Classroom Activities: Activities for this unit are organized into separate appendices as outlined below.
Defining terms
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Appendix 1
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Student journal
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Appendix 2
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It’s a Puzzling World
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Appendix 3
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Dynamics of International Relations
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Appendix 4
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United Nations Virtual Tour
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Appendix 5
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Acronym Recognition
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Appendix 6
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Investigating Peacekeeping Operations
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Appendix 7
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Letters from Peacekeepers
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Appendix 8
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Simulation
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Appendix 9
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Appendix 1:
Lesson: First Steps
Overview: Students will discuss and define terms for the unit of study. This will include asking students to draw from what they know as well as having the teacher provide key concepts and examples.
Objectives: Students will discuss and record definitions of the following terms for this unit of study: community/global community, culture, conflict/conflict resolution, diplomacy, peacekeeping, United Nations, acronym, and human rights.
Materials needed: Dictionary, Textbook Glossary, Worksheet I
Procedure: Define one word at a time by brainstorming with the class and providing what information is necessary to sufficiently define each term. Students may be prompted with visual or auditory aids. A simple definition of terms provided below.
Terms
Community- group of people linked by patterns of behavior. The links might be cultural, economic, professional, or by avocation,
Global community- the collective body of nations and people of the world
Culture- a people’s unique way of life, as shown by its tools customs, arts, and ideas1
Conflict- Active verbal, physical, and/or psychological disagreement
Conflict Resolution- resolving verbal, physical, and/or psychological disagreement
Diplomacy- mediation, negotiating, and peacekeeping among individuals, groups, or countries
Peacekeeping- active steps to reduce or resolve conflict between two or more parties
United Nations- an international peacekeeping organization founded in 1945 to provide security to the nations of the world.2
Acronym- a word formed from the first letters of a phrase or title.3
Human rights- belief that all people, regardless of race, color, or status have basic entitlements that should not be violated by others.
Worksheet I: The Global Village
A village of 100 people that represents the earth’s population would look like this:4
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57 Asians
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21 Europeans
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14 North and South Americans
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8 Africans
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70 would be people of color, 30 would be white
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30 would be Christian, 70 would be of other faiths
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25% of the wealth would be in the hands of 6 people, all citizens of the United States
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70 would be unable to read
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80 would live in substandard housing
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1 would have a university education
source: Conflict Resolution Student Workbook Social Development Department New Haven Public Schools p. 74
Answer the following based on the above information:
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What area of the world has the greatest percentage of population?
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What percentage are North and South Americans
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What percentage are literate (able to read)?
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What percentage would have a college education?
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What percentage of people have 50% of the wealth?
Appendix 2:
Lesson: Observation
Overview: Students will study his or her environment for awareness of characteristics that define it as a community.
Objective:
Students will observe common activities in his or her community for 3-5 days within a one-week period and record observations. Students will answer questions from the question bank in a journal.
Materials needed: question bank, journal
Procedure:
Review definition for the word community by asking students to recall information from notes or class discussion. Tell students that most of us belong to more than one community: a local community that consists of where we live and the area immediately surrounding it ( a neighborhood), a broader community that consists of being a citizen of a town, state, and country. Explain that people may even identify with being part of a community defined by language, culture, hobbies, and profession. Ask students if they could define the parameters of the various community in which they live. Answers can be written by students on paper or given orally to teacher. Inform students that they are going to observe and record activities in their community for one week. Students should answer the following questions based on their observations.
Issue question bank with instructions.
Question Bank
Who are the players (members) of the community?
What languages and ethnicity are evident through observation?
How far does the space of the community extend approximately?
What kind of exchange of goods and services occurs?
What technology is used for transportation and communication? What technology do you see used the most?
What type of organizations are active in this community? What type of artistic expression is evident?
Describe a conflict that was observed. Who resolved the conflict? How was it resolved?
After students have recorded their observations, discuss the similarities and differences of student responses. Point out that often communities often overlap and interact with one another. Discuss examples from student observations or bring in examples. (ie. Ten families live on Henry Street. Nine of the families speak Spanish as their primary language. There is a corner store where most everyone does their shopping. Eight of the families attend the same church, which is two blocks away. The children of the families attend the neighborhood school, which is three blocks away. Once a week city employees pick up the garbage on the street. Each day a postman delivers the mail.)
Appendix 3
Lesson 2: “It’s a Puzzling World”
Overview
Students demonstrate knowledge of geographic and political location by assembling a world map from map puzzle pieces.
Objective:
Students will demonstrate the names and locations of political and geographic features by assembling a map of those features from map puzzle pieces.
