace, or lead to more fighting? o Help students consider the problems faced by a potentially divided US during the Civil War: The South controlled the agriculture (food resources) and the North controlled the industry (tools and war materials).
Part 3: In-Depth Video Segments with Discussion Questions and Additional Resources
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement: Signing for Peace vs. the Implementation
1. Who colonized Sudan, when did they leave? 2. Who was given control of the government when this group left? Why was this problematic? 3. How long has Sudan endured Civil War? 4. How do the people in the South feel the Arabic language is being used? 5. What specific things are people fighting for? 6. Who signed the CPA? Do you think that it's significant that the SPLM, one of many rebel groups based in the South were offered the chance to sign, but not other groups? How could this become a problem later? 7. Why do some Southerners believe some Northerners did not want to sign the CPA? 8. What role is oil playing in the North/South Sudan conflict? Do Southerners feel oil is being fairly distributed? 9. What will happen to other marginalized groups in Sudan (Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains, Darfur) when the South secedes? 10. How is the U.S.'s lack of involvement in Sudan after the CPA like a nurse giving a patient medicine but not staying to make sure it's taken?
Additional Resources:
• "Letter from Abyei," By Rebecca Hamilton, Foreign Affairs, January 21, 2011 • "Voices from Abyei, Sudan," By Larisa Epatko, PBS Newshour, April 9, 2010
Darfur and South Sudan: Connecting the Conflicts
1. Many Sudanese believe the Southern Sudanese and Darfuri people are fighting the northern regime for the same reasons: equality, equal distribution of resources, and freedom. Practically speaking, what does each of these ideals mean? What will be required to ensure the ideals are actually enacted across Sudan? 2. In what ways have Darfur and South Sudan been neglected by North Sudan? 3. Is Darfur located in North or South Sudan? 4. Who are the Janjaweed? How does the Northern government motivate them to fight Darfuris? 5. Describe how the government manipulated religion to fuel fighting in Darfur and South Sudan. 6. Who signed the CPA? Did the document really represent peace for all groups? 7. Describe the Darfuri participation in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Given the different levels of regional and ethinic group support for the agreement, could it really be considered comprehensive? 8. What is an internally displaced person? How would the Darfuri experience in refugee camps help them better understand the Southern Sudanese experience during the North/South Civil War?
Photo: Image by Jon Sawyer. Sudan, 2006.
Additional Resources:
• "Co-Existence in Northern Sudan," By Heba Aly, World Vision report, December 8, 2008 • "Darfur: Broken Promises," By Christopher Milner and Susan Schulman, Foreign Exchange, March 7, 2009 • "What About Darfur?" By Rebecca Hamilton, The New Republic, February 8, 2011 • Darfur Images, Part 1, By Jon Sawyer, Untold Stories, January 15, 2006 • Darfur Images, Part 2, By Jon Sawyer, Untold Stories, January 17, 2006 • Darfur Images, Part 3, By Jon Sawyer, Untold Stories, January 18, 2006
Women's Issues in South Sudan: Working Towards Equality
• Traditionally, what responsibilities fall to Sudanese women? What jobs are considered "women's work"? How do traditionally female jobs (fetching water, cooking meals, childcare) keep girls out of school? • At the start of the video, the caption explains that Southern Sudanese women have suffered "double oppression," explain what this means. • Explain the role of the Dinka dowry system in keeping girls out of school. How does the dowry system encourage the marriage of child brides? • How do you think the government of South Sudan will be able to convince families that the long-term benefit of allowing their daughters to receive an education and seek jobs outside of the home is worth the immediate financial benefit of receiving cows in a dowry payment? • What role does Gabriel believe local governments should play in keeping girls in school?
Additional Resources: • "Sudan Dispatch: What about the Women?" By Rebecca Hamilton, The New Republic, January 25, 2011 • "A Child Bride in Sudan," By Rebecca Hamilton, The New Republic, October 4, 2010
Education and Health Care in South Sudan: Rebuilding Institutions of Peace
1. In your opinion, what elements/institutions of daily life in your community represent peace? (School, police support, functional local governments, churches/religious centers, public transportation, etc.) 2. Do these same systems exist in South Sudan? Why or why not? 3. Describe how the Civil War in Sudan stopped education for southerners. 4. As you watch the video make a list of challenges facing South Sudan's education and health care systems as the country looks to rebuild after Civil War: 5. Describe some possible solutions to some of these challenges.
Challenges Facing Schools Challenges Facing Health Care • No school supplies • Epidemic diseases are Few teachers • spreading across South Sudan • No school buildings • Hunger • Children have to work before Doctors don't receive salaries coming into school; or are not • Limited medical supplies able to attend school at all • • Poor medical facilities • Teachers don't receive salaries • Insufficient medications Teachers are limited in the • availab subjects they can teach
Additional Resources
"Milk and Blood: The Making of South Sudan" By Travor Knapp and Alan Boswell, 2012
"A People Neglected – Again," By Heba Aly, Untold Stories, September 12, 2009
"In South Sudan, Schools Still Function Under Trees," By Jen Marlowe, World Focus, January 25, 2010
"Sudan in Transition," By Rebecca Hamilton, Project includes reporting from 2010 to 2012
Exploring Fragile States: Sudan
Published November 11, 2010
Through this webquest, students are able to explore the complex country of Sudan using several different projects compiled by Pulitzer Center journalists.
Introduction
Sudan has been a "fragile state" for more than two decades. Many students are familiar with the genocide in Darfur; yet few know that Sudan has been plagued by civil war and faces a potential partition into two independent countries. Several journalists, sponsored by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, have explored the conflicts, their causes, and the potential for both resolution as well as further strife as Sudan moves closer to a political split between the North and the South. Through this webquest, students are able to explore this complex country using several different projects on Sudan.
Student Preparation
Prior to beginning this webquest you may want to acquaint your students with Sudan. Ask them what they already know about Sudan. Depending on their level of understanding, showing them a map of Sudan, along with a brief introduction to the racial make-up of Sudan, as well as the religious divisions would help to increase student understanding of this material.
THE LESSON
Procedures:
Part 1: Sudan in Transition
1. Go to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting's "Fragile States" Gateway. 2. Scroll through the thumbnail and launch the project titled "Sudan in Transition." 3. Have your students read the introduction to this project, or read it to them aloud. 4. To the right of the introduction there are five menus from which you can choose. Under the "Articles" tab identify and open the reporting, "South Sudan Independence Vote at Risk." Print out this story for your students, or have them read it online. This story gives a good overview of the hurdles that Sudan is trying to overcome with the referendum on partition. Have your students answer the following questions:
• What does the central government based out of the North fear losing if Sudan were to be divided? • What has the U.S. government's stance on this issue been? • What do the Arab pastoralists of the North fear will happen if Sudan is partitioned? • What do both the Ngok Dinka farmers of the South and the Misserya pastoralists of the North say in regards to the Heglig oil fields? • According to the peace agreement of 2005, the North and South were to split the proceeds from oil revenue until the 2011 referendum. What could, potentially, be the problem for the North if the South Sudanese vote to split from Sudan? • Other than the disagreement over a large percentage of the potential new border, why else do some say that the vote must be delayed?
5. Return to the main project page for "Sudan in Transition". Open the story titled "Sudan Split Over Oil," which aired on PRI's The World radio program and have the students listen to the program. You may ask them to answer the following questions:
• What is at issue in the Abyei region of Sudan regarding the upcoming referenda on splitting Sudan? • What has happened to all of the oil wealth that the people of the Abyei region have been promised? • What are the people of the Abyei region hoping will happen with the upcoming referendum, and what do they fear will happen?
6.To gain further insight into the plight of the people of southern Sudan, and the issues surrounding the upcoming referendum, go under the "Blog" section, where you will find several short blogs that were written by Rebecca Hamilton while reporting from Sudan. You may wish to divide these up among your students having each student or small group read 1-2 of these blogs and summarize them for the class. As part of their summaries, the students should explain how the subject of their blog ties back into either the conflict surrounding the upcoming referendum, or the plight of the people of southern Sudan.
7. After working with the "Sudan in Transition" project page, ask your students to summarize the following:
• What natural resource is helping to fuel the conflict over the division of Sudan? • If you were a northern Sudanese, why wouldn't you want the South to vote for partition? • Why do many of the southern Sudanese want to split from the North and create their own independent country?
Part 2: Sudan: The Forgotten North
1. Scroll through the thumbnail images and launch the project titled "Sudan: The Forgotten North". 2. Have your students read the introduction to this project, or read it to them aloud. 3. Under the "Audio" tab, click on "Sudan's Neglected North." Have your students listen to the 5 minute story that aired on PRI's The Worldwhile answering the following questions:
• While the capital, Khartoum, is booming from the profits of the oil wealth, more remote areas of Sudan have been left untouched. How does the economic advisor to the central government explain this? • Why do those in the North say that, unlike those in Darfur who rebelled as a means to get the central government to divert money to their region for infrastructure, they don't rebel? • How might the relative success of the rebellions in Darfur and the East affect this pacifist stance in the future?
4. To the right of the introduction click on "Blog." There are three of Heba Aly's blogs your students read "Sudan: A Second Darfur?," "Because We Are Peaceful, They Neglect Us," and "Sudan: The Road North" (you may wish to divide these up among your students). Have them answer the following questions;
"Sudan: A Second Darfur?"
• What would be the justification for a rebellion coming out of the North? • What are two reasons that are given as to why the northerners have not rebelled against the central government?
"Because We Are Peaceful, They Neglect Us"
• Why does Rajaa's husband have to work abroad? • Why do the people of the North say that the government is able to ignore them, whereas the government hasn't been able to ignore the people from the South and the East?
"Sudan: The Road North"
• What surprised Heba Aly about her bus trip to the North? • How does she describe Taitti when she arrives? What might the lack of infrastructure in Taitti say about the central government's economic involvement in North Sudan?
5. To the right of the introduction there is a slideshow titled "A People Neglected—Again." Start the slideshow to show your students the series of images from Northern Sudan. Have them pay special attention to the following images:
• The electric pole without any wires • The elementary school with the crumbling walls • The villager carrying the muddy water from the Nile River • The boardroom of the governor of "Northern State"
6. After working with the "Sudan: The Forgotten North" project page, ask your students the following questions:
• What evidence did you find regarding the claim by many northerners that the central government does not allocate enough resources to their region? • What has been the North's response, in general, to this problem? What do you think should be their response? What might be the consequences of such a response? • Can you think of any cases/situations where you live in which the local, state, or national government seems to monopolize or misuse much of the wealth, to the detriment of the people? Explain.
Part 3: Another Darfur
1. Return to the main "Fragile States" Gateway. Scroll through the thumbnail images and launch the project, "Another Darfur." This will link you to stories about Eastern Sudan. 2. Have your students read the introduction to this project, or read it to them aloud. 3. Show your class either of the two videos under "Another Darfur?." After viewing the video, open "The Beja: Life on the Eastern Front," which is a slideshow of images from rural Eastern Sudan. Ask your students the following questions:
• Describe the living conditions of the Beja people of Eastern Sudan. • What was the hope of the Eastern Sudanese in taking up arms in the 1990s against the central government? • In the wake of the peace agreement, do the Beja people believe Khartoum has upheld their end of the deal? • How does the plight of the people of East Sudan compare with the plight of the Sudanese people? from the other regions that you have studied?
***Special note: These videos are linked to the web portal through Youtube. If you do not have Youtube access at school, you may request a copy of the video from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, or assign your students to view the video at home.
Extension Activities
1) The study of these regions of Sudan could easily coincide with a study of the genocide in Darfur. Have your students compare and contrast the situation of the people of the other regions of Sudan with those in Darfur prior to the outbreak of the genocide. How are their situations similar?...different? 2) Ask your students to conduct additional research on how the United States and the international community has responded to the various situations in Sudan. They could share this information through written or oral reports, newspaper articles, short video documentaries, etc.
3) Have your students create an awareness campaign at school about the plight of the people living in the various regions of Sudan. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a "public service announcement" over the PA system.
4) Have your students research Sudanese oil. They can use a map to plot out what countries import oil from Sudan, as well as how much/what percentage of these countries' total oil imports come from Sudan. Have students think about the political implications for those countries that might import a great deal of oil from Sudan (e.g., China and its unwillingness to respond to the genocide in Darfur within the United Nations).
5) Have your students research the allocation of government spending between urban/rural areas in your state. Are there discrepancies between how much is invested in more heavily populated areas versus less populated areas?
Sudan After the Split
"The Making of South Sudan" from Trevor Knapp and Alan Boswell
Children's Lives in Central Africa: A Reading List
Published November 15, 2010
The novels described in this reading list are a fraction of the fiction and non- fiction resources related countries discussed in Jina Moore's work. The resources are appropriate for a range of students and should be pre-viewed by the class teacher before use in the classroom.
The book descriptions, as well as additional information about the author, can be found by clicking on each book title.
Children's Lives Across Africa
Say You're One of Them
By Uwem Akpan
"Each story in this jubilantly acclaimed collection pays testament to the wisdom and resilience of children, even in the face of the most agonizing circumstances.
A family living in a makeshift shanty in urban Kenya scurries to find gifts of any kind for the impending Christmas holiday. A Rwandan girl relates her family's struggles to maintain a facade of normalcy amid unspeakable acts. A young brother and sister cope with their uncle's attempt to sell them into slavery. Aboard a bus filled with refugees—a microcosm of today's Africa—a Muslim boy summons his faith to bear a treacherous ride across Nigeria. Through the eyes of childhood friends the emotional toll of religious conflict in Ethiopia becomes viscerally clear.
Uwem Akpan's debut signals the arrival of a breathtakingly talented writer who gives a matter-of-fact reality to the most extreme circumstances in stories that are nothing short of transcendent."
Burundi
Strength in What Remains
By Tracy Kidder
"Deo grew up in the mountains of Burundi, and survived a civil war and genocide before seeking a new life in America. In New York City he lived homeless in Central Park before finding his way to Columbia University. But Deo's story really begins with his will to turn his life into something truly remarkable; he returns to his native country to help people there, as well as people in the United States. An extraordinary writer, Kidder has the remarkable ability to show us what it means to be fully human, and to tell the unadorned story of a life based on hope. Riveting and inspiring, this may be his most magnificent work to date. Strength in What Remains is a testament to the power of will and friendship, and of the endurance of the soul."
Sierra Leone
The Bite of the Mango
By Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland
"As a child in a small rural village in Sierra Leone, Mariatu Kamara lived peacefully surrounded by family and friends. Rumors of rebel attacks were no more than a distant worry. But when 12-year-old Mariatu set out for a neighboring village, she never arrived. Heavily armed rebel soldiers, many no older than children themselves, attacked and tortured Mariatu. During this brutal act of senseless violence they cut off both her hands. Stumbling through the countryside, Mariatu miraculously survived. The sweet taste of a mango, her first food after the attack, reaffirmed her desire to live, but the challenge of clutching the fruit in her bloodied arms reinforced the grim new reality that stood before her. With no parents or living adult to support her and living in a refugee camp, she turned to begging in the streets of Freetown. As told to her by Mariatu, journalist Susan McClelland has written the heartbreaking true story of the brutal attack, its aftermath and Mariatu's eventual arrival in Toronto where she began to pull together the pieces of her broken life with courage, astonishing resilience and hope."
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
By Ishmael Beah
"There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped-up on drugs and wielding AK-47s, in more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of them. He is one of the first to tell his story in his own words.
In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope."
Diamonds in the Shadow By Caroline B. Cooney
"The Finch Family did not know that five refugees landed from Africa on the day they went to the airport to welcome the family sponsored by their church. The Finch family only knew about the four refugees they were meeting - Andre, Celestine, Mattu, and Alake - mother, father, teenage son and daughter. Soon Jared realizes that the good guys are not always innocent, and he must make a decision that could change the fate of both families. This story presents many points of view and a fresh perspective on doing the right thing."
Lesson Plan: International Aid and Fragile States
Published June 8, 2011
Introduction
States suffering from internal conflict, weak infrastructures, lack of economic development, and general instability are emerging as a large threat to the international security. These states foster terrorists, piracy, genocide, and regional conflicts that create a genuine humanitarian crisis for their citizens.
Today, fragile states are receiving more attention. The international community is researching sustainable ways to bring stability to fragile states on the brink and foster stronger states worldwide. Since 2009, the Pulitzer Center has published over twenty multimedia projects on fragile states from around the world. These reports are collected on our special reporting channel, Fragile States . “Fragile States” lesson plan draws on select video reports from the Fragile States Global Gateway. After completing this plan your students will have:
• Learned what factors contribute to the creation of a “fragile state” and understand the international community’s role in helping these states avoid failure or rebuild from conflict. • Defined “international aid,” gained an understanding of the intricacies involved in providing aid, and accurately represented the percentage of the U.S. budget dedicated to global foreign aid. • Gained a better understanding of specific elements of the conflicts in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the plight of child soldiers abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and the experience of every-day Haitians both before and after the 2010 earthquake. • Imagined life in a society vastly different from their own.
Specific Subject-Area Connections Social Studies
• Modern day genocide • Universal declaration of human rights • Modern day conflicts • The political and social conditions of developing nations • War crimes and terms of peace • World Religions • Impact of global trade on regional civilizations • Political revolutions
Materials
• Pulitzer Center Fragile States DVD • Computers with Internet access (optional) Student Preparation/Background Information This lesson plan has been designed so that each video can be taught separately or so that several videos can be taught together focusing on the theme of international aid. Option A prepares students to focus specifically on fragile states. Option B prepares students to discuss U.S. International Aid in addition to fragile states. Combining Options A and B will give students a more comprehensive lesson. Option A Before viewing the videos have your students come up with a definition of a fragile state. This can be done as a class, in small groups or individually. Make sure they include what factors contribute to fragile states. [Possible factors: government, political leaders, education structures, role of women/children, abundant or limited natural resources, etc.] Option B This option can be added to Option A to incorporate the theme of international aid into the lesson. The following prompts can be used as an individual assignment, small group work, or class discussion. Today, any countries around the globe have received, are currently receiving, or hope to receive international aid. This aid can take the form of humanitarian funding, military funding, provision of experts, peacekeepers, supplies, etc.
On November 30, 2010 worldpublicopinion.org conducted a public opinion poll on American public opinion on foreign aid. To start off the discussion, ask your students the following questions that were on the poll:
1. Just based on what you know, please tell me your hunch about what percentage of the federal budget goes to foreign aid. You can answer in fractions of percentage points as well as whole percentage points. 2. What do you think would be an appropriate percentage of the federal budget to go to foreign aid, if any?
Once your students have answered, you can tell them the results of the poll.
1. The average response was that 27% of the federal budget went to foreign aid. 2. The average response was that 13% of the federal budget should go to foreign aid.
