November 2006

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November 2006 Lesson

Who is a Global Citizen?
Grades 6-12
2-3 Class Periods

Objectives

Through this lesson, students will address the issue of global citizenship, what global citizens care about, and what they do for their communities. Students will:
  1. Gain a deeper understanding of the issues, values, rights and communities that global citizens care about
  2. Understand the types of activities that global citizens can do to act on these issues and contribute to their communities
  3. Develop an awareness of people practicing global citizenship in their own communities
  4. Understand how they can become more active global citizens themselves.

Description

One of the over-arching themes of GCYP is Global Citizenship. As the world grows smaller and smaller, we find ourselves ever-more interconnected. It has become increasingly important to keep the global perspective in mind, even when working just within our own communities. In the following activity, students as a group will brainstorm the types of issues, values, rights, and communities which global citizens care about. Together, they will discuss the types of actions they can imagine global citizens carrying out in order to improve or contribute to their communities. In groups, students will brainstorm about a person in their community that they feel exemplifies global citizenship. Through internet research and a personal interview with the person they have chosen, students will create a presentation introducing this person and his/her work to their partner country. Students will follow up by discussing the issues they most care about in their communities and worldwide, and how they can work in their own communities to make a difference.

Materials

  • Blackboard
  • Computer with internet access
  • MS Word or PowerPoint
  • Email access to send publications and participate in forums (not needed for every student, but at least one teacher, student, or administrator address is needed for each school group)

Suggested Procedure

Opening:
Ask students how many have heard the phrase “global citizenship.” Initiate a quick discussion on why perhaps we have heard this phrase more and more in the last few years. Explain to students that through this next activity, we will be taking a deeper look into just what it means to be a global citizen.
Brainstorm/Writing Prompt:
  1. Divide the blackboard into two sections. Label the first column “Care” and the second column “Contribute.”
  2. Remind students to take notes on the following class discussion – they should, at the very least, write down everything that is recorded on the blackboard.
  3. Initiate a discussion focusing on the things that students feel global citizens are likely to care about. Guiding questions might include:
    1. What issues might a global citizen care about? (ex: environment, poverty, homelessness)
    2. What values would a global citizen care about? (ex: respect, equality, diversity)
    3. What sorts of rights do global citizens care about? (ex: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to education)
    4. What types of communities do global citizens care about? (ex: families, religious communities, neighborhoods, the country, the world community)
  4. As a class, ask the students to brainstorm the type of action a global citizen might take to contribute to a community or a cause. For example, if a global citizen cares about the environment, what might he or she do? What levels can a global citizen work on?
    1. Individual action: recycle, not litter
    2. Community action: volunteer or organize volunteers for a clean-up day
    3. National action: lobby for or help pass legislation that helps the environment
    4. International action: lobbying for (or even signing!) an international environmental agreement (such as the Kyoto Protocol)
  5. Explain to students that working on the individual or local level is just as necessary as working on the national or international level.
  6. Ask students, as a group, to decide on a definition of a global citizen. Students should keep in mind the things a global citizen cares about and the actions a global citizen can take when writing their definition. The class definition will become the basis for student presentations.

Interview:
  1. Divide the class into groups of 3-5 students.
  2. Ask students to discuss, in their groups, who they know in their school, family, or community that fits the definition of a global citizen. How do these people contribute to their communities?
  3. Ask each group to choose one person that they would like to interview as their example of a global citizen in their community.
  4. Each group should write a short paragraph describing their top candidate and the reasons they have chosen this person, including the issue this person cares about and the contribution he or she makes.
  5. By accessing the internet, students should do research about the issue their Global Citizen cares about. Why is this issue important to this person? Why is it important to the community?
  6. Armed with this knowledge, students should brainstorm at least three interview questions to ask their Global Citizen. If necessary, initiate a class-wide discussion on appropriate questions.
  7. Initiate a conversation with students about how to contact the individual they are interested in interviewing. What is an appropriate approach? When would be the right time to call? How does one confirm/follow-up?
  8. Students should contact the person they hope to interview as personally as possible. If it is not possible to conduct the interview in person, students may choose to conduct it over the phone or through email.

Creating Presentations:
  1. In their groups, students should prepare presentations about their community Global Citizens for their partner students.
  2. Presentations should include at least the following topics:
    1. The class definition of a global citizen
    2. A brief introduction to the person they chose (name, age, occupation)
    3. What this person cares about (including any background on the issue they discovered through their internet research)
    4. What this person does about the issue
    5. The results of their interview
  3. Students may choose to paraphrase their interview, or to quote in entirety.

Suggested Follow-Up:
Initiate a conversation with students about their own global citizenship, based on what they learned in their interviews.
  1. What were some of the major issues in our community?
  2. What are some of the individual actions we can take towards these issues?
  3. What would be an action we could do as a class that would work towards this issue?
  4. International Education Week is the week of November 13-17. Are there any educational activities we could do to serve our school or community? What might we learn from these activities?
  5. Global Youth Service Day will be held on April 20-22, 2007. Can we plan a longer-term project to do for that?

All groups should complete and submit their presentations by Friday, November 24.

Teachers should email the presentations to their partners, AND the RI-SOL representative so they can be posted on the website. Presentations should be sent no later than Friday, November 24, 2006.

“Global Citizenship” forum will be held Monday, Nov. 27 – Friday, Dec. 1
This is an opportunity for your students to ask questions about their partner schools’ findings and presentations. Please have your students go online to your partner country’s website (see addresses below) and view their partner’s presentation before they enter the forum.

You can find the forum through the online country website:
www.connect-afghanistan.org
www.connect-tajikistan.org
www.connect-bangladesh.org
www.connect-middleeast.org