Sample of a 7th grade global education unit and lesson plan:
Global Competencies (www.worldsavvy.org)
Globalized ELA Standards
7th grade English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, Reading Informational Text.CC.7.R.I.1 Key Ideas and Details: Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
In general when I am selecting informational text for my students to read, there is a global component to it. Scope Magazine (Scholastic) is a great resource for high interest informational text, and the articles in the magazine often have a lens on the world. In last year’s premiere issue there was an article called “I Almost Died Making Your Clothes.” It opened students’ eyes to sweatshop workers (kids their age) who were working in awful conditions, making clothes. Students were fired up when they read that article.
This standard lends itself to two global competencies. To investigate the world, I would have students read articles about an issue. They should read a variety of texts from domestic and international (credible) sources. They could also view media on the subject. Students would need to gather textual evidence as well as come up with their own ideas to support their analysis of the issue they are investigating. The other global competency is recognizing perspectives. Through their research, students would need to determine the author’s point of view on the issue, and how it is impacting the community. By reading several articles, the students would see multiple perspectives, which should help them determine their own perspective on the issue. They could make cultural comparisons.
An informal outcome assessment that would allow me to see level of mastery for both the standard and the global competencies would be some sort of graphic organizer. When my students are doing research, they need to take down their notes in an organized fashion. Depending on the final assessment, the graphic organizer could take different shapes. Some things that come to mind would be some sort of t-chart. Students could write textual evidence on one side and the perspective on the other side (making sure they are getting down evidence and reasoning). Or in one area of the graphic organizer they could record their evidence, and in another area they could focus on the perspectives.
7th grade English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, Writing. CC.7.W.2 Text Types and Purposes: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. CC.7.W.2.a Text Types and Purposes: Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CC.7.W.2.b Text Types and Purposes: Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. CC.7.W.2.d Text Types and Purposes: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. CC.7.W.2.e Text Types and Purposes: Establish and maintain a formal style. CC.7.W.2.f Text Types and Purposes: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
I see using this standard as being part two of the previous lesson written above. After students have done the research by reading informational text, they need to write about it to demonstrate what they have learned.
This standard allows teachers to focus on the final two global competencies. The first is communicating ideas. Once students have gathered their evidence and reasons, they now need to organize these components into a clear, logical, well supported piece. They should keep their purpose for writing and their audience in mind as they are developing their final piece. The final global competency would be take action. For this, students could design and recommend their own course of action to take to tackle the issue that they researched, or they could analyze and advocate for certain actions that are already being taken. They could try to convince others to get involved in helping solve the issue.
Using this standard would allow me to have students incorporate technology into the lesson. I could give students the option for their final project to take any shape that the student envisions (as long as specific criteria are met). The informal outcome assessment would need to be the plan and the draft of their final piece. To assess this, both the students and I would need a checklist of what is required to be in the final piece. There would need to be check-ins during the planning stage and the drafting stage. I require that at least two other students provide feedback on a classmate’s writing during the drafting stage, so the author has the chance to make changes before turning in the final piece.
In general when I am selecting informational text for my students to read, there is a global component to it. Scope Magazine (Scholastic) is a great resource for high interest informational text, and the articles in the magazine often have a lens on the world. In last year’s premiere issue there was an article called “I Almost Died Making Your Clothes.” It opened students’ eyes to sweatshop workers (kids their age) who were working in awful conditions, making clothes. Students were fired up when they read that article.
This standard lends itself to two global competencies. To investigate the world, I would have students read articles about an issue. They should read a variety of texts from domestic and international (credible) sources. They could also view media on the subject. Students would need to gather textual evidence as well as come up with their own ideas to support their analysis of the issue they are investigating. The other global competency is recognizing perspectives. Through their research, students would need to determine the author’s point of view on the issue, and how it is impacting the community. By reading several articles, the students would see multiple perspectives, which should help them determine their own perspective on the issue. They could make cultural comparisons.