In reality, the United States devotes about .2% (less than 1%) of its federal budget to foreign aid. In comparison, post-WWII during the Marshal Plan the United States devoted 2% of its federal budget to foreign aid. (Figures from the 2004 Congressional Research Service report on Foreign Aid. Link to Source)
Second, have students discuss and respond to the following questions:
1. How should the United States determine how much money to devote to foreign aid? 2. How should the United States determine to what countries it should provide aid? o Should the United States consider the values of the receiving government when giving aid or only the need of the people? Why or why not? o Should diplomatic relationships play a role in whether or not a country receives aid? Why or why not? o When do you think that aid should absolutely be provided? 3. Is it the responsibility of the United States (and other developed countries) to provide international aid for general development? How about in response to a humanitarian crisis? How about natural disasters? o At what cost (monetary, lives) should the United States provide foreign aid?
Videos and Discussion Questions This lesson includes general group discussion questions as well as questions specifically related to the discussion of international aid. Additionally, video- specific questions and supplemental materials have been provided.
General Discussion Questions:
1. Look back at your definition of a fragile state. Would you change your definition based on the information you learned in the videos? Why or why not? 2. What common factors where present in the fragile states featured in the videos? 3. Can these states become more stable? Can they do it with foreign support? Why or why not? 4. What threats do these states pose to U.S. security? Do they all pose the same level of threat? Do they pose different potential threats? Why or why not?
International Aid Post-Videos Discussion Questions:
1. How have these cases of fragile states influenced your perspective on U.S. foreign aid? o Do you think the United States should increase or decrease its foreign assistance? Why or why not? 2. Do you think U.S. foreign aid (if present) was effective in these cases? Which ones and why or why not? 3. Based on the videos, when do you think it is important for international actors, including the United States, to intervene or give aid?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “Among Pakistanis, Perception of U.S. Aid Varies,” By Steve Inskeep, National Public Radio, Morning Edition, June 3, 2011. Videos
1. Afghanistan “Afghanistan By Donkey” By Anna Badkhen Question: How has NATO/U.S. involvement in Afghanistan affected the people? Has it led to a change? What is the nature of the change?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “The Lost Villages” By Anna Badkhen, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
2. East Africa “Dear Obama: A Message from Victims of the LRA” By Marcus Bleasdale Question: The main targets of the LRA are children, many of whom are your age, how do their concerns and priorities compare to yours?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “PBS: Voice of America features IC’s work in Congo” By Invisible Children
“Child Soldiers Around the World” By Eben Kaplan, Council on Foreign Relations
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina “Fragile States: Continuing Struggles for Bosnia and Herzegovina” By Jason Maloney Questions:
• Do you believe it is accurate to say that Bosnia and Herzegovina’s instability mainly comes from its political structure? Why or why not? What other factors contribute to the country’s instability? • The video mentioned that Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has two presidents and one prime minister. How do you think the United States would function if it had a major political leader for different regions, ethnicities or religions? • In the video, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s divided government is defended with the claim that it protects the minority opinions. Do you think this is a valid claim? Do you believe that the U.S. ‘one man one vote’ system represses minority opinion within the United States?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “The Challenge of Reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina” By Sara Di Stefano, Center for Strategic and International Studies
4. Haiti “Despite Years of Crushing Poverty, Hope Grows in Haiti” By Kira Kay and Jason Maloney Questions: • Before the earthquake, the United States was using the private sector to deliver aid and foster development in Haiti. For development post- earthquake do you think the same strategy will be effective? Why or why not? • Why do you think it is in the strategic interest of the United States to make sure Haiti is developing and rebuilding back to normalcy? Could an unstable or fragile Haiti be a security threat to the United States? [Possible answers: Yes, because of possible state failure, potential for a refugee crisis, potential for causing wide-spread regional instability, etc.]
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “Haiti’s Reconstruction: Building Back Better” By William Wheeler and Justin Thomas Ostensen, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo “Congo’s Bloody Coltan” By Mvemba Phezo Dizolele Questions:
• For the people of the Congo, have these mineral resources been a blessing or a curse? Why? • Do you believe the international community, particularly the countries purchasing mineral resources from Congo, should be responsible for the mining conditions? Why or why not? Should they be responsible for the lack of economic growth that has occurred in Congo?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting “Struggling with the Resource Curse” By Nina Merchant-Vega
6. East Timor “East Timor, 10 Years after Independence” By Kira Kay, Jason Maloney Questions:
• The video mentions the concept of human security, how would you define this term, what do you think human security means? How does human security differ from national security? Is one more important than the other? Why or why not? • For East Timor, what factors contribute the most to its instability? What programs seem to be the most effective in combating these factors and therefore improving stability and development? [Possible Answers: Factors: education, unemployment, lack of delineation between police force and military]
Additional/Related Reporting “Human Security for All – Introduction: Investing in a New Vision of Security for the 21st Century” United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security
Extension Activities: 1. RAFT Assignment
Role
Audience
Form
Topic
Child Soldier
Modern Americans
Blog
Argue need for increased/decreased international aid
Government Official
President Obama
Creative Writing Story
Preventing fragile states from forming
Aid Worker
Future Generations
Poem
Growing up in fragile state
Civil War Survivor
Your Peers
Newspaper Aricle
Rebuilding a nation
2. Class Debate Hold a debate on what role the United States should play in the international community in regards to international aid and assistance. 3. Additional Research Have students identify and research other fragile states. What are the main factors creating instability in that country? Is the state receiving international aid, if so is it effective? Does this fragile state pose a threat to U.S. national security? How about its region’s security?
4. Dialogue Create a dialogue between two of the following characters (they can be chosen randomly or students can choose). The two characters should talk about what they have in common, differences in their daily lives, their hopes and aspirations, their concerns, etc.
• A child soldier in Eastern Africa • A Coltan miner in the Congo • An unemployed young adult in Haiti • A Bosnian Muslim/A Bosnian Christian • An East Timor politician
5. Awareness Event: After watching these videos, and learning more about the conflicts in highlighted countries, your students may be interested in created an awareness campaign at school or within their home communities to publicize one of the issues covered through the Pulitzer Center reporting. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a “public service announcement” on the school’s morning news program or over the PA system.
6. Contact the Journalists: If your students are interested in learning more about a topic explored in one of the videos in this lesson, the Pulitzer Center offers the opportunity for students to connect directly with journalists via email, Skype, or in-school visits. Go to journalist visits for more information. Unit Map: International Adoption: Ethics and Effects
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 9-12. The recommended timeframe is 4-6 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Belonging to a family is a condition all human beings crave. • Some human beings ignore the human condition in favor of profit or power. • International adoptions can be implemented with fairness to all involved. • Different cultures place varying values on humanity toward women and children. • Writers, videographers, bloggers, social network users and musicians use literary, musical, and digital tools to convey information and enflame emotions for the purpose of inciting societal change.
Essential Questions
• Why do human beings yearn to belong to family groups? • How is inhumanity to women and children learned and found acceptable by others? • How can international adoptions be performed without preying on innocent women and children? • Why do different cultures place varying values on humanity toward women and children? • What tools do writers, videographers, bloggers, social network users and musicians use to convey information and enflame emotions for the purpose inciting societal change?
Common Core Standards
• Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. • Determine the author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance the point of view or purpose. • Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false and fallacious reasoning. • Introduce precise claims, distinguish the claims from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claims, counter claims, reason and evidence. • Develop claims and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases. • Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose and audience. • Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) to solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. • Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. • Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts. • Integrate the information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Content
1. Textual support 2. Interpretation of inferences 3. Arguments (claims and counter-claims) 4. Ethics of Ethiopia’s and Nepal’s international adoption process 5. The role of adoption searchers in international adoption 6. Hague Adoption Convention 7. U.S. role in “policing” international adoption 8. Comparison/contrast format
Skills / Strategies
1. Provide strong textual evidence to support an analysis of non-fiction articles. 2. Use textual evidence to support interpretation of inferences within informational text. 3. Provide support for arguments (claims and counter-claims) in a debate by providing specific evidence to support and reject claims and counter- claims. 4. Discuss ethics by stating claims and counter-claims using the blog format to share views and evidence on-line. 5. Explore the role of Adoption Searchers through research and personal or remote interviews of people involved with adoption and explain the necessity of this role in international adoption. 6. Analyze the rules governing International Adoption as conveyed by the Hague Adoption Convention. 7. Evaluate the effect that the Hague Adoption Convention’s rules and guidelines have had on international adoption. 8. Explain and analyze the role of the U.S. in policing international adoption using appropriate digital media which is housed on a class or school website. 9. Compare and contrast the point of view of two or more authors who address the topic of international adoption using photographs, music, or digital format.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Ethiopia • Adoption ethics • Harvesting of children • Child trafficking • Adoption searchers • Adoption fraud • Exponential growth • Adoption world’s “New China” • Adoption “hot spots” • Adoption “whistleblowers” • Ethical problems with international adoption • Lucrative • “Intact families” • Court vetting procedure • Relinquished • Hamlet • Repercussions • Hague Adoption Convention • Adoptions’ “hidden structures of “organized crime”
Learning Plan & Activities
• Debate: Both Sides of the Question: “In international adoptions are the children who are taken from families who live in poverty and can not feed or educate their children better off even if they have been stolen or taken from an intact family?” Include the ethics of international adoptions in the arguments. • Interview of international adoptees using Digital Storytelling Wiki to share the interview and information with classmates and local news outlets. • Using Yola create your own class website that contains information, interviews, and examples for Americans adopting internationally with a checklist of things to investigate and obstacles that can be encountered with solutions for overcoming the obstacles. • Use WolframAlpha to make a comparison of which countries provide the best results for the adopting families, the children who are adopted, and any relatives the child might have who are still living. • Research symposiums on international adoption and apply to present a policy brief that will be housed on a class wiki and be presented upon acceptance by the organization
Assessments
• Debate and evaluation of arguments on both sides of the question using rubric created by students and teacher. • Digital storytelling interviews with the list of questions for the interview and the spontaneous follow-up questions. • Website on Yola.com with the information, interviews, and examples to assist those interested in international adoption (include the data created on WolframAlpha). • Charts, graphs, and data created on WolframAlpha to compare the countries that offer international adoption for use by those who might want to adopt. • Final Unit Assessment: Policy brief in which the students discuss the ethics, problems, and solutions of international adoption, which is housed on a class wiki and will be shared at a symposium on international adoption.
Resources
• Pulitzer Center Gateway: Women Children Crisis • Kathryn Joyce and Michael Tsegaye. “’Child Harvesting’ in Ethiopia’s Adoption Program.” Untold Stories. January 5, 2012 • Kathryn Joyce and Michael Tsegaye. “Who’s Intimidating Ethiopia’s Adoption Searchers?” Untold Stories. January 5, 2012 • Kathryn Joyce. “Adoption Inc: How Ethiopia’s Industry Dupes Families and Bullies Activists.” The Atlantic. December 21, 2011 • Habiba Nosheen and Anup Kaphle. “Nepal’s Orphans in Limbo.” Need to Know. May 6, 2011 • Habiba Nosheen. “Left in Limbo: Nepalese Adoptions Halted.” Need to Know. May 6, 2011 • Habiba Nosheen. “Adopting From Abroad: Why One American Woman Looked to Nepal.” Untold Stories. May 26, 2011 • Habiba Nosheen and Anup Kaphle. “Nepal: Orphanages See Decline in International Adoption." Untold Stories. February 9, 2011 • Anup Kaphle. “Nepal: Corruption and Fraudulent Documents Set Hurdles for Adoption." Untold Stories. February 10, 2011 • Erin Segal. "Finding Fernanda." Beacon Press • WolframAlpha • Yola • Digital Storytelling Wiki
Lesson Plan: Writing About the "Arab Spring"
Published July 1, 2011 By Kate Seche, Kate McGinnis, Drew Kyser
Introduction
During the winter of 2010 and the spring of 2011, the world watched as pro- democracy protesters across North Africa and the Middle East rose up against the dictatorial regimes that had ruled their home countries for years. The long-term political, social, and economic ramifications of these revolutions remain to be seen, but there is much to study in the factors that led to these large-scale people’s movements, and the intended and unintended consequences as countries across the region seek democratic reforms.
Lesson Plan Description
The resources outlined below can be used to help students complete a comprehensive research paper on the events of the 2011 Middle East uprisings, or “Arab Spring.” The sources may also be grouped to help students focus on specific factors that led to, sustained, and in some respects, expedited the revolutions: the role of Arab youth; the use of social media; the role of the U.S. and other NATO countries; demographic factors such as the “youth bulge;” and economic factors such as the global recession and high unemployment rates.
The lesson also includes videos produced by Al Jazeera English to provide students with background information on the evolution of the revolutions and how protest has (and has not) led to change across the Arab World. [Note: These videos are appropriate for a range of students and should be pre-viewed by the class teacher before use in the classroom.]
Student Instructions/Sample Assignments
Internet Search Terms for Research As your students complete this writing assignment they may need to identify additional online and print resources. In addition to “Arab Spring” the following search terms listed may be of assistance: Arab Awakening; Middle East unrest; Middle East uprising; Tunisian revolution; Egyptian revolution; pro-democracy protests.
1. Informative Essay (Grades 6-12) Have your students select one country involved in the Arab spring movement and write an informative essay about it. The essay should include historical and political background information on the country, the major events of the uprising in that country, and a summary of what changes, if any, have taken place since the uprising. Students should use the timelines for country specific information, Pulitzer Center and other reporting pertaining to their country as resources. 2. Comparative Essay (Grades 8-12) Have students write an essay comparing how the Arab spring revolution manifested itself in two different countries. Students can compare who participated in protests, nature and number of protests, countries’ government structures, the response by countries’ governments, and the relative success of movement. Students should use the background videos, timelines, Pulitzer and other reporting pertaining to the country as sources.
3. Argumentative Essay (Grades 8-12) Have students write an argumentative essay on which factor was the most influential in causing the movement. Example factors: youth bulge, authoritarian governments, economic conditions, lack of rights. Students should use the background videos, timelines, Pulitzer and other reporting pertaining to the factor as sources.
4. Research Essay (Grades 8-12) Have students identify a theme or topic from the Arab spring that they would like to explore further. Encourage students to choose a theme or topic that is applicable to more than one country. Example themes/topics are: role of women, role of religious groups, role of media, role of youth, challenges for the future, etc. Students should use the background videos, timelines, and country/topic specific Pulitzer reporting as well as additional sources to complete this assignment.
5. Political Cartoons (Grades 10-12) Have students write an essay analyzing the Arab Spring political cartoons included in this lesson. Students can choose to focus on one cartoon, group cartoons by theme and analyze them together, or compare two or more cartoons. Their analysis should go beyond description of the cartoon and talk about the cartoons meaning and/or significance.
6. Document Based Question (Grades 10-12) This essay is similar to the AP test’s document based questions. Students are given a set of documents they must use in their essay. Typically, students only have a fixed amount of time to prepare and write this essay; however, teachers can adjust this prompt to best fit their classroom. For each prompt, provide students with 5-6 documents that are relevant to the question. We recommend including at least one visual (photo, graph, timeline, cartoon).
Students must answer the provided question by using all of the documents to support their thesis. Possible questions are included below:
• Many factors led to the 2010-2011 uprisings in the Arab world. Which factor was the most influential in causing and sustaining the revolutions? • How successful were the spring 2011 uprisings in Egypt? Analyze the factors that contributed to the level of success achieved. Use the documents provided to support your response. • Discuss the uncertainty the events of the “Arab Spring” have created both within affected countries and across the world. Explain how nations are responding to this uncertainty. • Evaluate both the positive and negative effects of the “Arab Spring.”
Background Information Resources
Al Jazeera: “The Evolution of Arab Revolutions” Short video segments documenting the role of youth and the media in the Arab Spring, April 22, 2011 on Al Jazeera English. (Transcript)
• Start of video-2:40, introduction (stats and short background) • 3:10-7:55, role of youth in Arab Spring • 24:00-28:56, role of the media in Arab Spring
Al Jazeera: "The Arab Awakening” Seven one-hour examinations of the Arab Spring, May 14, 2011 on Al Jazeera English
• The Death of Fear, How the death of Mohommad Bouazizi in Tunisia ignited a revolution across the Arab world. (49 minutes) • The Fall of Mubarak, An examination of how the people’s revolution in Egypt brought down the Mubarak regime. (24 minutes) • The People Want, This video examines peoples’ opinions on NATO’s interference in Libya. (17:30-23:15)
Timelines and General Information Resources
1. “Arab Spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests” By Gary Blight and Sheila Pulham, The Guardian, June 8, 2011. This interactive timeline provides information on protests, government responses, international responses, regime changes and more, for 17 different Middle East countries. Bonus: each point on the timeline is linked to a relevant news stories. 2. “Middle East and North Africa in turmoil” By The Washington Post News Reports, The Washington Post, June 2011. This interactive map provides a timeline of events for each country involved in the Arab Spring movement. 3. BBC News: Arab Uprising This news page features all of BBC News’ Arab Uprising related reporting, including country background information, leader profiles, and current reporting. 4. “Middle East protests: Country by Country” by BBC News World, BBC News, June 2011. This feature provides country specific up-to-date information on the Arab spring movement. 5. “In Tunisia, act of one fruit vendor unleashes wave of revolution through the Arab world” By Marc Fisher, The Washington Post, March 26, 2011. This article gives a good account of the origins of the Arab spring in Tunisia and how the movement spread throughout the region. 6. “The Shoe-Thrower’s index: An index of unrest in the Arab world” By The Economist Online, February 9, 2011. This is an interesting index of unrest based off of the factors present in the initial Arab spring uprisings.
Political Cartoons
1. MSNBC Arab Spring Cartoons (Numbers 3 and 5), By R.J. Matson and Adam Zyglis, 2011 2. The Week, “Al-Assad’s Viral Protest” By Steve Breen, 2011 3. The Week, “Middle East cleans up” By Osama Hajjaj, 2011 4. The Week, “Egypt’s new best friends” By Bob Englehart, 2011 5. Palestinian Pundit, “Arab Spring” By Khalil Bendib, 2011
Pulitzer Center Articles
1. “Revolutions End” by Ellen Knickmeyer . This article covers protesters in Egypt as they contemplate how to transition from protest to sustainable action. 2. “Wheels of Change” by Ellen Knickmeyer. This article covers acts of protest by women in Saudi Arabia. 3. “Struggle for Power in Egypt Continues” by Reese Erlich. This article covers the ongoing political struggles in Egypt post-revolution. 4. “The Arab World’s Youth Army” by Ellen Knickmeyer . This article covers the very early days of the revolution in Tunisia, including the spark that inspired mass youth protests.
Issue and Country-Specific Supplemental Reporting This reporting, from a variety of other news outlets, should be used to supplement background information and Pulitzer Center reporting. It is subdivided by topic:
Role of Women
1. “Women in the Arab Spring: The other side of the story” By Elizabeth Flock, The Washington Post, June 21, 2011. 2. “Women and the Revolution” By Lauren E. Bohon and Sarah Lynch, Foreign Policy, March 2, 2011. 3. “Egypt’s defiant women fear being cast aside” By Jon Leyne, BBC News, June 19, 2011 .
