Globalization Lesson Plans

Here are the 2 lesson plans I created for my "Using Technology to Support Creativity" course last week.

Glad to share with the class (and others)!



Lesson 1: Understanding Empathy (For Grades 7-9)


1. Introduction – Gaining Attention
a. Video Trailer from “Slumdog Millionaire”
i. Show clip after thinking about the question “Ignoring the controversies about realistic portrayal of the Mumbai slums, how did you feel about the main character and his childhood in the slum?”
ii. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40j6bF8FIrk

2. Goals- to understand the meaning of “empathy” and to apply it to people of other cultural, linguistic or religious heritage.

3. Stimulate Prior Recall
a. Use Survey Monkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com) to respond anonymously to the following 4 question survey
i. Have you ever “become emotional” or cried while watching a movie? (Y/N)
ii. Have you seen the film “Slumdog Millionaire”? (Y/N)
iii. Did you “become emotional” or cry when you watched Slumdog Millionaire? (Y/N)
iv. If you answered Y to #3, in which scene did you cry? A) the scenes of the boys’ poor childhood B) the violence in the police interrogation C) the orphan boy being blinded D) the thought that the main characters would never be reunited? E) all of the above?
b. Complete the quiz and view the results on an LCD
c. Discuss the responses.
d. Discuss how the feelings created when we watch film or read books may be empathy
e. Discuss some of the elements in Mumbai culture that viewers may feel empathy towards
i. Poverty, living conditions, lack of education, inequality etc.

4. Present New Information – What is Empathy?
a. View Discovery Streaming Video Clip “What is Empathy?” (5 mins)
b. Discuss the scenarios and questions as presented in the Video Clip
c. Discuss and develop a working definition of Empathy
i. Encarta “em·pa·thy n
1. the ability to identify with and understand another person’s feelings or difficulties
2. the transfer of your own feelings and emotions to an object such as a painting
d. Compare Empathy and Sympathy
i. Use a Venn diagram on the LCD to brainstorm the difference


5. Provide Guided Learning Experience – Student Role Play
a. Students will create, in small groups, role plays which show, or do not show, empathy
b. Present to class, audience has to determine whether empathy was evident, or not, or if sympathy was evident

6. Independent / Group Learning Experience
a. Each group creates a portfolio of digital photographs which are freeze frames of empathy, with the emotion clear, project onto screen for class reactions
b. examples
i. a person speaking and a group listening intently
ii. a person upset and another being empathetic
iii. a person is happy and another is sharing the joy

7. Provide Feedback
a. Peers describe the emotion they think is being demonstrated and whether the others in the group are showing empathy

8. Assess Performance
a. Students write, create, perform and video a puppet show with Empathy as the focus

9. Enhance Retention and Transfer
a. Students will apply knowledge of Empathy to second lesson involving Emapthy beyond their own nationality, culture, language, religion etc.







Lesson Two: Practising Empathy

1. Introduction – Gaining Attention
a. Ask students if they are familiar with the Amish culture found in the USA and Canada
b. Students will view the Discovery Streaming Video “Amish Religion and Youth”
c. Discuss the differences in growing up as children and teens in Amish culture vs North American mainstream culture from the film or knowledge

2. Learner Outcomes
a. to recognize the elements of another culture and demonstrate empathy for children who live in other places and other cultures

3. Stimulate Prior Recall
a. View Slideshow of images of Amish culture
i. Horse, buggy
ii. Farming
iii. Clothing
iv. Hats
v. Bonnets
vi. Walking

b. Optional- View images of life in a totalitarian regime, eg. Nazi Germany

4. Present New Information
a. Introduce novel The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
b. Read aloud – read excerpts that demonstrate the difficulties of life growing up under a totalitarian regime
c. Students read and discuss novel and the elements of culture in the story that are similar/ different to their own
d. Make a Venn Diagram

5. Provide Guided Learning Experience
a. Students will conduct Research about Afghanistan or another culture using
i. Internet
ii. Books
iii. Atlas
iv. Interview a person from that country
b. View film or film segment
i. film title: “Obama”

6. Independent / Group Learning Experience
a. Students create a role plays
i. Interviewer and interviwee
ii. A dialogue that explores the focal points of the culture that was researched from the list below
1. Music, food, dance, religion, literature, film, government, history, etc.
iii. Video record and edit the interview
iv. Present to class

7. Provide Feedback
a. use peer and teacher evaluations of the performances using a rubric


8. Assess Performance
a. Students will create a mindmap using Inspiration or Smart Ideas which compares culture in mainstream North America, Amish, Afghanistan and other
i. Music, food, dance, religion, literature, film, government, history, etc.
ii. Links should explain how student feels about the similarities and differences between the cultures i.e. emapthy

9. Enhance Retention and Transfer
a. Students read a sequel or similar novel
i. Parvana’s Journey by Deborah Ellis
ii. The Banana Tree by James Berry