Elementary Global Education Resources

Unit Plan: Raising Her Voice ("Raising Her Voice" is a cross-curricular project on the role of music in social change. Focusing on West Africa, learners will explore the culture, history, and experiences of people in Benin, Mali, Gambia and Senegal, and how music can be used to express people's voices. Students will explore basic information about what it is like to live in West Africa by viewing PowerPoint presentations, Skyping with students their age at a school in Gambia, and will create a factual summary based on a real-life story of a school girl in Mali. After viewing video examples of various West African musical performances, students will have simple performance opportunities based on West Africa musical principles of cyclic drumming patterns.)

Unit Plan: What Is On My Plate--How Our Food Choices Influence Impact The World (Students will do an inquiry based action research project with three parts. In all parts students will learn strategies to reduce hunger by asking the question: How can we improve food security locally and globally?  First, students will learn how to define and measure hunger and food insecurity and compare different families food expenses for a week.  We will also discuss the cultural significance of food and how food is an integral aspect of who we are. We will then research sustainable agricultural and food distribution practices that are used around the world through real case studies, picture books, videos, and interact with our sister school via email and Skype in Nairobi, Kenya called the Empakasi School and the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda)

Unit Plan: Comparing Education Around the World (In this lesson plan, students learn about Ken and Joab, two boys who are starting first grade. Ken attends school in Japan, while Joab lives in Kenya. Students compare and contrast the circumstances surrounding the two boys’ experiences at school. They create a venn diagram demonstrating what they have learned.)

Unit Plan: Sounds of the World (You probably use photographs, images and film every day, to strengthen student understanding of topics – but what about sound? You could get students to listen first. What do they think they can hear? Where in the world has it been recorded? What can they find out about a place from the sounds they hear? Sounds are not just a great tool for discovering about other parts of the world but can also help build up an important skill....listening.)

Lesson Plan: Hats of Faith (Hats of Faith is a beautifully illustrated children’s board book introducing readers to the shared custom of head covering. Using accurate terminology, phonetic pronunciations and bright, beautiful imagery, Hats of Faith helps educate and prepare young children and their parents for our culturally diverse modern world.)

Unit Plan: Festivals of Light Around the World (To promote tolerance of other cultures and religions. Through this unit, students will learn that there are distinct religions, but that many cultures and holidays incorporate light into their celebrations.)

Unit Plan: Money Matters (Money Matters is an ongoing project where students are able to get into conversation about money, learn some facts about history of money and about money in other countries, discuss students’ pocket money and proverbs about money, make media products about money.)

Unit Plan: Solar Seekers (Students will research alternative energy sources with a focus on solar energy, looking at the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7; and then design, construct and test a solar cooker as an example of alternative energy use and compare their results with other schools.)

Unit Plan: Fables in India (Students will learn about Indian culture, languages, geographic and political landscape. Specifically, students will be introduced to traditional fables called “Panchatantra” that teach life lessons. Each short story has an author’s message which has to be inferred through the actions of the characters. Students will enact several stories. Finally, students will synthesize their knowledge to write a Panchatantra style story with to highlight a desired character trait in life. Students will also connect with 4t h graders in a school in India to have an authentic learning experience about India.)

Unit Plan: Advocacy and Research

Unit Plan: Honeybees Impact Our World (Third grade students will engage in a research unit about honey bees, learning about colony demographics, habitats, pollination patterns and preferences, and their importance within the agriculture world. The goal is for students to understand the importance of honeybees and their impact on our global and local ecological systems. Students will also create, collaborate and share ideas by utilizing technology.)