Role of Youth
1. “Children of the Revolution” By Suzanne Merkelson and Aylin Zafar, Foreign Policy, March 31, 2011.
Role of Media 1. “Read all about it” The Economist, March 17, 2011 .
Prospects for the Future
1. “How to keep your crown,” The Economist, June 16, 2011 2. “Clinging to Power,” The Economist online, June 2, 2011 3. “What Egyptian Women (and Men) Want,” By Dalia Mogahed, Foreign Policy, March 10, 2011 4. “Bullets Stall Youthful Push for Arab Spring” By Michael Slackman, The New York Times, March 17, 2011 5. “The Arab world’s reaction: Scotching the snake,” The Economist, March 24, 2011
Country-Specific Reporting Bahrain
1. “Will Bahrain’s Arab Spring bear fruit?” By James Naughtie, BBC, May 30, 2011 2. “Bahrain’s security clampdown divides kingdom” By Frank Gardner, BBC News, April 14, 2011
Egypt
1. “Egypt’s Cauldron of Revolt” By Anand Gopal, Foreign Policy, February 16, 2011 2. “Egypt News -- Revolution and Aftermath” The New York Times, June 30, 2011 3. "Egypt protests: Key moments in unrest” BBC News, Feburary 11, 2011
Jordan
1. “Jordan acts to pre-empt public discontent” By James Melik, BBC News, January 18, 2011 2. "Clashes break out at Jordan anti-government protest” BBC News, March 25, 2011
Libya
1. “Libya - Protests and Revolt (2011)” The New York Times, June 29, 2011
Morocco
1. “Morocco’s Moderate Revolution” By Laila Lalami, Foreign Policy, February 21, 2011
Saudi Arabia 1. “Saudi Arabia’s Musk Revolution” By Simon Henderson, Foreign Policy, March 1, 2011 2. "Yes, It Could Happen Here” By Madawi Al-Rasheed, Foreign Policy, February 28, 2011
Syria
1. “Guide: Syria Crisis” BBC News, June 23, 2011
Tunisia
1. “Don’t Abandon Tunisia” By Anthony Dworkin, Foreign Policy, February 23, 2011
Yemen
1. “Cairo It Ain’t” By Haley Sweetland Edwards, Foreign Policy, February 24, 2011 2. “An uncertain future” By The Economist online, April 6, 2011(radio interview with Ginny Hill) Lesson Plan: Revolution in Tunisia
Published February 7, 2011, Updated August 22, 2013
Introduction
During the winter of 2010 and spring of 2011 Americans watched the Jasimine Revolution in Tunisia inspire similar youth uprisings across North Africa. Through this lesson, students will examine and discuss the conditions in Tunisia that led to rebellion, as well as the consequences -- both intended and unintended -- of political uprisings and change in regime. Students will also see what happened a year after the rebellion.
Student Preparation/Background Information
Begin this lesson by having your students locate Tunisia using a world map.
If your students are unfamiliar with the economic, political, and social conditions which led to revolution in Tunisia, have them compile a country profile comparing conditions in Tunisia with those in the United States. The profile work can be completed independently, in small groups, or as a class, and in a variety of formats: Word document, Powerpoint presentation, a large piece of chart paper, or using the attached grid (Attachment A). For a large-group activity, you may choose to assign one or two pieces of information to each student, have them quickly research the answer and contribute to a large, class profile. For a small group activity, you might assign groups of students a specific country or research area (GDP, population, etc.) and once the research is completed, have students break into new groups with one representative from the original country or research area in each new group to share their findings. The information required to complete the profile sheet can be found on the C.I.A.'s World Factbook web page.
After completing the activity, have a brief discussion with your students asking them to compare statistics about life in Tunisia to statistics about life in the United States. Ask students to identify differences and/or similarities they found surprising, and elaborate on why this information caught their attention. Have students consider what data they believe was most instrumental in bringing about political revolution. Why?
Sparking a Revolution
To help students understand how the lack of infrastructure and sense of hopelessness about the future could lead to revolution, have them read Ellen Knickmeyer's blog post Sidi Bouzid: A Young Man's Death and the Birth of a Revolution or her article for Foreign Policy Magazine, The Arab World's Youth Army. Note: The blog post and article, have similar content, you may choose to break students into smaller groups and allow them to choose which piece to read; or assign groups a specific article.
As students read have them consider the following questions:
• What actual event sparked the uprising in Tunisia? • What demographic, social, and/or economic factors led to the uprising in Tunisia? • What is the youth bulge? • What factors could lead to a nation with a youth bulge? • In an interview with Knickmeyer, Tarik Yousef, the Dean of the Dubai School of Government explains, "The experts told governments the coming youth wave would create a 'precondition for problems, or a precondition for prosperity.'" What economic or employment supports could the government of Tunisia have put in place to better absorb the record number of young, educated citizens entering the workforce? • In your opinion, how have social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter helped fuel the revolutions in North Africa?
If your students have studied U.S. History since World War II, you may choose to discuss similarities and differences between the North African "youth bulge" and the baby boom in the United States.
• Has anything similar ever occurred in the United States? If so, when? • After the babyboom, did the U.S. government have a strategy for the large number of young people entering the workforce? If so, describe the strategy and how well it worked. • What role has this generation played in shaping American economic, social, cultural, and political policy?
The Consequences of Revolution
From Revolution to Lasting Change
Have students open Knickmeyer's article, Tunis Transformed: Readjusting After the People's Revolution, which describes Tunis, the capital of Tunisia after the overthrow of former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Watch this audio slideshow by Jessie Deeter, in which she visits Tunisia a year after the revolution.
Ask them to consider the following questions as they read:
• By the end of January, had life in Tunisia returned to "normal"? • What are examples of this "normalcy" returning? • What are examples of the struggles that will continue to face the Tunisian people? • What political, economic, and/or social structures need to be rebuilt, or revised, for the revolution to end is real and lasting change?
As students discuss the political, social, and economic conditions in Tunisia, ask them to reflect on everyday infrastructure that represent peace and prosperity in the United Sates and within their communities.
(Ideas could include: jobs, public transportation, roads, affordable groceries, opportunities for career advancement, sufficient police presence, educational opportunities, etc.)
Building a Democracy
Finally, have students reflect on the difficulty the Tunisian people face as they look to replace an oligarchy with a democratic and representative government. Ask them to consider and discuss some of the following questions:
• Authoritarian and oppressive governments characteristically take pains to stamp out any organized rivalry. When those governments fall, they often represent the only working political organization in the nation. In the absence of a ready and organized political system, what other civic institutions might the populace look to in building a new government? • What organizations might be able/attempt to mobilize politically in the immediate aftermath of such an upheaval? • How does a country avoid the "One man-one vote-one time" scenario – slipping back into an authoritarian form of government? • How does a country allow for dissenting opinions while still preserving the civil liberties of all groups regardless of race, gender, religious affiliation, or class?
Al Jazeera English and Voice of America have been discussing elements of the Tunisian election process, students may choose to explore their reporting for additional information:
The lack of a clear and organized opposition party is highlighted in this February 6, 2011 news clip from Al Jazeera English, Fresh Violence Erupts in Tunisia.
A VOA article from February 4, 2011, Return of Islamic Leader Worries Some Tunisian Women, examines the impact the return of Islamic political leaders from exile could have on Tunisian law, in particular the rights of Tunisian women.
Conclusion
The political, economic, and social ramifications of the uprising in Tunisia are still unfolding. This lesson serves as part of a larger classroom conversation on the events happening across North Africa, and the establishment of democratic rule. As the youth populations in Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, and Morocco begin to demand improved economic conditions and a more active role in their government, the long-term impact of the revolution in Tunisia will become clearer.
Common Core State Standards: Social Studies & Science
Key Ideas and Details
1. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
1. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. 2. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Specific Subject-Area Connections Social Studies
• Social, economic, and political conditions leading to revolution • Rise and fall of dictatorial regimes • The political and social conditions of developing nations • U.S. foreign policy since World War II
Materials
• World Political Map e.g., http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html • Computers with Internet access • Attachment A Lesson Plan: Youth and Education in Afghanistan
Published June 17, 2011, Updated August 22, 2013
Introduction
Article twenty-six of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights identifies education as an inalienable human right. The Declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education and higher education opportunities for all qualified youth. Additionally, the U.N. states that all parents have the right to select the type of education they wish their child to receive. Yet, in communities in conflict areas, education is far from guaranteed. This lesson investigates the daily struggle faced by many Afghan students seeking an education, and the danger faced by teachers and schools working to provide these children with an experience many Americans take for granted.
After completing this lesson plan you students will have:
• Reviewed the political history of Afghanistan and the impact various social movements have had on the education of Afghan youth. • Used Pulitzer Center, BBC News, and Al Jazeera English resources to explore the current state of education in Afghanistan through videos, articles, and photo slideshows. • Compared educational opportunities and the condition of schools in the United States to those in Afghanistan. • Considered the long-term impact of conflict on the social, emotional, and academic development of children.
Specific Subject-Area Connections, Social Studies
• Civil rights • Prejudice, discrimination and stigma • Modern-day conflicts • Post-war reconstruction • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The political and social conditions of developing nations
Common Core State Standards: Social Studies
Key Ideas and Details
1. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and idea.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 1. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
Background Information Afghanistan Have students review the timeline and country profile below and consider the questions that follow.
• Afghanistan Timeline compiled by BBC News • Afghanistan Country Profile from the BBC News
Questions to Consider Overview
1. How has Afghanistan’s strategic location led the country to near constant occupation and conflict? 2. How did the Taliban begin? What political and social conditions in Afghanistan contributed to the group’s rise? 3. What international events further isolated Afghanistan from the international community? 4. What impact has Afghanistan’s drug industry had on the Taliban insurgency?
Leaders
1. How did Hamid Karzai first come to power in Afghanistan? Do you feel his affiliation with the Pashtun tribe played a role in his selection? Why or why not? 2. Describe the criticism surrounding Hamid Karzai’s re-election in August of 2009. 3. Why did the Afghan Parliament reject Karzai’s cabinet in January 2010? How have claims of corruption impacted Afghan relations with the international community?
Media
1. Describe the media landscape in post-Taliban Afghanistan. 2. Does freedom of the press exist in Afghanistan in the same way it exists in the United States? Explain your answer. 3. What, do you think, has prompted the growth in newspaper readership? Why do you think newspapers are able to express more dissenting opinions than broadcast media? 4. What impact has the use of social media by different groups, including the Taliban, had on media and communication in Afghanistan? Statistics If you would like to offer students a reference point from which to understand the statistics on Afghanistan offered in the country profile, you may choose to include this activity in the lesson plan.
Ask students to use the CIA World Factbook to compare the following statistics provided on Afghanistan with the United States:
Population
Area
Major Languages
Major Religion(s)
Main Exports
Afghanistan
USA
The Taliban To begin examining the issue of Afghan youth and education, provide students with some background information on the Taliban: their beginnings, their beliefs, and the impact the group has had on Afghan politics, culture, and society.
Have students review the timeline and article below and consider the questions that follow:
• Timeline: Taliban in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera, July 4, 2009 • Who are the Taliban? BBC News, October 1, 2010
1. How did the Taliban exploit the insecurity that followed the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan to expedite their rise to power? 2. Describe how the Taliban implemented and enforced Sharia, or Islamic law throughout Afghanistan. 3. What impact has Sharia law had on Afghan youth and their education? 4. What international events prompted the U.S. and its allies to take action against the Taliban in Afghanistan? 5. Was the U.S-led offensive in Afghanistan successful? What are identifying traits of the Taliban insurgency following the shift of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan from combat operations to reconstruction? 6. Do you agree or disagree with President Obama’s willingness to reach out to moderate factions of the Taliban? Examining Youth and Education in the United Sates and Afghanistan
Pre-Activity Before your students start the main activity have them record and share their thoughts about their own experiences in the U.S. education system. Below are some prompt questions:
• What do you like/dislike the most about school? • What do you appreciate about your school experience? • Why do you go to school? What motivates you?
(If completing this lesson with older students, include the following pre-activity questions.) After discussing students’ personal connections to school, have them consider the long-term impact of education and the extent to which politics influences education in the U.S. Encourage students to share their answers and discuss why they answered as they did.
• Do you think school is a right or a privilege? Should every child have to attend some form of school? Why or why not? • In the United States, how does an individual’s educational background influence their employment and earning opportunities? Do you think the same relationship exists for workers in other countries? • In the United States, to what extent do the beliefs and priorities of politicians (school board members, governors, congressmen and women, senators, the President, etc.) influence how schools are run and the material that is taught?
Access to Education in Afghanistan Once your students have thought about their own access to education, and the long-term benefits of a quality education, allow them to explore the following two pieces by Pulitzer Center journalist, Shaun McCanna. As students view the video and read the article, have them reflect on their answers to the pre-activity questions.
If you are working with older students, encourage them to consider the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights in which education is identified as an inalienable right. Ask students to compare their own school experience with that of the children at the school profiled in this reporting. Are the experiences comparable? Does that matter? Should it matter? Does the United States (and other wealthy countries) have a responsibility to improve education in countries around the world?
Video: “Students and Legacy of War” By Shaun McCanna, Untold Stories, December 16, 2009 After your students watch the video, have them read the article linked below. Students can read the article individually, in small groups, or as a class.
Article: “After the Taliban: Afghanistan’s kids ready for education, but schools not” By Shaun McCanna, Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 2009
Post-Activity Have your students reflect on Nassar and his daily life. Have them discuss the following questions:
• Why does Nassar go to school? • What are Nassar’s responsibilities? • What do you think would happen if Nassar didn’t work?
Look back at the responses you recorded earlier about your school experience.
• How do you think an Afghan student would answer those questions? • How would their responses compare to yours? • Compare your typical day at school to Nassar’s, what are the differences, the similarities?
Note: The following information can be used to lead a discussion on the differences between the United States’ educational system and Afghanistan’s educational system:
U.S. Education Facts: (from the U.S. Department of Education website)
• In the 2007-2008 school year an average of $10,297 was spent per each elementary and middle school student in the United States. • In 2000, about 75% of 18-24 year olds had a high school degree (or equivalent certification) • The current nationwide student to teacher ratio is about 15 students per one teacher • 52% of teachers in the United States have a Masters degree or higher
Additional/Related Reporting Afghanistan: Children of Balkh, by Anna Badken, Untold Stories, June 20, 2011
In-Depth: Education in Afghanistan
Once students have discussed Shaun McCanna’s reporting, encourage them to further investigate the condition of education in Afghanistan. Help students understand the impact the Taliban’s imposition of Sharia Law and how their presence has influenced Afghan education systems, by reading and discussing “Education Under Fire” from Al Jazeera English, December 8, 2008. 1. Why do you think the Taliban and other insurgent groups are choosing to target teachers, students, and schools in their attacks? Why do you think these attacks are more prevalent in rural areas? 2. Do you agree with the Afghan government’s plan to expand curriculum at Madrasas (religious schools) to include math, science, and languages in areas where they are the only education option available? If so, do you feel this is a viable long-term solution? If not, what possibilities do you believe should be pursued by the education ministers? 3. Imagine attending school in rural Afghanistan. Do you think Afghan students are able to accomplish as much as their peers in more peaceful regions/countries? What do you believe motivates someone to become a teacher in Afghanistan? What risks do teachers face? Encourage students to click on the interview with Torpekai, a teacher who has worked in Afghanistan for over 25 years for a first-hand account of teaching in Afghanistan. 4. For a powerful, in-depth look at schooling in Afghanistan, show students the fourth, and final segment of the Al Jazeera English series Lessons in Conflict. The series examines the impact of violence on the youth of Gaza, Iraq, and Afghanistan and how conflict hinders the education of youth in the three countries. You can help students draw connections to similar struggles in American communities by investigating the challenges facing students attending school in urban areas.
Additional Resources/Reporting
• “An Education in Conflict” by Asad Hashim, Al Jazeera, December 26, 2010 -- Hashim’s article offers an overview of children seeking educational opportunities in conflict-areas: • “U.N. Report: Girl’s education a global emergency,” Al Jazeera, December 11, 2003 -- An examination of a UNICEF report discussing the long-term consequences of failing to educate women and girls. • Photo Essay: “Education in Conflict Zones,” Al Jazeera
Extension Activities:
1. Have your students write journal entries from Nassar’s point of view about his daily life. 2. Have your students share Nassar’s story (and the plight of other students in Afghanistan) with other classes at school. If students are interested in further exploring the experience of children living in conflict-areas, consider reading one of the novels below as a class, or encourage them to seek these books out in the library.
Middle school readers
• The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis • Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan • Eight Days: A Story of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat • Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
High school readers
• Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat • A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider by Ishmael Beah
Afghanistan Today
Read Jeffrey Stern's July 13, 2013 article on schools in Afghanistan in The Atlantic, and find out what's happening as US troops are preparing to leave.
Learn why girls have to write poetry in secret in Afghanistan, from the project "Afghanistan: Love and Suicide" by Seamus Murphy and Eliza Griswold. Lesson Plan: Haiti - After the Quake
Published November 23, 2010, Updated August 22, 2013
Photo: The church was destroyed in the earthquake; the congregation now worships in an open-air shelter next door. Image by Jon Sawyer. Haiti, 2012.
Overview:
Since the earthquake in January 2010, Pulitzer Center journalists have been in Haiti telling the stories of individual Haitians as they try to rebuild after the devastation of the earthquake. The Pulitzer Center Gateway, "Haiti: After the Quake," is the culmination of a year-long exploration of the country of Haiti and its people.
Student Preparation:
Before reviewing the resources on Haiti available in the "Haiti: After the Quake" Gateway, ask your students to spend a couple of days collecting news articles about Haiti. Help the students classify these articles by general topic: health and safety, politics, history, international aid, human rights, etc., and time frame: before the earthquake, right after the quake, and in the year since the earthquake occurred.
• Help students look at the type of coverage the country of Haiti receives in mainstream American media, how the country of Haiti and the Haitian people are represented in this reporting, and examine when most coverage happens. • Have students generate a KWL chart – what have they learned after reading these newspaper articles, what do they want to know and, at the end of this lesson, reflect on what have they learned about country of Haiti and its people.
The Lesson:
Llaunch the "Haiti: After the Quake" Gateway and/or download the award- winning e-book "Voices of Haiti: A Post-Quake Odyssey" on iPad or Kindle. Read the Gateway Introduction to your students, or have them read it silently.