Materials needed:
A world wall map, pins or tape, wall or bulletin board space
Procedure:
Before class: the teacher cuts up a map by political and/or geographical boundaries
Continents and Oceans or
Countries of South America
Class activity:
The teacher issues a challenge to see if the class can recreate a map of (for instance) the continents and the oceans. Discussion and listing of the names of the continents and oceans on the board might follow. After all the names are listed, the teacher distributes the pieces of the puzzle to members of the class and instructs them to put them up on the board.
The complexity of the game increases by selecting more sophisticated maps.
Appendix 4
Lesson: Dynamics of International Relations (Changing Times/Changing Borders)
Some of the problems of international relations will be discussed ie, cultural barriers, competition for resources. Students will also explore traditional ways that nations have interacted. Establishing diplomatic ties, making alliances, and establishing mutually beneficial trading arrangements will be explored as relatively peaceful means of interaction. Wars of conquest or defense will be explored as an alternative to peace. Overview: Students will identify some fundamental activities of nations and explore political changes that occur over time. The idea is to show that international relations is often a dynamic process that frequently causes change and is a response to change.
Objectives:
Students will make a chart categorizing the activities of nations as either peaceful or non-peaceful.
By looking at political maps of a given region over time, students will observe examples of the changing political boundaries of a region over time. Students will list differences of names and boundaries for a given region over time
Materials:
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1. List of activities between nations, posterboard or chalkboard
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2. Textbook
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Procedure: 1.The teacher will ask the class to brainstorm a list of activities that a government carries out over the course of many years. The teacher will write responses up on the board. The teacher will ask students to then make a chart and classify the activities as either peaceful or non-peaceful activities.
2.The teacher will ask students to look at maps of Africa from two different eras and note the differences in political boundaries.
Ex.) African Societies 800-1500 p. 368 vs. Imperialism in Africa 1913 p. 688
World History Patterns of Interaction
. McDougal Littell
Similar activities can be done for Europe, Asia, and North and South America
For additional maps for comparison, an excellent resource for on-line maps is the University of Texas Library
go to: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/
Appendix 5
Lesson: United Nations’ “Cyberschoolbus” Virtual Tour
Overview: Students will gain knowledge of the UN through exploring the UN Cyberschoolbus website.
Objective: Students will list and describe the major bodies of the UN
Materials Needed: School Media Lab, Guiding Question Bank
Website: http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/res.html
Procedure: The teacher can prompt the class about what to look for before attending the computer lab by printing and reproducing the homepage of the cyberschoolbus site. Another option is to walk the class through the site in the classroom online and projection resources are available. Once in the lab, students should make notes in their notebooks of important points from the virtual tour.
Class Activity: Other activities can be found on the cyberschoolbus web site. Current events and issues are posted. Even trivia type games are hosted by the site (ie. flag tag)
Appendix 6
Lesson:
Acronymity
Overview:
This lesson will familiarize students with some of the many acronyms associated with organizations and operations of the United Nations.
Objective:
Students will associate acronyms with their meaning orally and in writing.
Suggested Materials:
1.Abbreviations and Acronyms Worksheet: (Source Clements and Wilson p.x-xi)
2. Access to media center
Suggested sites: www.un.org,
Procedure:
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Students will read a list of acronyms for organizations and operations associated with the UN.
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Students will be asked to speculate which acronyms stand for peacekeeping missions, conferences, organizations, or other.
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Students will be assigned three acronyms to research in the library media center. Students will write a 1-2 paragraph description of each acronym and report this information to the class.
Examples: UNPROFOR
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United Nations Protection Force (former Yugoslovia)
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UNSC
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United Nations Security Council
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UNESCO
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United Nations Economic, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
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UNOSOM
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United Nations Operation Force in Somalia
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UNSCOM
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United Nations Special Commission (Iraq)
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ONUC
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United Nations Operation in the Congo
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UNIIMOG
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United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group
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Appendix 7
Lesson: Investigating Peacekeeping Operations
Overview: Students will investigate the history of the UN peacekeeping role.
Objectives: Students will evaluate the effectiveness of UN peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, parts of Africa, and the Middle East.
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Students will record notes on an overview of UN Peacekeeping Operations.
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Students will examine a case study of one UN Peacekeeping Operation.
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Students will record a chronology of conflict in the region in question
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Students will record UN responses to the conflict
Students will be organized into small groups and randomly assigned a UN peacekeeping operation to investigate. Students will report their findings to the class. Instructions for this project are included as Instructions: Peacekeeping
Materials: A general chronology and description of UN peacekeeping operations. Specific background notes on one UN peacekeeping operation.
Suggested sources:
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Selected Readings such as Tables 2-6, Introduction/Conclusion, Chapters of choice, from Hill, Stephen M. & Malik, Shahin P. (1996) Peacekeeping and the United Nations
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2.UN Peacekeeping home page: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/home_bottom.htm