An informal outcome assessment that would allow me to see level of mastery for both the standard and the global competencies would be some sort of graphic organizer. When my students are doing research, they need to take down their notes in an organized fashion. Depending on the final assessment, the graphic organizer could take different shapes. Some things that come to mind would be some sort of t-chart. Students could write textual evidence on one side and the perspective on the other side (making sure they are getting down evidence and reasoning). Or in one area of the graphic organizer they could record their evidence, and in another area they could focus on the perspectives.
7th grade English Language Arts Common Core State Standards, Writing. CC.7.W.2 Text Types and Purposes: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. CC.7.W.2.a Text Types and Purposes: Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. CC.7.W.2.b Text Types and Purposes: Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. CC.7.W.2.d Text Types and Purposes: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. CC.7.W.2.e Text Types and Purposes: Establish and maintain a formal style. CC.7.W.2.f Text Types and Purposes: Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
I see using this standard as being part two of the previous lesson written above. After students have done the research by reading informational text, they need to write about it to demonstrate what they have learned.
This standard allows teachers to focus on the final two global competencies. The first is communicating ideas. Once students have gathered their evidence and reasons, they now need to organize these components into a clear, logical, well supported piece. They should keep their purpose for writing and their audience in mind as they are developing their final piece. The final global competency would be take action. For this, students could design and recommend their own course of action to take to tackle the issue that they researched, or they could analyze and advocate for certain actions that are already being taken. They could try to convince others to get involved in helping solve the issue.
Using this standard would allow me to have students incorporate technology into the lesson. I could give students the option for their final project to take any shape that the student envisions (as long as specific criteria are met). The informal outcome assessment would need to be the plan and the draft of their final piece. To assess this, both the students and I would need a checklist of what is required to be in the final piece. There would need to be check-ins during the planning stage and the drafting stage. I require that at least two other students provide feedback on a classmate’s writing during the drafting stage, so the author has the chance to make changes before turning in the final piece.
Are you looking for ideas to incorporate global education in your English Language Arts classroom? Oxfam (www.oxfam.org/) has some great tips.
The Asia Society (asiasociety.org/education) is a great resource for educators looking to globalize their classrooms. The following tool is a great resource to help you lesson plan or create a globalized curriculum. This contains standards for the following grades and content areas: 5th Grade Arts, 8th Grade English Language Arts, 10th Grade History/Social Studies, 10th Grade Science, 12th Grade Math, 12th Grade World Languages.
Are you looking for a way to bring global education to your classroom? Oxfam has created a great guide to help teachers get started!
Center for Teaching through Children's Books
National Louis University has an incredible resource with CTCB (Center for Teaching through Children's Books). The library is full of international and multicultural literature. They offer seminars for teachers. I have attended many wonderful professional development sessions sponsored by CTCB. To find out more about them, click here: www.nl.edu/ctcb/
Illinois Reading Council
The Illinois Reading Council (IRC) is a professional organization that teachers can join. Every year, they sponsor a reading conference that is well attended by teachers around the state. Not only do they bring current authors to talk about their books and their craft, they also bring in experts to share their research on best practices. I have presented numerous times at the conference. In addition to the reading conference, IRC also sponsors professional development opportunities throughout the year. They have a weekly webinar series called Webinar Wednesdays. Check them out: www.illinoisreadingcouncil.org/
SCIRA
Another professional organization that you can join is SCIRA (Suburban Council of the International Reading Association). They offer mini conferences throughout the year. An upcoming session will focus on Culturally Relevant Texts. To access their site, click here scira.weebly.com/ You can register for upcoming events under the registration tab.
CARA
For Chicago educators, CARA (Chicago Area Reading Association) is the organization to join. They often offer seminars on bringing diverse texts to classroom or incorporating technology in your teaching. To join, go to their website: www.carareads.org/
Teachers for Social Justice
A great Chicago organization is Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) www.teachersforjustice.org/ Every year, they sponsor a curriculum fair. They are focused on education issues in Chicago and around the world, and they partner with other organizations that have similar visions. The curriculum fair is every November and provides teachers with the opportunity to network with others who share a similar vision regarding education.