Part One -- Background Information: About the Pulitzer Center Reporting on Haiti
Scroll through the thumbnails, find and open the project "Resilience in a Ravaged Nation: Haiti After the Earthquake." Under the "Blog" tab you will find the following videos that will offer students some background information on the sights and sounds of Haiti immediately after the quake. The videos should be previewed to ensure the content is appropriate for all students. A.) Evening in Sou Piste
• Why was this settlement named Sou Piste? How many people are living in the settlement? • Describe the conditions of the residents of Sou Piste: what do their homes look like? What food are they eating? Do they have access to clean drinking water or proper sanitation facilities? • What is happening to the men, women, and children who are exposed to water-borne diseases? • How is the NGO Partners in Health (PIH) helping in the settlement?
B.) Journalist Andre Lamberston Discusses Year-long Project in Haiti
• What is the focus of Andre Lamberston's work in Haiti? • Why did Andre want to go to Haiti after most of the mainstream media left in January of 2010?
C.) Haiti: Neg Mawon Pap Jamn Kraze
Before watching the video, read the blog background information at the bottom of the page. As your students to consider the following questions:
• What is the statue of Neg Mawon? Why is it such an important symbol for the Haitian people? • What is the mission of Partners in Health (PIH)? Where do they work? • What does the phrase "Neg Mawon Pap Jamn Kraze" mean? Why do you think Partners in Health (PIH) chose this as their motto in Haiti?
Watch the video attached to this blog and reflect on Andre Lamberston's desire to show a different side of the people of Haiti – does this video show different images from those shown in the mainstream media right after the quake? How? Is the tone of this video different from other reporting you've read/seen?
Part Two -- After the Earthquake: Haiti's Reconstruction
A boy walks through the streets of Port-au-Prince. According to UNICEF, nearly half of Haiti's population is under 18. Image by Jon Sawyer. Haiti, 2012.
Return to the "Haiti: After the Quake" Gateway page. Click through the thumbnails, find and launch the project "Haiti's Reconstruction: Building Back Better." Under "Articles" open "Letters from Port au Prince: After the Quake" by journalist Bill Wheeler. Have students read the article to themselves, in small groups, or as a large group. After reading, ask students to consider the following questions:
• What are the elements of a functional Haitian relocation camp? • What factors have historically stalled Haiti's development as an independent nation? After the earthquake, what additional factors worsened the social and political situation in Haiti?
Next, open this transcript of an interview, "Haiti Update," conducted by Marco Werman on PRI's The World radio program on September 9, 2010. If you are able to download the MP3, have students read the transcript as they listen to the interview. If the audio is not available, have students read the transcript independently, as a small group, or as a whole class. After reading, as the students to discuss the following questions:
• What challenges does Ms. Wall identify in the rebuilding of Haiti? Are they the same as those noted by Bill Wheeler? • Why is the issue of fresh water and sanitation infrastructure so pressing? What problems stem from a lack of clean drinking water and/or proper sewage disposal systems? • Why are the rebuilding efforts not facilitated by the financial aid offered by foreign governments and other humanitarian agencies?
Part Three -- Civil Rights in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
Haitian Tent Cities
Begin by providing your students with some background information about life in the tent cities opened after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Have students read the article "Six Months After Quake, Progress in Haiti is Slow" from PBS News Hour, run on July 21, 2010 and look at the photos from the PBS News Hour article "Scenes from Haiti, Six Months After the Quake." Both articles investigate the conditions in the Haitian relocation camps six months after the earthquake. Encourage students to consider:
• Describe the conditions in the Haitian relocation camps: is there basic shelter, drinking water, sanitation, and medical facilities? • How are these relocation camps like small cities? • How do weather and health concerns affect residents of the tent cities?
On the Pulitzer Center website, find and launch the "Haiti: After the Quake" Gateway page. Click through the thumbnails, find and launch the project, "After the Quake: HIV/AIDS in Haiti." Under the "Blog" section, find and open "Interview with Dr. Jean William Pape at GHESKIO." Watch the video excerpt from the interview, found at the top of the page.
Have your students consider the following questions:
• Why does Dr. Pape believe relocating Haitians from the tent cities should be a rebuilding priority? Do you agree? Why or why not? • What does Dr. Pape believe should be included in the relocation of Haitian citizens? • In your opinion, how is the issue of permanent housing a civil rights issue? • How would a lack of permanent housing affect people's ability to work or go to school? What are the dangers and challenges residents of the tent cities face on a daily basis? Why do you think the resettlement of the residents of tent cities will be challenging?
Struggle for Citizenship
Return to the main "Haiti: After the Quake" Gateway page. Click through the thumbnails, find and launch the project "Dominican Republic: Life on the Margins" by Stephanie Hanes and Steve Sapienza. Under the "Audio" tab open "Haitian Migrants Face Racism in the Dominican Republic." Listen to the radio report and have students consider the following questions:
• How many Haitians are living in the Dominican Republic? What issues do they face living in the Dominican Republic? • What jobs are available for Haitians living in the Dominican Republic? • What job do the poorer Haitians end up getting? Describe this type of labor. • Describe the situation for children of Haitian immigrants born and living in the Dominican Republic. Why are they not able to receive official citizenship documents? How does the lack of official citizenship documents and/or ID Cards affect their lives? • Why is the Dominican Republic's unwillingness to grant individuals of Haitian-descent citizenship documents a civil rights issue? Describe how the situation of these Haitians is similar to that of women and racial/ethnic minorities in the United States and other western nations as they were developing. For example, as non-citizens, women were denied several fundamental rights: inheriting family money, owning land, voting, serving on juries, and attending school, practicing politics, etc. • How was the situation for these groups in the United States similar to that of the Haitians in the Dominican Republic? How is it different?
Conclusion
Revisit the KWL chart and allow students to fill in new information/what they've learned about Haiti. If students still have questions, or would like additional information, encourage them to continue seek new reporting on the Pulitzer Center site as well as through the New York Times, PBS News Hour, the Washington Post, and other news outlets. "Voices from Haiti" Using Poetry to Speak up for a Cause
Published December 21, 2010, Updated August 22, 2013
In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Pulitzer Center commissioned an interactive e-book to take an in-depth look into the lives of the Haitian people one year after the massive natural disaster. This lesson helps students explore the Haitian experience through poetry, photography, and music. Download the award-winning book for iPad or Kindle.
English Language Arts Common Core State Standards
Reading – Key Ideas and Details and Craft & Structure
• Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. • Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. • Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. • Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. • Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
Language – Knowledge of Language and Vocabulary Acquisition
• Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. • Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Time
• Two 45-minute class periods
Materials
• Computer with Internet access • Journals/Student logs to record reactions and poetry ideas
Photo: Cynthia arrives at school early—7 a.m.— so she will have time to play with her friends. Image by Jon Sawyer. Haiti, 2012. Student Preparation
Before beginning this lesson, students will need a basic understanding of the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti including the domestic and international response directly following the quake, and the plight of many Haitians a year later. For background materials refer to the lesson plan, "Haiti – One Year Later," also on the Pulitzer Education site.
Assess your students' familiarity with the concept of advocacy and their comfort level reading/writing poetry. Students do not need to be experts in either area; they will only need a basic level of understanding.
Reading and Writing Poetry
• What type of poetry do you enjoy reading? Why • Do you think journalism can take the form of poetry? Why or why not? • What are advantages to sharing an individual's story, or advocating for a cause through poetry? What are the disadvantages?
Advocacy and/or How to Raise Awareness of a Cause
• What is advocacy? • What are social or political issues that you feel receive sufficient attention with in your community? What social or political issues do you feel need to receive more attention? • Why do you believe certain causes receive more attention than others? Who should take responsibility for raising awareness of under-represented issues? What do you think is the best way to raise awareness of under- represented issues?
Anticipatory Set
Open the "Voices from Haiti" special report project page and enter the project.
Before the students begin exploring the poetry, have them look at the eight title images on both the first and second pages. As they look at the images of the different Haitians profiled in these poems have them consider the following questions:
1. Who do you think the person in the photo is? Why do you think the producers and poet chose to highlight this individual for his project? 2. Describe the emotion conveyed in the photo. 3. What do you think each individual is thinking in the photos?
Once the students have considered the personal story and situation of the different individuals in the photos, share the title and first few lines of each poem with the group, and allow them to make any changes to their predictions. Procedures
Exploring the Poetry
The project is comprised of eight poems by poet and journalist Kwame Dawes. You may choose to have your students explore all of poems, or divide the students into groups and assign (or allow them to choose) one of the poems. Provide the students with the following directions:
1. Open the poem and, before starting the video, read the poem aloud to yourself or your group members. Paraphrase or summarize the main points. What is the theme of the poem? How do you know? How does word choice and imagery contribute to this theme? 2. Follow along with the words of the poem as poet, Kwame Dawes reads the poem aloud. How was the poet's reading different from your own? Did the poet's reading emphasize any elements that your own did not? How did that change your interpretation of the poem? After hearing the poet's reading of the poem, answer these questions: How does the form (rhyme, rhythm, repetition, line structure) convey the theme and/or mood of the poem? How does the poet evoke emotion in the reader? What other techniques (onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.) have been used in the composition of the poem? How do they influence the theme of the poem? How does the exclusion of certain techniques influence the theme of the poem? 3. Now, watch the photo slideshow as you listen to Kwame Dawes read his poem. How did seeing the images change your interpretation of the poem? Did new ideas or details appear as you watched the photos and heard the poem? 4. Who is the speaker in the poem? Can you hear different speakers in the poem? If so, who? How does the poet incorporate different voices into the poem? How do we know we can trust the speaker(s) in the poem to report events accurately? 5. What is the significance of the title of the poem?
If groups of students explore different poems, have them break into new groups with one representative from each original poetry study group in the newly formed group. Allow the students to watch and listen to each poem, and have the individual representatives report out on elements of their conversations and solicit feedback from their peers.
Return to the "Voices from Haiti" homepage and click on the "Related Reporting" tab at the top of the page. Click on and open the project, "After the Quake: HIV/AIDS in Haiti." Under the "Blog" tab students can find a range of short pieces reported from the field as Kwame Dawes, Lisa Armstrong, and Andre Lambertson worked in Haiti. Many of the blogs provide background on the individuals profiled in the poems, or the interviews that inspired Dawes' poetry. Have students select and read two or three of the blogs and ask them if they see similar themes, concerns, or individuals reflected in the poem they studied.
About the Poet
To learn more about the poet, Kwame Dawes, return to the main Global Gateway Education page and launch the HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean Gateway. Scroll through the projects, and launch "Hope: Living and Loving with HIV in Jamaica." Under "Recent" you will find an article from Neiman Reports, "Bearing Witness: The Poet as Journalist." The article describes Dawes' experience working as both a journalist and poet as he's reported from Jamaica and Haiti.
After reading the article to your students, or having your students read the article independently or in groups, have them consider the following questions:
• How does writing poetry free Dawes from the anxiety he feels conducting journalist-style interviews? • In the article, Dawes comments that, "a poem is not the "story," it is something deeper; it has to do with an image, an image that can be both something seen or something that happens, a snippet of a narrative. It can be a detail, a scent, a question, a fear, a desire." Discuss the process you think this poet used to create poetry in Haiti and Jamaica; where, when, how, could he find his inspiration? What moment, or moments do you think inspired the eight different poems featured in this project? • Dawes also explains, "I stand as a witness to the silences—to what goes unspoken and ignored—to the things that float away as if insubstantial but that are filled with the simple breaths of people trying to make sense of their existence. This act of witnessing allows us to reach to other levels of meaning that can only be reached through the poem." If you witnessed similar "grace moments" in your life, where do you think they would occur most frequently? Who would they involve? Do you think these moments could be captured in a poem?
Assessment/Extension Activities
Ask students to think about an issue, individual, or event in their own community that would be well-represented through poetry. Challenge students to conduct interviews or research on a topic and raise awareness of this issue through poetry.
[Note: The Pulitzer Center is seeking student advocacy poetry in response to international issues highlighted in our reporting and local issues which students feel should receive more media attention. Please contact [email protected] for additional information.]
Lesson Plans: Climate Change, CoP 15
Published January 15, 2010, Updated August 22, 2013
These curricular ideas, by Arthur Lieber of Civitas Associates in St. Louis, guide students to think critically about the Pulitzer Center's environmental reporting, to consider the cross-disciplinary implications of climate change, and to report on climate change themselves. See the Pulitzer Center's related reporting at the Heat of the Moment Gateway. Download the free Pulitzer Center e-book on climate change and other environmental issues (for iPad, browser or Kindle).
Questions from Pulitzer Center Reporting from Copenhagen
1. Not too many years ago, people laughed about the Cuyahoga River running through Cleveland Ohio catching on fire. Fortunately that river has been cleaned up considerably in recent years. But what about burning methane on a frozen lake? Check out this link cited by Jeffrey Barbee in his reporting from the Cop15 conference for the Pulitzer Center. What is your response to the video?
2. Check out the windmills in Denmark in this video. Why do you think that this alternate form of energy is embraced so much more in Denmark than in the United States? Be sure to check out Dan Grossman's short article above the video on the page.
3. Read the reporting and watch the video of Steve Sapienza and Glenn Baker about how climate change is impacting the developing country of Bangladesh. Keep in mind that Bangladesh has a population nearly half that of the United States, but compacted into an area roughly the size of Iowa. What is the United Nations Adaptation Project?
4. Sara Peach, Pulitzer Student Fellow, reports on how youth fared in Copenhagen. Why did the number of young people decrease so much over the course of the two-week conference? The students ask the question, "How can you make a decision about us without us?" What is your reaction to this question?
5. When young people are demonstrating, there is a sign that says "Change the politics, not the climate." Which do you think is easier to change, global political systems or the environment?
6. William Wheeler and Anna Katarina-Gravgaard talk about "Ticking Clocks and Stumbling Blocs at Copenhagen," discuss the fissures between how industrialized and developing nations approached the climate summit. How can we best close the gap between the interests of the wealthier and less wealthy nations?
7. Julia Epplin-Zapf, a sophomore at Metro High School in St. Louis, informed us that her father found an environmental video that "pretty much made her day." It involves the work of four 12 and 13 year-olds in trying to change the environment. Three questions: (a) What do you think of what Severn Suzuki said, (b) What does Severn mean when she says that she has 'no hidden agenda?' and (c)) Did you sense that the adult audience was sincere in their applause at the conclusion of the speech?
Mixing Life Sciences, Economics and Politics
Here are a few basic questions that can initially be asked by students.
1. Key Life Science Question(s):
• What changes are reflective of normal long-term cycles and what changes result from recent human-made causes?
2. Key Economic Questions(s):
• Can economic growth and environmental clean-up or restoration be compatible with one-another? • How does the dilemma of economic growth and environmental clean-up present different issues for developed countries vs. developing countries?
3. Key Political Question(s):
• Often times, the answer to why and how policy decisions are made requires following the money: Research on political contributions. On the federal level, information is available from the Federal Elections Commission at http://www.fec.gov/disclosure.shtml. What kinds of industries do you think would stand to profit by moving to alternative energy sources such as solar power or windmills?
Reporting about Global Climate Change
1. Pick three articles or media presentations from Pulitzer Global Gateway site and condense into 100 words what (a) is happening in each location, and (b) what questions does each story raise?
2. Help us build a data bank of recent climate information for "Heat of the Moment." You can check out our interactive student weather data map at http://pulitzergateway.org/2009/12/student-reports-on-climate-change/.
3. Find a location on the Pulitzer "Heat of the Moment: site from where journalists have reported. Select an area where you would like to document weather data between now and when journalists will be visiting your locale.
Check out the Civitas tutorial on how to do this using our interactive student weather data map at http://www.civitas- stl.com/OLD/Viewlets/pulitzer_climate/pulitzer_climate.viewlet/pulitzer_clima te_viewlet_swf.html.
• Following up on the tutorial, you will need to get weather data from www.weather.com and/or www.wunderground.com. • As explained in the tutorial, record your data in a spreadsheet such as Excel or on-line with a Google spreadsheet. • Again, as described in the tutorial, enter your summary information on climate dynamics in the area you are studying on our Google map (this is the same map embedded in the Pulitzer site, but this is where you edit it).
Lesson Plan: Food Insecurity
Published June 22, 2011
Introduction
Food Insecurity is a complex and rising problem. It takes many forms, from food scarcity to lack of nutritious food. It plagues people around the globe, spanning continents and crossing borders. The same factors that cause food insecurity: the environment, economics and politics, are also the keys to solving the crisis. Since 2009, the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting has reported on the many different aspects of food insecurity, from Guatemala to India and Vietnam to Kenya. These reports are collected in our special Global Gateway, Food Insecurity.
In this lesson plan students will:
• Be introduced to the concept of food insecurity • Learn about what factors contribute to food insecurity • How food insecurity has manifested in Nigeria, India and Guatemala • Imagine a life very different than their own
Specific Subject Area Connections Science
• Ecosystems • Effect of human activity on the Earth’s surface • Environmental public policy • Renewable and nonrenewable resources
Social Studies
• The impact of global trade on regional civilizations • Political and social conditions of developing nations • Modern-day conflicts
Student Preparation and Background Information
Have students think about and discuss the concept of food insecurity in small groups and then record their definition of food insecurity. Once students have brainstormed the concepts of food insecurity, have them review, or introduce the background information below.
The World Health Organization: Have students visit the WHO’s website links provided below, to learn about how the WHO defines food security:
1. Global Food Security Crisis – WHO response 2. Food Security Follow-up Questions:
• What are the three pillars of food security, according to the WHO? • Is food security purely based on access to food? [Answer: no, also nutrition]
National Public Radio: Have students listen to NPR’s radio broadcast, “Volatile Food Prices Grab G-20’s Full Attention,” By Eleanor Beardsley, KQED News, June 21, 2011, or read the accompanying article, that discusses the implications of volatile food prices worldwide.
Follow-up Questions:
• Why are politicians becoming more involved with the issue of food insecurity? • The radio broadcast reports that many organizations predict food prices to double in upcoming years. If this happens, what do you think the political effects will be? What about the humanitarian effects?
Pulitzer Center Videos:
1. Nigeria “Nigeria Families Left Hungry” PBS Newshour, April 15, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro
Questions:
• What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in Nigeria? • What factors foster food insecurity in Nigeria? [Possible answers: dry season, lack of government support, price instability] • What conclusions can you draw about the role of government in ensuring food security from this video?
2. India “India’s Growing Problem, Food Production” PBS News Hour, September 14, 2009, By Fred De Sam Lazaro
Questions:
• What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in India? • How big a role does water availability play into food security in India? • What impact will additional water pumps, dry season cropping, fertilizers, pesticides and other food insecurity solutions have on the environment? 3. Guatemala “Guatemala’s Children Languish from Malnutrition” World Focus, October 8, 2009, By Samuel Lowenberg
Questions:
• What type of food insecurity (lack of food or lack of nutrition) is the most prevalent in Guatemala? • How does extreme poverty contribute to the food insecurity problem in Guatemala? • What is stunting? How else does malnutrition affect children? How serious are the side effects of malnutrition?
