Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Unit Purpose:
Students will gain insight into what it means to be a refugee and the difficulties refugees face to survive. Students will also explore the role of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in their work with refugees and discuss details of its operations. Students will produce a symposium on the work of UNHCR in a virtual online presentation or as a traditional presentation. Focus Question: What is life like for refugees, and how can we help them locally and globally?
Unit Duration:
Five 45-Minute Sessions, plus time to prepare presentations and optional time for a service project
Unit Objectives:
The learner will:
- identify the possible feelings, hopes, and fears of refugees forced to leave their homes against their will.
- write a letter or journal entry from the perspective of a refugee that shows empathy and understanding.
- take notes on the big themes and details of a film.
- describe and analyze information about the issues and support of refugees.
- discuss, compare, and contrast perceptions about the issues.
- summarize their feelings and observations about the important issues related to refugees.
- work in a small group to select a symposium subtopic.
- determine a format and timeline for the symposium.
- prepare for the symposium and publicize the event or website.
- present the symposium and evaluate the group presentations.
- plan and carry out a service project to address the needs of refugees.
Service Experience:
Students advocate for refugees in a symposium. As an optional extension, they design and carry out a service project, such as a fundraiser, to address the needs of refugees.
Notes for Teaching:
This unit was written for USA for UNHCR by Greg Timmons, who is a former social studies teacher, now freelance writer and educational consultant.
Bibliographical References:
Links to UNHCR-related sites
- UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646cbf.html
- USA for UNHCR: www.unrefugees.org/teacherscorner
- UNHCR by Country: http://www.unrefugees.org/site/c.lfIQKSOwFqG/b.6235807/k.515C/Additional_Resources.htm
- UNHCR Maps “The World’s our Stage” http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c4ca.html
- UNHCR Populations of Concern Map http://www.unhcr.org/4b04002b9.pdf
- Against All Odds (online simulation) http://www.playagainstallodds.com/
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
- United Nations Cyber School Bus http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/
- United Nations Model UN Program http://www.unausa.org/modelun
- Global Citizen Year http://globalcitizenyear.org/
- World Food Program http://www.wfp.org/search/node/refugees
- Youthlink from World Bank.org http://youthink.worldbank.org
- FRONTLINE (PBS) “On Our Watch (the story of Darfur) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/darfur/
- Ning (Social Networking) (http://www.ning.com/)
- Classroom Blogs and Wikis (http://my-ecoach.com/online/webresourcelist.php?rlid=4992)
- THE Journal story on “Five Don’ts of Classroom Blogging” (http://thejournal.com/articles/2008/02/01/five-donts-of-classroom-blogging.aspx)
- How to Create a Primary Classroom Blog (http://primaryschool.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_create_a_primary_classroom_blog)
- Blogger (https://www.blogger.com/start)
- Edublogs (http://edublogs.org/)
State Curriculum and Philanthropy Theme Frameworks:
See individual lessons for benchmark detail.
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