Post-Videos Discussion:
After your students have watched the videos, have them look back at their definitions of food insecurity. Have them discuss how accurate their definitions were, how close their conceptions of food insecurity were to the examples of food insecurity they saw in the videos?
Discuss with your students the main factors portrayed in the videos that contributed to food insecurity. Was it lack of government support, environmental degradation, lack of resources (water, seeds, fertilizer, ect), or poverty? Is it a combination of these factors? Which factors have the biggest impact?
Extension Activities:
1. Explore Food Insecurity in the United States Ask your students if they think that the United States has problems with food insecurity.
• According to USDA’s Educational Research Service, about 14.7% of households were food insecure in 2009. (link to source) A major type of food insecurity in the United States comes from ‘food deserts’ or areas were populations don’t have access to fresh foods. • Have your students explore the Center for Disease Control’s information on food deserts in America. • Next, students have locate food deserts in your area by using USDA’s food desert map. • Discuss the impact food deserts have on communities and the lasting problems they create. Have your students brainstorm some possible solutions.
2. RAFT Writing Activity
Role Audience
Form
Topic
Aid Worker
Americans
Blog
Role of government in food security
Sustenance Farmer
Food insecure families
Newspaper Article
Chronic Malnutrition
Child
Your peers
Persuasive Essay
Environmental degradation caused by agricultural practices
3. Host an Awareness Event: After watching these videos, and learning more about food insecurity in highlighted countries, your students may be interested in created an awareness campaign at school or within their home communities to publicize one of the issues covered through the Pulitzer Center reporting. This could be done through posters, a short video, or a “public service announcement” on the school’s morning news program or over the PA system.
4. Contact the Journalists: If your students are interested in learning more about a topic explored in one of the videos in this lesson, the Pulitzer Center offers the opportunity for students to connect directly with journalists via email, Skype, or in-school visits. Go to journalist visits for more information. Unit Map: Who Am I?
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 3-5. The recommended timeframe is 1-2 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Our past as human beings influences who we will become. • Human beings migrate from one place to another to improve their lives. • Over time, migrations of human beings lead to permanent changes in the species and their cultures. • The history of a people’s culture impacts change.
Essential Questions
• How can our past determine who we, as humans, become? • In what ways can migration improve the lives of human beings? • How have migrations of humans led to permanent change in the human race? • How can the history of a people’s culture predict the changes of that culture in the future?
Common Core Standards
• Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts & History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Grade 3-5 Students Reading Standards for Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details 1. Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text. (Grade 4)
2. Explain events, procedures, ideas or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. (Grade 5)
Craft and Structure 3. Compare and contrast a first hand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided. (Grade 4) Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. (Grade 4)
5. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s). (Grade 5)
• Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts & History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects Grade 3-5 Students
Text Types and Purposes 1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. (Grade 5) a. Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. b. Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. d. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (Grade 5) a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aid in comprehension. b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. (Grade 5) a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. (Grade 5) Production and Distribution of Writing 5. With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Grade 5) 6. With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others. (Grade 5)
Research to Build and Present Knowledge 8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources. (Grade 5)
• NETS Standards
Creativity and Innovation 1. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. Identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Communication and Collaboration 2. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of media and formats. b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Research and Information Fluency 3. Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. Process data and report results.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 4. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tolls and resources. a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Digital Citizenship 5. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
Technology Operations and Concepts 6. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. b. Select and use applications effectively and productively. d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
Content
1. A. Geography (Continents, Longitude, Latitude, Map Skills) 2. B. Research 3. C. The beginning of human beings 4. D. Migration of human beings throughout history (Causes of human beings changing locations, Effects of human beings changing locations) 5. E. Religion 6. F. Environmental Changes (Causes, Effects, Natural Resources, Growth of cities) 7. G. Politics and its relationship to human migration (Causes, Effects)
Skills / Strategies
1. A. Identify all of the continents on a world map. 2. A. Define longitude and latitude and their uses for travelers like Paul Salopek. 3. A. Map Paul’s journey on a world map. 4. B. Identify through research two other explorers who followed a specific path and learned about original settlers. 5. C. Compare the accounts of the explorers you identified from research with Paul Salopek’s journey and goals. 6. C. Identify two different theories about how human beings came into existence. 7. D. Explain how the two theories of human origins differ. 8. D. List and explain the reasons that human beings leave their homes in large masses and move to a different country or area. 9. D. Identify and explain the effects that a large number of human beings moving from one country or area to another has on the area they left. 10. D. Identify and explain the effects that a large number of human beings moving from one country or area to another has on the new area in which they settle. 11. D. Identify a migration in the world that is happening now and give at least two reasons for the migration. 12. E. Explain how religion can be a reason for the migration of human beings. 13. F. List and explain the causes of environmental change and its effect on human migration. 14. F. List and explain the effects of environmental changes on human migration. 15. F. Explain how natural resources have influenced human migration. 16. F. Give reasons as to how the growth of cities has affected environmental changes and human migration. 17. G. List and explain at least one historical example of politics causing mass human migration.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Pilgrimage • Migration • Extinction • Urbanization • Natural Science • Wiki • Glogs • Hyperlinks • Mutations • Longitude • Latitude • Open-ended questions • Reflections • Facts • Opinions
Learning Plan & Activities
• A. Conduct group discussions in which you discuss possible obstacles that Paul Salopek might face on his trip and some things that he might learn about human mass movements throughout history. Use a collaborative tool such as • B. Use a site such as Glogster to create multimedia posters online outlining the path Paul Salopek is walking, adding text, audio and pictures to explain the problems or issues that he might encounter along the way. Students link individual glogs to others who share a connection or have a deeper explanation of a particular topic/issue. • C. Use Google Docs to have students write collaboratively, peer edit, leave comments and suggestions for each other and aid in the editing process. Shift from “turning in writing process samples to “sharing” writing in order to make the writing process transparent and improve editing opportunities. • D. Create a collaborative, annotated digital map at Google Maps. This could be created among students of your class or collaborating with another class following Paul Salopek’s journey. Add different placemarks to locations of the walk. Students need to choose a title for each placemark and add a short summary of events taking place during Paul’s walk. • E. As the Walk out of Eden progresses, students create a visual dictionary of vocabulary words they are studying, are unfamiliar with or consider important to the context of the journey. They can use presentation software, such as PowerPoint (PC), Keynote (mac/iPad app) or PicCollage (iPad app) to create these visual dictionaries. Students will continue adding words, definitions and visuals as the walk progresses. • F. Students collaboratively work on a Wiki Spaces as a central hub for storing their research connected to the Out of Eden walk. The collaboration could be among classmates or by partnering with a class from another school and possibly from another country. Other media products created during the Out of Eden project will be embedded and shared on the wiki, linking it to students’ research. • G. The class will use Skype (video conference tool) to connect with other classrooms, experts or people living in the countries Paul Salopek is traveling through. The teacher can use personal connections or sites like Skype in the Classroom or Around the World with 80 Schools to find Skype partners with whom they can connect their class. Students prepare a short presentation to explain their understanding of the Out of Eden project to the other classroom, expert, or people living in the countries on Salopek’s route. In addition, the students will create open-ended questions to ask of connection partners. The questions should be created to learn different perspectives and opinions on Salopek’s proposed journey. Students will then write a reflection piece that compares their understanding and learning from the Out of Eden project to those of their connection partners. In the reflection, students should include any different perspectives on the project and an explanation of how multiple perspectives can improve their understanding and learning. Answers to the questions asked and data from the connection partners answers to the questions and responses about the connection partners understanding of the purpose of the Out of Eden project should be included in the reflection. Teacher and/or teacher-student collaborative rubrics should be created for evaluation of the reflection. • H. Students prepare a podcast news show to “inform the world” of the Out of Eden project. Starting by brainstorming their “news show” story, the class divides into groups and assigns roles to each group member, such as (anchors/advertisers/music jingles creators, foreign correspondents, etc.) to write and storyboard the news show script. Using Garageband (mac/iPad) or Audacity (PC), students record audio and upload the file to a class website, blog, wiki or other Internet hub in order to share, solicit feedback, and link to other resources related to the Out of Eden project. • I. Students become published authors by creating a narrative collaborative Story(e)book designed for younger children. Taking a story from Paul Salopek’s journey or answering one of the essential questions of this unit (ex. In what ways can migration improve the lives of human beings?), students write a simple script and illustrate their story. Students use a Word processing program like Microsoft Word (PC) or Pages (mac) or any of the book creator apps on the iPad, such as Book Creator or Scribble Press to design their book. If necessary, especially with Microsoft Word, export story into an eBook format with an ePub converter. Class disseminates eBook for younger students to read and learn about Paul Salopek’s journey or human migration. Students should keep their audience of younger students in mind and adjust their vocabulary and word usage to fit that younger audience. Teacher produced or collaboratively (student and teacher) produced rubric should be created to provide guidance of what quality of the e-book should look like.
Assessments
• A. Collection of group discussion data on human migration and development. Charts and graphs created with the data. • B. Multimedia posters that indicate the path of the walk “Out of Eden” to show students’ skills in media literacy and the connection between content and media. • C. Written or digital opinion essay as to why massive migration of human beings has occurred at sometime during the history of the world and/or currently. • D. Google Map of Salopek’s route with placemarks and events summaries. This map will give the teachers insight into the students’ understanding of relationships between geographic location and global issues, historic and modern events, or Paul Salopek’s experiences and current news. • E. Visual dictionary entries and appropriateness of the entries as they relate to Salopek’s walk. • F. Summaries and artifacts of the research that students have conducted in relationship to the Out of Eden walk, which will show breadth and depth of the information that they researched and learned. • G. Oral presentation explaining the students’ understanding of the Out of Eden project, what can be learned from the project, and the connection that this project has with the curriculum that they are studying this year. • H. List of the open-ended questions that will be asked of the connection partners. • I. Written or digital reflection on different perspectives/understanding of the Out of Eden project. • J. Quality of content, creativity and delivery of presentation of the news show story for the group grade. • K. Individual final product created by each student in performing the role assigned to them, such as, the musical jingles for the show, the ads created for the show, scripts created for the anchors, etc. • L. Final e-book that is published.
Resources
• Type With Me • Digital Storytelling Wiki • Google Docs • Google Sites • Out of Eden website • Out of Eden trailer • Out of Eden globe • Wiki Spaces • Download the free iPad app PicCollage • Google Maps • Glogster • ePub converter • Book creator • Skype • Skype in the classroom • Around the world with 80 schools
Unit Map: How Did I Become the Person I Am?
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 6-8. The recommended timeframe is 1-2 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Our past as humans foreshadows who we will become. • Migration of humans affects their chances for survival. • Over time, migrations of a species lead to permanent changes/mutations in the species and their cultures. • The history of a people’s culture impacts change.
Essential Questions
• How can our past determine who we, as humans, become? • In what ways can migration of a species affect the chance for survival? • How have migrations of humans led to permanent change in the human race? • How can the history of a species prevent change?
Common Core Standards
• Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Grade 6-8 Students
Key Ideas and Details 1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. 2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. 3. Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure 6. Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. 8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. 9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
• Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Grade 6-8 Students
Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. a. Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue, acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically. b. Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant, accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text, using credible sources. e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes. a. Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories as appropriate to achieving purpose; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. b. Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c. Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts. d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
Production and Distribution of Writing 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 5. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. Research to Build and Present Knowledge 8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
• NETS Standards Creativity and Innovation 1. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. Identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Communication and Collaboration 2. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of media and formats. b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Research and Information Fluency 3. Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. Process data and report results.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 4. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tolls and resources. a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Digital Citizenship 5. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
Technology Operations and Concepts 6. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. b. Select and use applications effectively and productively. d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
Content
1. A. Geography (Longitude, Latitude, 23rd Parallel, Map Skills) 2. B. Research 3. C. Common Human Origins 4. D. Human Migration and Development (Causes, Effects, Connections to Current Migration and Development of Humans, Political Unrest) 5. E. Religion 6. F. Environmental Changes (Causes, Effects, Natural Resources, Urbanization, Connections to Current Environmental Changes) 7. G. Political Influences on Human Migration and Development (Causes, Effects, Outcomes)
Skills / Strategies
1. A. Explain how longitude and latitude are essential in a trek similar to Paul Salopek’s. 2. A. Analyze the significance of the 23rd Parallel to human origins and migration. 3. A. Map migration and settlement conflicts. 4. B. Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources of information about historical migrations of humans. 5. C. Identify varying accounts of human origins. 6. D. Compare and contrast the varying accounts of human origins. 7. D. List and explain the causes of human migration and development. 8. D. Identify and explain the effects of human migration and development. 9. D. Make connections among historical human migrations and the current migrations and continued human development. 10. E. Explain how religion relates to human migration. 11. F. Summarize the causes of environmental change. 12. F. List and explain the effects of environmental changes. 13. F. Analyze the way in which natural resources have influenced environmental changes. 14. F. Explain how urbanization has influenced environmental changes. 15. F. Make connections among historical climate changes and the current climate changes that are occurring. 16. G. Explain how politics throughout history have caused mass human migrations. 17. G. Determine how political unrest affects human migration and development. 18. F. Summary of discussions on blogs and explanation of possible solutions to the problem of massive migration of humans. 19. G. Debate and evaluation of arguments on both sides of the statement, “Migration of humans from the beginning of their time on Earth to modern day has had a profound effect on the Earth, its resources and people." The rubric created by students and teacher. 20. H. Backchannel log as a review and assessment tool to check for student understanding of the points made during the debate. 21. I. Final Assessment: Written, digital, or photographic policy brief in which the students discuss the ethics, problems, and solutions of human migration, which is housed on a class wiki and could be shared at a symposium on migration. 22. J. Google Maps gives insight to students’ understanding of relationship between geographic location and global issues, historic and modern events or Paul Salopek’s experiences and current news. 23. K. Visual dictionary entries and quality of the entries.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Pilgrimage • Migration • Extinction • Urbanization • Natural Science • Mutations • Nomads • Longitude • Latitude • 23rd Parallel
Learning Plan & Activities
• A. Conduct group discussions outlining the successes and obstacles that Paul Salopek might experience on this trek to trace the origin and development of human beings. Use a collaborative tool such as Type With Me to collect thoughts and opinions and analyze data. Share this information with the class orally or on a class wiki. • B. Use World Mapper or another such site to collect data on historical world-wide migration. Present the data using charts and graphs. Use this data for the written work listed later. • C. Use a site such as Glogster to create multimedia posters online outlining the path Paul Salopek is walking, adding text, movies, audio and images to visualize the problems or issues he is encountering along the way. Students link individual glogs to others that share a connection or have a deeper explanation of a particular topic/issue. • D. Use the charts, graphs and data created, in addition to the group discussion data, to create an Infographic on Pikto Chart or another service. Share created infographic on the class wiki, blog or website. • E. Interview of individuals who have migrated to the United States. Prepare a list of questions for the interview that explore the interviewee’s reasons for leaving his/her home country, the obstacles that he/she encountered along the journey to the United States, the benefits from the journey and the settlement in the final destination in the United States, and any changes that modern migrants might experience in themselves. The students should not only collect information from the interviews, but also they should storyboard their information, and present the information to the class to demonstrate their media editing skills. Use Digital Storytelling wiki to share the interview and information on a class or school wiki. In addition to a written interview summary, students can record the interview as an audio or video file and edit with Audacity(PC)/Garageband (mac/iPad) or Windows Movie Maker (PC) /iMovie (mac/iPad). These podcast (audio) or vidcast (video) files can be embedded on the same wiki. • F. Create a blog about human origins and migrations of humans around the world that can be maintained by the discussion groups to obtain information and opinions from students around the world. This should be a collaborative blog with the various discussion groups posting on different topics or points of view. One RSS feed will allow the reader to have everything under one URL address, but blog can be filtered according to categories or authors. • G. Debate: Both Sides of the Statement: “Migration of humans from the beginning of their time on Earth to modern day has had a profound effect on the Earth, its resources and people.” Collaboratively, the students and teacher should create a rubric with criteria and descriptors for evaluating the debates. • H. Use a backchannel (private chatroom), such as Today's Meet to allow students to collaboratively take live notes of the debate, add questions that the moderator of the debate might use to ask further questions. Students have the ability to use the backchannel log to later review and harvest important points made or information shared. • I. Use Google Docs to have students write collaboratively, peer edit, leave comments and suggestions for each other and aid in the editing process. Shift from “turning in writing process samples to “sharing” writing in order to make the writing process transparent and improve editing opportunities. • I. Mine the Pulitzer Center website for opportunities that exist for student journalists to submit written, digital, and photographic essays addressing the problem of mass migrations of humans. Use data to support the opinion expressed in the essay that you will be submitting. • I. Submit the essays to the Pulitzer Center competition as groups or individuals. • J. Create a collaborative, annotated digital map at Google Maps. This could be created among students of your class or collaborating with another class following Paul Salopek’s journey. Add different placemarks to locations of the walk. Students need to choose a title for each placemark and add a short summary of events taking place during Paul’s walk. • K. As the Walk out of Eden progresses, students create a visual dictionary of vocabulary words they are studying, are unfamiliar with or consider important to the context of the journey. They can use presentation software, such as PowerPoint (PC), Keynote (mac/iPad app) or PicCollage (iPad app) to create these visual dictionaries. Students will continue adding words, definitions and visuals as the walk progresses.
Assessments
• A. Collection of group discussion data on human migration and development. • B. Charts, graphs, and data created on World Mapper or another such website to indicate migration of the earth’s people in modern times. • B. Summary of data collected on migration trends and conclusions shared on a class wiki. • C. Multimedia posters that indicate the path of the walk “Out of Eden” to show students’ skills in media literacy and the connection between content and media. • D. Infographic demonstrating understanding and correlation between charts, graphs and data generated and collected in previous assessments or activities • E. Digital Storytelling: Data with the list of questions for the interview and the spontaneous follow-up questions. • E. Digital Storytelling: Audio or video media presentation of the interviews and information collected.
Resources
• Type With Me • World Mapper • Digital Storytelling Wiki • Yola • Google Docs • Google Sites • Out of Eden • Out of Eden trailer • Out of Eden globe • Delicious • Diigo • Twitter • Wiki Spaces • Today's Meet • Pikto Chart • Download the free iPad app PicCollage • Google Maps • Glogster.com • Edu Blogs • ePub converter • Book Creator
Unit Map: The Impact of Ancestors' Movements on Current Descendants
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 9-12. The recommended timeframe is 1-2 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Archaeological and scientific studies provide a basis for humans to better understand themselves. • Migration of humans affects the chance for survival. • Over time, migrations of a species lead to permanent changes/mutations in the species and their cultures. • The history of a people’s culture impacts change.
Essential Questions
• How can archaeological studies and genography assist us in understanding how we have become the people we are currently? • In what ways can migration of a species affect the chance for survival? • How have migrations of humans led to permanent change in the human race? • How can the history of a species prevent change?
Common Core Standards
• Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Grade 9-12 Students Reading Standards for Informational Text: Key Ideas and Details 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. (Grades 9-10) 2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text. (Grades 9-10) 3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. (Grades 9-10) • Reading Standards for Informational Text: Craft and Structure 5. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging. (Grades 11-12) 6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness, or beauty of the text. (Grades 11- 12) • Reading Standards for Informational Text: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. (Grades 11-12) 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. (Grades 9-10) • Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies Grade 9-12 Students Text Types and Purposes 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. (Grades 9-10) A. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. B. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns. C. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims. E. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. • 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well- structured event sequences. (Grades 11-12) a. Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters. c. Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution). d. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. • Production and Distribution of Writing 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Grades 11-12) 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. (Grades 11-12) • Research to Build and Present Knowledge 8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation. (Grades 11-12) • NETS Standards
Creativity and Innovation 1. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. Identify trends and forecast possibilities.
Communication and Collaboration 2. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of media and formats. b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. d. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Research and Information Fluency 3. Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. d. Process data and report results. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making 4. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tolls and resources. a. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions.
Digital Citizenship 5. Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. b. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. d. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
Technology Operations and Concepts 6. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. b. Select and use applications effectively and productively. d. Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies.
Content
1. A. Geography (Geographical variations, 23rd Parallel, Path of the walk Out of Eden) 2. B. Research (Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Validity of Sources, Quality of Sources) 3. C. Common Human Origins 4. D. Human Migration and Development (Causes, Effects, Connections to Current Migration and Development of Humans, Political Unrest) 5. E. Religion 6. F. Environmental Changes (Causes, Effects, Natural Resources, Urbanization, Connections to Current Environmental Changes) 7. G. Political Influences on Human Migration and Development (Causes, Effects, Outcomes)
Skills / Strategies
1. A. Relate geographical variations to the historical migrations of humans. 2. A. Analyze the significance of the 23rd Parallel to human origins and migration. 3. A. Compare and contrast the paths of historical wanderers/walkers with the path that Salopek is taking to track the migration and development of humans. 4. B. Explain the difference and applicability of primary and secondary sources. 5. B. Explain the arguments listed in primary and secondary sources of information about historical migrations of humans. 6. B. Evaluate arguments in primary and secondary sources and identify inconclusive evidence. 7. C. Identify and compare varying accounts of human origins. 8. C. Analyze a multitude of accounts of human origins. 9. D. Evaluate the causes of human migration and the outcomes of said migrations. 10. D. Assess the effects of human migrations on human development. 11. D. Compare and contrast current human migrations with historical migrations and predict the effect on future human development. 12. D. Assess the effect that political unrest and boundaries have had on historical human migrations. 13. E. Analyze the relationship between religion and human migration and development. 14. F. Delineate the causes of environmental change and provide evidence of the impact that environment change has had on massive human migrations. 15. F. Provide evidence to document the effects of environmental changes on human development. 16. F. Analyze the way in which natural resources have influenced environmental changes and caused massive human migrations. 17. F. Assess and explain how urbanization has influenced environmental changes and caused massive human migrations. 18. F. Provide evidence to support and explain how the causes of historical climate changes and migrations are related to the current climate changes. 19. F. Predict what migrations might occur today because of the current climate changes. 20. G. Explain and support claims on how political unrest affects human migration and development. 21. G. Explain the possible effects of current migrations on political systems. 22. G. Predict the outcomes of current specific migrations of humans.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Pilgrimage • Migration • Herodotus • Mutations • Nomads • 23rd Parallel • Extinction • Urbanization • Natural Science • Genography • Paleolithic
Learning Plan & Activities
• A. Conduct group discussions predicting the successes and obstacles that Paul Salopek might experience on this trek to trace the origin and development of human beings. Use a collaborative tool such as Type With Me to collect thoughts and opinions and analyze data. Analyze and summarize the data collected from the group discussions and share this information with the class orally or on a class wiki. • B. Use World Mapper or another such site to collect data on historical world-wide migration. Present the data using charts and graphs. Use this data for the written work listed later. • C. Use a site such as Glogster.com to create multimedia posters online outlining the path Paul Salopek is walking, adding text, movies, audio and images to visualize the problems or issues he is encountering along the way. Students link individual glogs to others that share a connection or have a deeper explanation of a particular topic/issue. • D. Use the charts, graphs and data collected, in addition to the group discussion data, to create an Infographic on Pikto Chart or another service. Tweet the created infographic by sharing the #outofeden hashtag with other classrooms who are following the walk “Out of Eden.” • E. Use Edu Blogs to share information about Paul Salopek’s journey, a map of his route, his progress, a list of problems that Paul is experiencing on his journey, and his solutions to those problems with other classmates and classrooms who are following his journey. This site has the functionality of RSS feeds, comments, widgets, plugins, etc. • F. Debate: Both Sides of the Statement: “Migration of humans from the beginning of their time on Earth to modern day has had a profound effect on the development of human beings as a species.” The teacher and students will collaborate on designing a rubric to evaluate the thoroughness and quality of the arguments presented in the debate. • G. Use a backchannel (private chatroom), such as Today's Meet to allow students to collaboratively take live notes of the debate, add questions that the moderator of the debate might use to ask further questions. Students have the ability to use the backchannel log to later review and harvest important points made or information shared. • H. Connect with another class, following the Out of Eden Intro, via Skype (synchronously) to debate both sides of the statement used for the debate or use a tool such as VoiceThread to debate (asynchronously). • I. Create a classroom Twitter account or individual student Twitter accounts to document the journey, connecting your classroom’s conversation and learning to others following along via #outofeden hashtag • J. Make contact to speak to “experts” from around the world via Skype or Twitter (organize and participate in an #outofedenchat to discuss topics, content or curriculum related to walk Out of Eden projects.) Reach out to your Personal Learning Network (PLN) to make these connections via Twitter, Facebook, Ning Memberships, web based projects, etc. • K. Choose to use a Social Bookmarking service, such as Diigo or Delicious, to collaboratively find, bookmark, tag and annotate relevant resources related to Out of Eden Intro. Choose a common tag, such as “Out_of_Eden” to identify and connect the resources together. • L. Create a Wiki as the platform for collaborative research, embedded student created materials, such as multimedia posters, audio or video files, and images. Consider “crowdsourcing” sections of your wiki by soliciting and inviting collaborators. • M. Consider forming or joining a Quad-blogging group, a team of four classrooms focused on blogging together for a period of 4 weeks. Each week one team is the lead team in writing quality blog posts, while the other three times concentrate on commenting on the lead team’s blog. Every week the lead team role rotates to another class. The focus of the blog posts can be current news or global issues related to the walk, politics of countries or regions being traversed, or reflection on essential questions, etc. • N. Create a collaborative, annotated digital map. This could be created among students of your class or collaborating with another class following Paul Salopek’s journey on Google Maps. Add different placemarks to locations of the walk. Students need to choose a title for each placemark and add a short summary of events taking place during Paul’s walk, add links to current political, environmental news or other relevant websites, and insert related images or move to the location of the placemark. Placemarks can also be categorized into different topics (ex. political, environmental, economical, historical, global issues, etc.). • O. Use Google Docs to have students write collaboratively, peer edit, leave comments and suggestions for each other and aid in the editing process. Shift from “turning in" writing process samples to “sharing” writing in order to make the writing process transparent and improve editing opportunities. • P. As the Walk out of Eden progresses, students create a visual dictionary of vocabulary words they are unfamiliar with or consider important to the context of the journey. They can use presentation software, such as PowerPoint (PC), Keynote (mac/iPad app) or PicCollage (iPad app) to create these visual dictionaries. Students will continue adding words, definitions and visuals as the walk progresses. Visual dictionary pages can be exported as images to be included in a wiki or a blog. Students could also become contributors to a collaborative Visual Dictionary eBook to be created from submissions from various students, classes within your school, or classes in other classes around the world that are following Paul’s journey . • Q. Students create an Out of Eden Facebook group. The group moderator role will alternate amongst all of the students, and the moderator will link to new information becoming available, upload images, share links, post discussion questions, add polls, etc. • R. Students, in groups, collaboratively build an interactive timeline (story) using My Histro. Students will add individual events to their “stories”, sequencing the events from Paul Salpek’s journey and their equivalent events in history.
Assessments
• A. Results of discussion group opinions and conclusions through pictures, music, video, graphs, or other digital formats incorporated into one presentation. • B. Charts, graphs, and data created on World Mapper or another such website to indicate migration of the earth’s people in modern times. • B. Summary and analysis of data collected on migration trends and conclusions shared on a class wiki. • C. Multi-media posters outlining the path of the walk “Out of Eden” to indicate the students’ skills in media literacy and their understanding of the connection between content and media. • D. Infographic demonstrating understanding and correlation between charts, graphs and data generated and collected in previous assessments or activities • E. Analysis of discussions on the blogs and explanation of possible solutions to the problem of massive migration of humans. • F. Debate and evaluation of arguments on both sides of the statement. • F. Rubric created by students and teacher to evaluate the debate presentation. • G. Backchannel log as a review and assessment tool to check for student understanding and further questions. • H. Recorded Skype conversation or debate for presentation and communication skills as well as understanding of content. • H. VoiceThread conversation as evidence of background knowledge and ability to articulate a particular side of the issue. • I. Twitter stream serves as documentation of student learning process, ability to connect to an audience and network with peers and experts from around the world. • J. Video of the Skype sessions and/or actual twitter entries of discussions, the content discussed, and the connections to current curriculum. • K. List of the annotated bookmarks collected, tagged and categorized, related to Out of Eden. • M. The actual blog posts with the current news and global issues related to Paul’s walk. • N. The actual Google Map which gives insight to students’ understanding of relationship between geographic location and global issues, historic and modern events or Paul Salopek’s experiences and current news. • O. Written, digital, photographic, or musical narrative that develops an imagined migration that the student’s ancestors might have taken to better their circumstances. The student will use the applicable narrative techniques such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines to develop characters and move the narration to its conclusion that solves the problem or situation. • P. Visual dictionary • Q. List and quality of the student’s new information, uploaded images, shared links, posted discussion questions, and other items posted during the student’s term as moderator of the Facebook discussion group. • R. Each student’s individual events and portions of the interactive story.
Resources
• Type With Me • World Mapper • Digital Storytelling Wiki • Yola • Google docs • Google sites • Out of Eden website • Out of Eden trailer • Out of Eden globe • Delicious • Diigo • Twitter • Wiki Spaces • Today's Meet • Pikto Chart • Download the free iPad app PicCollage • Google Maps • Voice Thread • Glogster • Edu Blogs • ePub Converter • Book Creator
Unit Map: America’s Responsibility for the Welfare and Safety of China’s Workers
Introduction
This unit has been designed for grades 9-12. The recommended timeframe is 4-6 weeks.
Our curriculum frameworks are created by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs and her Curriculum 21 faculty.
Big Ideas / Enduring Understandings
• Personal responsibility exits on many different levels (governments, agencies, companies, individual workers, and consumers of products produced) in all cultures and civilizations. • Countries who produce goods for other countries and consumers who buy international products bear some responsibility for the welfare and safety of the workers who produce the goods. • Countries and companies who shift jobs to international countries to save money owe the workers a share of the increased profits to ensure safe and clean working conditions. • International workers who produce goods for other countries have a right to guaranteed safety and welfare while producing said goods.
Essential Questions
• How does personal responsibility (governments, agencies, companies, individual workers, and consumers of products produced) differ from level to level and culture to culture? • Who is responsible for the welfare and safety of workers who produce goods for other countries? • Do countries who shift jobs to other countries bear any responsibility for the safety and welfare of the workers who produce the goods? • How can workers who produce goods for international countries obtain justice and compensation when their safety and welfare are compromised?
Common Core Standards
• Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. • Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. • Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. • Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. • Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. • Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one- on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. • Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest. • Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. • Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories). • Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
Content
1. Textual analysis 2. Inferences 3. Arguments (claims and counter-claims) 4. Ethics of outsourcing the production of goods for U.S. companies 5. America’s responsibility for the welfare and safety of international workers 6. Working conditions in China and other companies who accept outsourcing from the U.S. 7. International rules/guidelines for workers’ safety 8. Enforcement of international rules and guidelines for workers’ safety 9. Host country’s responsibility for the welfare and safety of workers producing goods for U.S. companies 10. Host company’s responsibility for the welfare and safety of workers producing goods for U.S. companies 11. International worker’s responsibility for his/her own welfare and safety while producing goods for U.S. companies Skills / Strategies
1. Provide textual evidence that an author uses to support the opinions stated in the text. 2. Interpret inferences from informational text and determine which inferences lack support. 3. Analyze the author’s claims and counter-claims in the text and explain the strength of each argument. 4. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) to explain both sides of the argument about the ethics of outsourcing the production of goods for U.S. companies. 5. Develop arguments to support claims in an opinion essay format in writing, music, photographs, or any other digital format that the U.S. bears some responsibility for the welfare and safety of the international workers or that the U.S. bears no responsibility. 6. Utilize Web 2.0 and other digital tools to present information, opinions, and evidence to specific audiences.
Key terms / Vocabulary
• Personal responsibility • Carcinogen • International Standards for Workplaces • Compliance • Epidemiologists • Toxicology • NGOs (non-government organizations) • Types of Insurance: Unemployment, Worker Compensation, Workplace Environmental, Liability • Occupational Health and Safety Laws • Stringent • Dry Batteries • Zero Tolerance • Collective Bargaining
Learning Plan & Activities
• Form discussion and production groups using Note Pub to take notes of the discussions, add pictures or video, summarize opinions, and share results about different levels of responsibility that exist in the outsourcing of the manufacture of goods for U.S. companies outside of America on social media sites such as Facebook. • Using the information in the articles provided by the Pulitzer Center make a list of U.S. companies who outsource the manufacture of goods to other companies. • Contact one of these companies to interview via telephone, Skype, Facetime, or other digital source to determine the company’s policy for the safety of the international workers. Also, ask if the company inspects the sites that manufacture goods for them and request information about those inspections. • Use WolframAlpha to make a comparison between the health and safety of U.S. workers with the health and safety of workers in other countries, such as China.
Assessments
• Discussion group notes • Results of discussion group opinions and results through pictures, music, video, graphs, or other digital formats • List of U.S. companies who outsource work to international companies and contact person’s name, address, telephone number, and e-mail • Copies of interviews conducted, notes of interviews conducted, copies of inspections conducted by U.S. companies • Data collected and analyzed on WolfamAlpha
Resources
• Loretta Tofani. “Do U.S., Utah Companies Share the Blame?” Salt Lake Tribune. October 24, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “Loretta Tofani discusses her four-part series on C-Span.” C-Span. October 26, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “'Cheap Imports' from China: Who Pays the Real Costs?” KCRW’s To the Point. October 26, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “They Pay the Cost for China’s Cheap Labor.” Star-Ledger. December 16, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “Safety Rules for Foreign Labor Pushed.” Salt Lake Tribune. December 8, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “American Imports, Chinese Deaths.” October 27, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China Powerless to Fight the Poison.” Salt Lake Tribune. October 23, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China: Sick from Furniture Fumes.” Salt Lake Tribune. October 22, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China: Primitive Machines Take Digits and Limbs.” Salt Lake Tribune. October 22, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China: The Human Cost of Doing Business.” Salt Lake Tribune. October 21st, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China: Deadly Toxic Exposures.” Untold Stories. October 5, 2007. • Loretta Tofani. “China: Amputations From Unsafe Machinery.” Untold Stories. October 4, 2007. • Pulitzer Center • WolframAlpha • Note Pub
Lesson Plan: China’s Rising Labor Movement
By Kate Seche, Kate McGinnis, Drew Kyser The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting published August 18, 2011
Introduction In their project, “China’s Rising Labor Movement” Pulitzer Center journalists Adam Matthews and Jocelyn Baun examine the growth of a labor movement in China’s factory workforce. As workers begin to demand wage increases, pay for overtime work, safe working conditions, and collective bargaining rights, the dynamic between the Chinese labor force, government and international companies based in urban and rural China is shifting dramatically.
This lesson examines this changing relationship and encourages students to think about the lives of many Chinese factory workers, the likelihood of unionization and the reasons why some Chinese workers might not want to change the system.
You can also print a PDF of this lesson.
Specific Subject-Area Connections
Social Studies
• Civil Rights • Prejudice, discrimination, and stigma • Impact of global trade on regional civilizations • Industrial revolution • The political and social conditions of developing nations
Common Core State Standards: Social Studies
Key Ideas and Details
• Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationship among the key details and ideas.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
• Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem. • Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources Curricular Connection
The discussion of factory conditions and unionization in China corresponds especially well to a study of the American Industrial Revolution and the progressive social movement that grew during the same time period.
The Library of Congress offers teachers an outstanding free resource, including primary sources from the time period, to help teachers use the American Industrial Revolution as a starting (or ending) point for a discussion about the growth of China’s labor movement.
Additionally, this lesson on China’s rising labor movement could accompany a study of Upton Sinclair’s novel, The Jungle that examines the life of a fictional immigrant family trying to make a living in the Chicago meat-packing industry in the early 1900s, during American industrialization. The story explores the horrible work and living conditions and the significant crime and corruption surrounding the community and meat-packing industry.
Background on China
Begin this lesson by providing students with some background information on the country of China, focusing on the people and the country’s history using the State Department’s Country Profile Page. To help students understand the statistics presented in the “People” Section, it may be useful to compare similar data in the United States or your home country. You may choose to break students into groups to research the different statistics or divide them by country. Students should examine data including: population, infant mortality rate, life expectancy (M/F), religion, language and education.
If you’d prefer, your students can read the different sections of the “People” section and answer questions included below:
• Population: What is the largest ethnic group in China? How much of the population do they comprise? How is that similar to/different from the United States or your home country? What do you believe are the social and political impacts of one group comprising such a large portion of the population? • Language: What is the predominant Chinese dialect spoken in China? About how much of the population uses this dialect? What effect do you believe the use of this language in schools and government has on the other ethnic groups in the country? (Are groups who do not use this same dialect more/less isolated? Dependent/independent? Etc.) • The Pinyin System: What is the pinyin system of Romanization? What, do you feel is the significance of the Chinese government officially adopting a system of Roman letters to spell Chinese names and locations? Religion: What is the predominant religion in China? Freedom of religion is asserted in the constitution, according to the article, is it a reality for all Chinese? Why do you believe this discrepancy exists?
The “History” section of the article briefly tracks Chinese history from the Qing Dynasty to today. You may choose to have students read and answer questions about the various time periods highlighted in the article, or assign students different sections and ask them to summarize and contribute to a class-wide timeline. As students read the different sections, ask them to focus on the important people or organizations mentioned as well as reforms or shifts (social/political) apparent during different regimes.
Project Introduction
Once students are familiar with basic Chinese history, culture, and politics, ask them to open Matthews and Baun’s Pulitzer Center project: “China’s Rising Labor Movement” and read the introduction on the project homepage. After reading the introduction, ask students to draw connections to events taking place in the country today or in American or global history. (American/European Industrial Revolution; growth of unions and organized labor in the U.S., civil rights movements, etc.) Additionally, ask them to discuss how American consumer habits do or do not influence China labor laws (e.g., the impact of American demand for Apple products, cell phones, televisions, etc. made in China.)
Chinese Factories
Ask students read Matthews’s Untold Story, “Foxconn: Ruthless Efficiency and Workers Rights in China” and view his video on “black factories:” “Hiding in Plain Sight: China’s Illegal Factories”. Finally ask students to read an article from the New York Times, “A Night at the Electronics Factory” by David Barboza, (June 19, 2010). After exploring these resources, students should have a good understanding of the work being done in many Chinese factories, the conditions in which employees are working, and the call for unionization and increased worker rights. Encourage students to consider the following questions:
• Describe the type of work Chinese laborers are performing at many factories in China. • Describe the safety precautions, monetary compensation, job security many Chinese factory workers are offered. • What do you believe is/should be the role of the Chinese government in the creation and supervision of these factories? How does the current role of the Chinese government in the regulation of factories compare to that of the American/your home country’s government? In the United States, the Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for American workers. Have students review the OSHA regulations and ask them to consider which of the elements represented in OSHA regulations is highlighted in the? Do they believe industry working conditions should be regulated by the government? Why or why not? Should companies be responsible for their own regulation? Why or why not? • What do you believe could be done to increase worker rights in China? What challenges do workers and advocates face as they try to form unions?
Connections to the American Industrial Revolution
During the American Industrial Revolution, factories, workers, and the United States government struggled with the same issues evident in China today: worker rights, working conditions, and factory regulations. In 1911, a fire at the Triangle Factory in New York City killed 146 workers, most young women. This event fueled the U.S. labor movement, requiring the U.S. government to take a more active role in regulation. In 2011, one hundred years after the fire, Cornell University published a comprehensive website remembering the fire, the victims, and discussing the impact the fire had on the country then, and continues to have today. The site includes primary sources such as newspaper articles, interviews with survivors and witnesses and songs and plays representing the disaster. The Triangle Factor Fire, which is included in many history curricula, offers students a tremendous local link to today’s global industrialization movement.
Finally, Danish-born photographer, Jacob Riis, published many powerful photographs documenting the living and working conditions in New York City’s tenements in the late 19th century. The New York Times has a short biography of Riis, and some of his photographs available on their site.
Debating what is Best for China’s Workers
To offer students a more detailed look at the lives of Chinese factory workers, and what experts and academics believe is best for the workers, have students read two of the opinion pieces from The New York Times, "Room for Debate" from June 13, 2010. The pieces by Leslie Chang “More Mobile, Less Content,” and by Zhang LiJia, “We are not Machines,” highlight both the benefits afforded and challenges faced by factory workers in China. Additionally, a portion of Jonathan Lewis’s PBS Documentary, “China from the Inside,” examines the lives of Chinese women who move from rural to urban areas in search of factory work. Like the opinion pieces above, the documentary highlights both the positives and negatives of life for many young women. (Watch minutes: 47:20 - 55:50.)
After students have read the opinion pieces and/or watched the documentary, hold a class debate in which students argue in favor of, or against, unions and organized labor in China. Ask students to consider if Chinese workers are better off now than they were in the past; if the opportunity for education, career advancement and the freedoms they gain living in cities, make the conditions more tolerable.
Lesson Plan: The Edge of Joy: Combating Maternal Mortality in Nigeria
Published July 15, 2011, By Kate Seche, Kate McGinnis, Drew Kyser
Introduction
In her film, The Edge of Joy, Pulitzer Center journalist, Dawn Shapiro explores the maternal mortality crisis occurring throughout Nigeria. The movie examines the social, cultural, religious, and human resource factors contributing to maternal deaths and the work being done to reverse the current trend. A trailer of the film is available on her Pulitzer Center reporting project page, Nigeria - The Edge of Joy. You can also learn more about Nigeria's maternal health crisis from Nigerian journalist Ameto Akpe's Pulitzer Center project.
Background Information
Nigeria: Country Information
Religion Have students open PBS Newshour’s “In-Depth Coverage of Nigeria” and begin learning about the country by reading through the sections in Religious Demography and Diversity.
As students review the articles, ask them to consider the following questions:
• What are the two predominant religions in Nigeria? • How have these two religions developed geographically? • What prompted the growth of Islam in Nigeria? Describe the extent to which Islam defines social and government systems in northern Nigeria. • How did Christianity spread in the south of the country? • Describe the impact of British rule on the religious segregation in Nigeria. • Describe the indigenous religious practices still in place in Nigeria. • What is Sharia Law? How does the Nigerian Constitution regulate the adoption of Sharia Law? What are the primary causes of ethnic and religious violence in Nigeria?
Additional Resources/Related Reporting: Divided Under God: Nigeria’s Sectarian Crisis by Pulitzer Center journalists Joe Bavier and Benedicte Kurzen explores the country’s sectarian strife and the religious tensions surrounding Nigeria’s 2011 General Elections. • “Wahala in Nigeria” • “Nigeria Do-or-Die Politics”
Natural Resources: Oil and Politics Ask students to return to the PBS Newshour in-depth reporting and open the section about “Oil and Politics.” As students explore the impact of oil on Nigeria’s political and economic situation, encourage them to consider the following questions: • How important is oil to the Nigerian economy? • Describe the role of Nigerian oil in U.S. imports. • What is the impact of oil extraction on the Nigerian population and environment? Who/which groups have benefitted the most from oil drilling? Who/which groups have suffered the most? What has been the environmental impact of oil drilling in Nigeria?
Maternal Health: Understanding the Issue
There are 36,000 maternal deaths annually in Nigeria. To help your students understand the specifics of this international crisis, encourage them to visit Every Mother Counts, a website created to accompany the documentary, “No Woman, No Cry” which explores issues related to maternal health in Tanzania, Bangladesh, Guatemala, and the United States.
Ask students to begin with the “Issue” tab. As they read through the information provided, ask them to record answers to the following questions:
• What are the five barriers to maternal care? • How do these barriers contribute to maternal mortality? • Using the interactive map at the top of the page, how do rates of maternal mortality in North American and Europe compare to those in South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa? What factors do you think contribute to the massive differences?
Next, have students open the “Toolkits” tab. Ask them to begin by watching the Human Resources video and answering the following questions:
• Which areas of the country are most undeserved? Why? • What factors contribute to the lack of qualified health care professionals in this area of the world? • Even when women are able to receive a doctor’s care, what other challenges do patients, doctors, and hospitals face? • Do some research, do similar conditions exist in the United States (are rural hospitals harder to staff/more frequently understaffed than hospitals in urban areas)?
Have students view the “Transportation and Access to Care” video and consider the following questions:
• What role does transportation play in ensuring effective maternal care for women? • What factors contribute to the lack of transportation for pregnant women? • What cultural or religious traditions affect women’s abilities to travel freely? • Can you think of sustainable ways in which this barrier could be overcome?
Video Discussion Questions
Post-Video
Discussion Questions:
• Which of the five barriers identified by everymothercounts.org are present in the film?
Which barrier is the most prevalent in the Northern region? Which is more prevalent in the Southern region? Why? If you identified two different barriers, why do you think this is true? Which barrier do you think is the hardest to overcome in Nigeria? Why?
• Do you think there are other factors that contribute to maternal mortality in Nigeria that everymothercounts.org did not identify? o [Possible answers: cultural, social, religious factors] • When combating maternal mortality there are reactive solutions and preventive solutions. o Can you identify a reactive solution from the film? o Can you identify a preventive solution? o What are the pros and cons of each type of solution? o Which solution should receive the most funding? o Which solution is more sustainable? Why?
Activities:
• Have students (possibly pre-video) fill in a chart with relevant statistics on maternal mortality (from CIA World Factbook) for the United States, Nigeria and other countries. Based on the information in the chart, have the students match countries with mother mortality rates (from everymothercounts.org). [See page 4 of attachment for a sample chart] • Identify some of the life saving solutions that were presented in the film. o [Possible answers: the shock suit, blood bank in hospital, rural education campaigns, etc.] • Brainstorm possible awareness activities concerning maternal mortality for your school or community.
Lesson Plan: Extractive Industries
Published April 1, 2011, Updated August 22, 2013
Introduction
Suggested date: Earth Day (April 22)
One of the Pulitzer Center's reporting focuses is environmental and social issues related to extractive industries. Our journalists have closely examined the impact these industries have on communities living in resource-rich areas. Through this lesson, students are able to explore the impact oil extraction, logging, and mining have on communities across the globe. Students will also be able to reflect on the policies, both domestically and internationally, governing the industry and determine if they are sufficiently "green."
Specific Subject-Area Connections
Science
• Ecosystems • Effect of human activities on the Earth • Environmental public policy • Renewable and non-renewable resources • The role of water in natural and human-made environments
Social Studies
• The impact of global trade on regional civilizations • The political and social conditions of developing nations
Student Preparation
Before beginning the lesson, encourage students to discuss and define the term "extractive industry."
• What is an extractive industry? • What are examples of these industries both in the United States and across the globe? o International: oil from the Middle East, logging in Canada, coal mining in Colombia, etc. o Domestic: off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, logging in Alaska, coal mining in West Virginia, etc. • What are basic benefits of these industries? (Many make our lives easier, economic benefit for companies working in the field, economic benefit for countries/communities selling the resource, etc.) • What challenges do these industries present? (Pollution, safety risk to workers, degradation of land, etc.)
Begin a class list outlining the pros and cons of resource extraction.
Procedures
Note: Depending on student interest and class time available, this lesson can be taught in one to three class sessions. You may choose to use one class period and address the industry that is most relevant to your curriculum or geographic area, or of most interest to your students, or use three class periods and address each industry (oil, mining, logging).
The videos, slideshows, and articles included in this lesson plan offer students the opportunity to explore the impact of extractive industries on the Earth's surface, and examine how these industries affect local populations.
Have students read the articles, and view the videos and slideshows associated with each reporting project. As they explore the project, you may choose to have them consider some of the questions included in each section. Additionally, encourage students to address these questions:
• Which country(ies) does this reporting address? • Has the extractive industry profiled resulted in an environmental crisis? If so, who do you believe is responsible for the crisis? Is there any way to resolve this crisis? • Who has benefited from the resource extraction? (Who is getting rich from the sales? Who is purchasing the resource?) • Which groups have participated in the extraction process? • List two pros (benefits to this extractive industry) and two cons (detriments caused by this industry)
After students have explored one of the industries, ask them to share their ideas regarding the pros and cons of the industry they were studying. Generate a class list of these positives and negatives. (Some examples are provided at the end of this section.)
Ask students to review these pros and cons while looking at a world map. As they read through the pros, have them look at a world map and, using small map dot stickers, place a green dot on the countries seeing the benefit of the industry and a red dot on the countries suffering from the cons. For example, with Coltan mining in Congo, the DRC could receive green stickers for job creation and some national economic benefit; but red dots for the use of child labor, destruction of agricultural spaces, danger to miners, extraction of a finite resource. Additionally, the U.S., Canada, Japan, and other industrialized nations could receive green dots because they benefit, technologically, from the extraction and sale of Coltan. Eventually, students should be able to see how industrialized nations are reaping the benefits of global extractive industries, and other than reliance on a finite resource, do not face many challenges in the process. As students begin to come to this conclusion, encourage them to consider the following questions:
• What role should nations seeking to import resources from other countries play in regulating the environmental, social, and/or economic impact of these industries? Why? • In a case such as Congo, do countries importing resources have an obligation to intervene in conflicts or exploitation? Why or why not? • Do you feel the physical distance between your home country and the nations providing these resources makes you more or less concerned about the means by which these resources are extracted? How does a physical distance become an ideological distance?
Sample Pro/Con List
Pros Cons • The industries generate money for the Many of these countries use children as a cheap, readily- companies involved in their extraction and • available labor force distribution • Pollution from machines used in extraction • The industries create jobs for local populations • The industry destroys agricultural space, often ruining the Trade networks (roads, shipping, etc.) develop • livelihood of local populations. around the areas of industry • Water sources can be damaged by pipelines or extraction The industries allow for electricity, schools, and • processes. may provide clean water for local populations • Many resources are finite, there is no long-term plan for The resources help sustain communities • workers and communities when they run out. • The US is heavily reliant on many resources Injury/Sickness risk for workers extracted •
Specific to Oil Specific to Oil
• Oil and petroleum allow sustain the US Oil spills are expensive and cause a lot of damage to wildlife transportation network. • • Oil/Fossil Fuels are nonrenewable, we cannot count on The US need for oil has led to humanitarian • them forever work in crisis areas (Middle East, South Sudan)
Specific to Logging Specific to Logging • As the land is stripped of trees, landslides are more • Biofuels are better for the environment common, and silt washes into clean drinking water supplies • Trees are a renewable resource • Logging is taking place in rainforests destroying indigenous populations, plants, and animals
Specific to Mining Specific to Mining • Coltan keeps our modern technological • Mines safety is not guaranteed, workers may get sick or be infrastructure (cell phones, laptops, etc.) killed running • Minerals extracted are nonrenewable resources • The value of gold exists even in times of recession or economic depression.
A. Oil Extraction
The Chad-Cameroon Pipeline: Big Promises; Little Benefit
In her project, Pipe(line) Dreams: A Journey Along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline, Pulitzer Center journalist Christiane Badgley investigates the oil pipleline across Chad and Cameroon built by ExxonMobil with support from the World Bank.
This project offers two video options, a short synopsis of the pipeline struggle and a longer, more in-depth exploration of the issue:
1. "Chad-Cameroon Pipeline: Crude Awakening," Untold Stories, December 14, 2009, [2 minutes, 34 seconds] 2. "Pipeline to Prosperity," PBS Frontline/World, June 7, 2010, [22 minutes, 39 seconds]
Have students view either video and consider the following questions:
• What was the livelihood of the communities along the pipeline? What happened to their economic stability when the pipeline was installed? • How did the government compensate residents for lost resources? Do you agree or disagree with this compensation? Why? • Why do locals believe their crops are not growing? • Describe the proposed pipeline project impact. Describe the actual impact of the project. In what ways were people's expectations met? In what ways were they not met? In what ways did local conditions improve after the installation of the pipeline? In what ways did they not? • How could a project such as the Chad-Cameroon Pipeline create a community of environmental refugees?
The Ecuadorian Amazon: Was the Price too High?
In his project, Ecuador: Jungle Tensions, Pulitzer Center journalist Kelly Hearn explores the oil industry in Ecuador's northern Amazon regions.
Have students view the video: 1. "The New Law of the Jungle," Foreign Exchange, September 5, 2008, [7 minutes, 22 seconds]
After the video, ask students to consider the following questions:
• Describe how the oil industry affected the lives of the indigenous people of the Ecuadorian Amazon. • What contamination did the people experience? • How did Texaco dispose of waste in the Lago Agrio area? Why was this problematic? • According to the report prepared for the trial, how much would Texaco have to pay to repair all of the damage done in the Lago Agrio area? What projects would this money support? Do you agree with this amount? Why or why not? • Why is the Texaco-Ecuadorian Amazon case significant on a global scale? Do you think this case will inspire other groups to take action? Why or why not?
Broader questions for consideration:
• What happens when the land of indigenous people is destroyed by extractive industries? Where can these groups go? What are the rights of native people who don't have legal documents verifying their claim to land? • How is this case similar to the plight of Native Americans as colonists and settlers began moving west? What similarities exist? Differences?
Update on the story:
1. "Chevron Fined $8 Billion for Amazon Pollution" By Shirli Sitbon, FRANCE 24, February 15, 2011 2. "Chevron Ordered to Pay $8 Billion by Ecuador Court" Reuters, Los Angeles Times, February 14, 2011
Current Connection:
1. "Looming Challenges for Southern Sudan: Regulating Oil Companies" By Rebecca Hamilton, The Washington Post, February 11, 2011
• If the oil industry in South Sudan is not regulated, with the people of oil- rich areas face the same environmental crisis as the people of Lago Agrio?
B. Logging The Impact of Malaysian Biofuels on the Rainforest
James Whitlow Delano's project, Malaysia: How Green Biofuels are Destroying the Little People of the Rainfore explores the struggles of indigenous people living in resource-rich areas in Malaysia.
You may ask students to read all three articles, or break them into smaller groups with each group exploring a different facet of the project and then sharing their findings with the whole group a. Background on the Batek people:
"Ruined Rainforest: Malaysia's Little People vs the Loggers," Untold Stories, January 24, 2011
• Who are the Batek people of Malaysia? • Describe the area of Malaysia where the Batek live. • Describe their way of life before the loggers arrived. How has it changed since the government has come in search of natural resources? • How do the Batek feel about their prospects for the future? b. Logging in Malaysia
"Malaysia's Batek People Face a Crisis of Assimilation," Untold Stories, February 24, 2011
• Why are Malaysian loggers able to repurpose the Batek homeland to palm plantations with relative impunity? • Describe the impact logging is having on the Batek homeland? How are the people responding to the encroachment by "Chinese loggers"? • How is the Malaysian government trying to help the Batek assimilate into the larger society? Is this effort successful? Why or why not? Do you believe it's sufficient, why or why not? c. The Impact of Logging on the Earth's Surface:
"Sarawak and Brunei: Contrasts in Conservation," Untold Stories, February 8, 2011
• What is happening in the rainforest in Sarawak? Is the Malaysian government in agreement with the logging activities? • What infrastructure has accompanied the increase in extractive industries in this area of the country? Why do some towns benefit from this growth while others do not? Do you feel the government should be regulating the distribution of resources and infrastructure more closely? • How are logging activities and palm plantations altering the Earth's surface? How are the industries affecting the local populations? • Describe the difference in appearance of Brunei and Sawarak.
C. Mining
The Hunt for Gold in French Guiana
In their project, "Gold, Guns, and Garimpeiros," Narayan Mahon and Damon Tabor investigate the illegal gold mining industry flourishing the rainforest of French Guiana.
Students may select either of the following activities, or you may choose to assign different groups to each activity.
1. View Gold Rush in the Amazon and read the article "French Guiana: Mercury, the Global Threat," Untold Stories, Damon Tabor, July 16, 2010 OR 2. View Gold, Guns, and Garimpeiros which showcases some of the sights and sounds of illegal gold mining in French Guiana, and read the article: "Like Butterflies in the Jungle," Harper's Magazine, by Damon Tabor and Narayan Mahon, January 14, 2011
Questions for students from videos and articles
• From which countries are the garimpeiros arriving? What motivates them to enter the jungle? • Why is it illegal to mine in French Guiana? • Why has gold become such a valuable commodity recently? How does this increase in price influence the illegal mining industry? • How has the search for gold impacted mines and resource-rich areas across the globe? • Describe how the miners are able to bring their supplies into the Amazon? • How do the garimpeiros protect their mines? What is the immediate environmental impact of their activities? What do you think the long-term environmental impact will be? • What role does mercury play in the mining process? How does the use of mercury impact the miners and local populations? • What are international governments doing to try and stop the use of mercury by miners in French Guiana? Is this effort successful? • How is the French military trying to stop miners? Is this approach successful? • What will happen to groups living in, or near, the areas affected by the gold mining? Will they be able to preserve their way of life? The Democratic Republic of Congo: When Mining Leads to War
In his project, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, investigates the impact mining for Coltan has had on the DRC's ongoing conflict.
Have students review this article and video and reflect on the questions below:
1. In Search of Congo's Coltan, by Mvemba Dizolele, Pambazuka News, August 8, 2007 2. Congo's Bloody Coltan, PBS Foreign Exchange, October 27, 2006
Questions for students from the article and video:
• What is Coltan? In what products is it used? Which countries do you think purchase the most Coltan? Are these the same countries that produce the Coltan? • Describe the peace-keeping presence in Bukavu: which groups are there? Why are they there? Are they upholding peace effectively? • Is the wealth stemming from Coltan mining evident in the town of Bukavu? • What does the term "kleptocratic" mean? Is it a fair description of the political groups governing the DRC? • Describe the Coltan processing plant – why was Dizolele surprised when he arrived at "Olive Depot?" • Despite the fact that miners and workers involved in processing Coltan earn less than $2.00, why do they continue to work in the industry? • How has Coltan fueled the Congolese civil war? • How is the mining industry affecting the lives of Congolese children? • Describe the conditions in the Coltan mines. Do you feel the international community, particularly the countries purchasing mineral resources from Congo, should be responsible for the mining conditions? Why or why not? Should they be responsible for the lack of economic growth that has occurred in Congo?
Additional Resources
Tchonia IDP Camps
• If students are interested in viewing the conditions in which communities displaced by war live, Dizolele's slide show, Tchonia IDP Camps contains a few photos.
Resources
Global Goods, Local Costs - a Pulitzer Center channel of extractives industry reporting and more Lesson Plan: The Crisis in the Ivory Coast
Published April 26, 2011
Introduction
This lesson explores the roots of the current conflict in the Ivory Coast, examining the political and social forces driving the fall 2010 election, the conflict surrounding former President Gbagbo’s refusal to step down, and the future for Ivorians seeking refuge from the on going political, and ethnic violence.
The resources included in this lesson are appropriate for a range of students and should be pre-viewed by the class teacher before use in the classroom.
Specific Subject-Area Connections Social Studies
• Political revolutions • Civil war • Civil rights • Prejudice, discrimination and stigma • Immigration • Rise of dictatorial regimes • The political and social conditions of developing nations • Modern day conflicts
Student Preparation
Before beginning the lesson, have students identify the location of the Ivory Coast and major cities.
If time permits, have students do some research on the political, social, and economic history of other countries in the region (Ghana, Burkina Fasso, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali), and the impact the stability, or instability, and growth, or lack thereof, may have on the Ivory Coast. Encourage students to consider questions such as:
• Given its geographic location, what natural resources might be available in this country? How would those resources influence colonial powers and modern international assistance and development? • Has this country endured any internal conflicts? Conflicts with other nations? • Which groups, if any, are marginalized in the social and or political systems that currently exist in these countries? • Briefly, describe the political history of this country: What kind of government is in place? Have power transitions happened peacefully or through military action or coups?
Procedures
Background Information
Begin the lesson by providing students with background information the political and social forces driving the fall 2010 election using the Al Jazeera video, “An Ivorian Miracle?” Have students view the video, or read the article. As students are reviewing this material, encourage them to consider the following questions:
• Who colonized the Ivory Coast? What impact did this colonization have on the Ivorian society, economy, and government? • What is the “Ivorian Miracle?” How did the time period earn this name? From which countries did the immigrants arrive? • Who is Felix Houphouet-Boigny? Describe his impact on the Ivorian economy and country growth. • What resource led to prosperity in the Ivory Coast? How did cocoa and coffee production influence the Ivorian population? Was immigration encouraged? • What benefit did immigrants arriving in the Ivory Coast receive through the 1960s and 1970s? • What happened in the 1980s that led to racial tensions? • What is the concept of “Ivoirite?” Who created it? How did Ivoirite impact the immigrant population in the Ivory Coast? In which region of the country did most immigrants live?(1993) • How was President Bedie removed from power? By whom? (1999) • How long did President Guei hold the office of president? • What events led to Guei’s concession of the presidency? Who replaced him? What did northerners want from Gbagbo when they elected him president? Were their hopes met? (2000) • What happened on Black Monday? Describe the impact of this rebellion on Ivorian citizens in the north. (2002) • How did Ivorians react when the French Army intervened in this conflict? (2004) • What did Laurent Gbagbo do when his presidential term ended in 2005? What role did Ble Goude play in the pro-Gbagbo youth movement? How did the United Nations react to his activities? (2005) • What happened in February of 2010 that resulted in riots? Five years after Gbagbo’s term ended, which the three men campaigned for election? • Describe the challenges facing the Ivory Coast. • Describe the divisions that exist between the northern and southern regions of the country. Events leading to current conflict Have students read “Cote d’Ivoire: The Forgotten War” by Asad Ezza, Al Jazeera, April 1, 2011. As students read the article, ask them to consider the following questions:
• Which group supervised the November 2010 election? What was this particular election supposed to represent in terms of an on-going peace process? • Who won the election? On what grounds did Gbagbo overturn the election results? • Why has Oxfam called the Ivorian conflict a “forgotten crisis?” Do you agree or disagree? • Where have most of the refugees fled? Describe the challenges faced by Ivorian refugees. • How could the unrest in the Ivory Coast negatively affect upcoming elections in other Francophone African countries? • What role did the concept of “Ivoirite” play in the invalidation of nearly 600,000 votes in north Ivory Coast? In addition to racial discrimination, how could this move be seen as religious discrimination? • What roles have the AU and UN played in resolving the Ivorian conflict? (For additional information, read “AU suspends Ivory Coast over poll,” Al Jazeera, December 9, 2010. • At the start of April 2011, what international events were “distracting” the media from reporting sufficiently on the crisis in the Ivory Coast? Why do you think the media has largely ignored the political and humanitarian crisis in that area of Africa?
Escalating Violence Have students watch the video, “Fears of civil war in Cote d’Ivoire,” Al Jazeera, March 14, 2010, to get a sense of the violence that has permeated daily life in Abidjan and throughout the country.
On April 22, 2011, Pulitzer Center journalist, Peter DiCampo, in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders, sent this audio slideshow depicting the brutal post-election violence in western Ivory Coast: “Ivory Coast Violence: Testimonies of the Displaced.”
Once students understand the post-election conditions in the Ivory Coast, ask them to watch the interview, “Thousands flee Cote d’Ivoire violence,” Al Jazeera, March 20, 2011, to gain an understanding of the life of Ivorian refugees living in Liberia.
After they view the interview, have them consider the following questions:
• What challenges do refugees in Liberia face? • Given the violence across the Ivory Coast, why don’t more victims of the violence move to refugee camps in Liberia? • How do the conditions in the camps compare to life in the Ivory Coast? How do the conditions compare to life in the United States?
Photo: John Flomo, the officer in charge of the clinic, administers a malaria test. Malaria is of particular concern to pregnant mothers, as it can lead to stillbirth or serious health complications for the baby. Image by Jake Naughton. Liberia, 2012.
Resolution
On April 12, Ivorian military forces arrested former President Gbagbo and installed Alassane Ouattara as the President of the Ivory Coast. Ask students to watch the following news clip, and read the article to better understand the events leading to Gbagbo’s arrest: “Ivorian leader promises reconciliation,” Al Jazeera, April 12, 2011.
Conclusion
The arrest of Laurent Gbagbo, and installation of Alassane Ouattara marks the end of the political uncertainty, but not the violence and ethnic and religious tensions that could result from nearly 6 months of civil war. Encourage students to consider some of issues still facing the Ivorian people, and brainstorm possible resolutions:
• What will happen to the hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people? • Will the promised peace and reconciliation commission take place? If so, will it successfully bring peace to the Ivory Coast? • Will the unrest and violence that has permeated life in the Ivory Coast spread to neighboring countries as they enter elections this year? • Is it possible for the Ivory Coast to return to a period of peace and prosperity reminiscent of the era of the “Ivorian Miracle?" Why or why not?
This lesson serves as part of a larger classroom conversation on the events across North Africa and the Middle East in the spring of 2011, as well as upcoming elections in other Francophone African countries. It also offers classes the opportunity to discuss and explore the political systems in place in the United States that allow for a peaceful transition of power (e.g., the disputed election in 2000) as well as our own nation’s struggle with prejudice and discrimination of certain groups.
Want to learn more?
Continue learning about Ivory Coast from Pulitzer Center grantees Peter DiCampo and Austin Merrill here. After the post-election conflict, DiCampo and Merrill traveled to the heart of cocoa country to see the plantations and speak to the farmers themselves—the very people whose bountiful harvests and horrible suffering are at the core of what has sent Ivory Coast spiraling out of control. Lesson Plan: Coal Mining in Colombia -- Is it Worth the Risk?
Published March 11, 2011
April 5, 2011 marks the one-year commemoration of the deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia. This lesson plan explores the growing coal mining industry in Colombia, relating it to the risks and rewards of the same industry in the United States, while considering the following question: Do the economic benefits presented by the sale of coal (and/or other natural resources) outweigh the environmental, health, and safety risks inherent in the mining process?
Introduction
On April 5, 2010, an explosion in the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia killed 29 of 31 miners working in the mine. As the investigation into the causes of the explosion continues, and legal action is taken against mine safety officials and Massey Energy, the company in charge of the Big Branch Mine, journalists, civic leaders, researchers, and members of the business community across the country continue to debate the role the coal industry should play in the United States' economic future.
The U.S. has long struggled with the regulation of mines across the country: working to balance the economic benefits of coal extraction and sale with the environmental, health, and safety concerns stemming from the mining process. Beginning in 1891 and continuing through today, the U.S. Congress has worked to govern mine safety by imposing ventilation requirements and worker-age restrictions, facilitating the creation of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and eventually requiring mine safety inspections and mandating miner health and environmental standards. (Source: "History of Mine Safety and Health Legislation")
As national concerns around American coal mining companies persist, developing countries across the globe have begun to expand their extractive industry infrastructure, and grapple with similar concerns. Over the next few years, the global community will have to address one fundamental question: Does the economic benefit presented by the sale of coal (and/or other natural resources) outweigh the environmental, health, and safety risks inherent in the mining process?
In their project: "Colombia: Mining Fever in Paradise," Pulitzer Center journalists, Lorenzo Morales and Anna-Katarina Gravgaard, explore the safety, environmental, and political impact the extraction of coal, oil, and gold is having on the nation of Colombia. By examining this project, and relating the issues facing Colombian communities and the Colombian government to issues facing U.S. mining communities and federal regulators, students will begin to connect this pressing international issue with domestic concerns.
Specific Subject-Area Connections
Science
• Ecosytems • Effect of Human Activities on the Earth • Environmental Public Policy • Renewable and Non-renewable resources • Watersheds • Freshwater Resources
Social Studies
• The Impact of Global Trade on Regional Civilizations • The Impact of the Industrial Revolution • The Political and Social Conditions of Developing Nations
Student Preparation/Background Information
This lesson can be linked to the one-year commemoration of the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion (April 5, 2010); accompany a unit on the American Industrial Revolution (urbanization, social and environmental changes, the evolution of regulatory commissions, etc.); or could complement the study of natural resources (renewable/non-renewable resources, the role of water in human and natural environments), or more broadly, the effect of human activities on the Earth's surface.
Student preparation will vary, depending on the current event and/or curricular connection drawn. Regardless of how this lesson is used, students will benefit from some background information on the mining industry in the United States and an understanding of the pros (economic benefit, job creation) and cons (safety concerns, health risks, ecosystem destruction).
This basic understanding can be achieved using resources provided by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA):
• History of Mine Safety and Health Legislation, a one page history of mine health and safety legislation in the United States, published by the MSHA • Mine Safety Info Sheet from Mine Safety and Health Administration (Data 2003-2009), actual safety data for the past seven years, or information on the Big Branch Mine Disaster Or, students can gain a basic understanding though a brief exploration of the Big Branch Mine Disaster in April 2010. The resources below offer students background information on the events surrounding the Big Branch Mine disaster, proposed causes of the explosion, and subsequent legal and regulatory action.
Events surrounding Big Branch Mine explosion
• Deaths at West Virginia Mine Raise Issues About Safety, The New York Times, By Ian Urbina and Michael Cooper, Published April 6, 2010
Likely Cause of Upper Big Branch Mine blast (includes informational safety videos produced by MSHA)
• Feds Illustrate Likely Cause of Upper Big Branch Mine Blast, NPR All Things Considered, By Howard Berkes, Aired January 19, 2011
NPR story about indictment of Massey safety chief
• Massey Security Chief Indicted In Mine Disaster Probe, NPR All Things Considered, By Howard Berkes, Aired Februrary 28, 2011
Mining in Colombia: The Risks and Rewards
Have students enter the Education Gateways homepage, and under the Downstream page have them find and open Lorenzo Morales' project, "Colombia: Mining Fever in Paradise."
Have students open the January 19, 2011 article, "Colombia's Readiness for the Mining Industry." This article introduces students to the different facets of Morales's project: mining safety concerns, lack of environmental regulation and ecosystem damage, and the tension which exists between industry regulators and communities hoping to benefit economically from coal. As students read, help them highlight these issues.
Mine Safety
Have students return to the "Colombia: Mining Fever in Paradise" project page and ask them to open Morales's February 7, 2011 article, "Chasing Illegal Miners in Colombia."
Have students read the article as a large group, in small groups, or independently. As they read, encourage students to consider the following questions: • According to Colombian officials, what caused the explosion at La Escondida Coalmine? (If your students have read about the Big Branch Coal Mine explosion, you can discuss similarities/differences in the two events) • In Morales's opinion, what risk-prevention measures could have been taken to better protect miners? • In your opinion, what role should the government play in the regulation of coalmines? • As Morales notes, the entire country of Colombia only has 16 mine inspectors, and over 6,000 active coalmines. Is it the government's responsibility to hire more safety inspectors? Do you believe the regulatory system in place in the United States could be duplicated in Colombia? Would it even be worth duplicating, or would it be better to create a new regulatory structure? (If students have reviewed the MSHA documents, ask them to compare US mine-inspection data –number of mines/miners; number of citations; annual fatalities – with that which the Colombian government is capable of conducting.) • What responsibility do you think Colombian government officials should take for illegal mines? Should government regulators be held accountable for safety hazards at non-government sanctioned mines? Why or why not? • Towards the end of the article, Morales explains the danger of having police forces serve as first-responders for mine accidents while also regulating illegal mining. In your own words, why do you think police or military troop regulation of mines doesn't work? What conflict does this create within a community? Discuss how the manner in which a community views the role of the police and/or army changes when the police/army begin interfering with the community's livelihood. • Despite the safety concerns they present, why would a community want to keep an illegal or uninspected mine open? • When Morales describes using a "softer approach" to foster change in the mining industry, what do you think he means?
The Environmental Impact of Mining
Have students return to the "Colombia: Mining Fever in Paradise" project page and ask them to open Morales's article, "Fragile Paramo Ecosystem in Colombia Threatened by Coal and Gold Rush." After reading the article, look through the related slideshow as a class (on the right hand side of the page), "Paramos: An Ecosystem Under Siege," by Anna-Katerina Gravgaard to give students a sense of how this region of Colombia looks.
After reading the article and looking through the photographs, have students consider the following questions:
• What are the paramos? Where, exactly, are they located? • Describe the role of the paramos in providing water to communities in the Colombian Andes. • How much of Colombia's land do the paramos make up? How much water do they provide? • Describe the mining law passed by the Colombian Congress in 2009. Why is it so hard for government regulators to implement the environmental protection guaranteed by the law?
Conclusion
Once the students have worked through Morales's project, have them reflect on the following question independently (in journals or on loose leaf paper):
• Does the economic benefit presented by the sale of coal (and/or other natural resources) outweigh the environmental, health, and safety risks inherent in the mining process?
Encourage students to come up with strong arguments both for, and against, the mining industry. Once they have completed their independent reflection, have students share their ideas in small groups and ask the group to compose one, comprehensive argument in favor of, or in opposition to coal mining to share with the whole class.
Assessment Options
1. RAFT Assignment
Role Audience Form Topic The American Newspaper or The global impact A Colombian miner mining community Magazine Article of coal mining A resident of the World-wide mining paramos region of Future generations Blog (3-5 entries) safety and health Colombia concerns Colombia's A Colombian mine The Colombian Creative writing shrinking water regulator government story supply An environmentalist A mining company and/or Why communities working in Poem conservationist need mining. Colombia working in Colombia
2. Colombian Mining and the American Industrial Revolution
Have students compare and contrast elements of the American Industrial Revolution and modern-day concerns facing the Colombian mining industry. Elements of the comparison could include: • Compare the 19th century environmental concerns surrounding the Industrial Revolution to those currently facing the ecosystem of the paramos due to Colombian mining. • The American Industrial Revolution increased urbanization in the United States – do you believe a similar pattern will emerge in Colombia? • What social movements grew out of the American Industrial Revolution? Do you think similar movements will develop in Colombia? • Describe the impact of industrialization on American families and labor unions; do you believe similar changes have/will take place in Colombia? • Or other topics including the rise of industrial economies, the impact of economic power on military power, how the competition for natural resources influences a country's national and international growth, etc.
Extension Activities
David Rochkind, a Pulitzer Center journalist has done extensive work on the global tuberculosis epidemic, with some specific focus on the prevalence of TB in South Africa's gold mines. If students would like to learn more about the risks facing miners in South Africa, he has a very informative slideshow on his website, Epidemic TB in the Global Community.
Learn More
To view all lesson plans, visit Pulitzer Center. To speak about partnering with us or to receive an in-class visit from a journalist, please email [email protected].
Links to interactive maps:
Global Cancer: http://globalcancermap.com/
Income Disparity: http://apps.pulitzercenter.org/the-great-divide/map.html
Roads Kill: http://roadskillmap.com/
Canadian Mines (Extractive Industries): https://www.google.com/fusiontables/embedviz?viz=MAP&q=select+col0+from +3281080+&h=false&lat=-20.19477418630852&lng=- 66.61809912500003&z=3&t=4&l=col0
Global Fertility: http://globalfertilitymap.com/