Who-Am-I? Items
Supporting Decision making / problem solving
skills
Organizing
goals and dreams and planning how to achieve them.
Information gathering skills. Thinking back on beliefs or motives.
Evaluating future consequences of present actions for self and others.
Determining alternative solutions to problems. Reflective thinking
about the effectiveness of choices. Analysis skills regarding the
influence of values and attitudes of self and others on
motivation.Ravina
"I think this could be a solution to the problem
of people not recycling. If every house, apartment had a machine built into
them, then it would be easier. It would be a little cabinet where you just
put the trash into it and it would automatically separate the things that
could be recycled from the trash. The things that could be recycled would
go through pipes that are connected to the house that goes to the recycling
plant."
Smart Trash Recycling Bin by
Ravina , USA
, 1997
Ask an elderly relative in your family what were
the favorite names used when he or she was a child and make a list of those
names. (activity
3)
Divide the class into 7 small groups. Each group
will be in charge of a different continent. Localize the seven continents
on a large world map. Give every student in each group an individual map.
Choose any country on your assigned area and go to the
Kidlink Nations
page. Check to see if there is someone from that country registered in Kidlink.
If there is, mark the spot with a blue letter K. If there is not any child
from that country try to explain to your group why this may be so.
(activity
5)
Go to Kidlink's
public database of registered kids and make a search for the name of
the country you have chosen in the last activity. Look through the letters
from students in that country to find their names and make a list. Can you
tell if it is a girl or a boy's name? What is the most popular name for a
girl? What is the most popular name for a boy? See if they have any pets.
What type of pet? Check to see if the student mentions their pet's name.
Look for their favorite singer, group or type of music and write it down.
Make a table with the information you have: name of student, gender, kind
and name of pet, type of music, name of favorite singer, etc. Compare your
findings with those of the other groups of students in your class and those
of your online classmates.
(activity 6)
Interview your parents
and ask them how your name was given. Who decided and why? What is the meaning
of your name and how was your name decided? Do any relatives have your name?
What is the history of your name? What is the symbol of your name? Is there
an interesting story about your name? What are your parents' feelings about
your name? Add a photograph of yourself to the interview if you like and
share it with your class and by email with the students from other classes
participating in the program module.
(activity 7)
What is your favorite
subject at school, (besides recreation time!)? Are you good in math, science,
languages, and sports? Can you think of careers that need a lot of math?
Science? What career would you recommend to someone who is very good in languages
and literature? (question
1)
What about sports?
You have to be awfully good in a sport to become a professional player. Hard
work and practice are also necessary to succeed. Can this be applied to any
other career? Does this apply to an astronaut? To a doctor?
(question 2)
Some people are Realistic
(the doers), Conventional (the organizers), Investigative (the thinkers),
Social (the helpers), Enterprising (the persuaders), Artistic (the creators).
Do you know which of these types fits your personality or that of your
classmates? Are there any other types beside the ones mentioned here? Can
you mention some famous people that can be classified under Realistic?
Conventional? Investigative? Social? Enterprising? Artistic?
(question 3)
Children try to imitate their parents. If their
parents read a lot, there's a strong probability that the children read a
lot too. Sometimes you can find a whole family of farmers, a family of health
workers and a family where almost everyone is a baker. Even in the careers
they pursue, children try to be like their parents. What is the favorite
occupation in your family? Is there more than one person in that career?
Do you know of another family that has more than one member working in the
same field? Do you think parents can influence a child in pursuing a given
career? How? Do you think a parent can influence a child in not pursuing
a given career? (question
5)
Some of us are good
team workers; some of us work better alone. The team workers are 'members
of the pack'; they work in cooperation with the others until the task is
completed. They are the facilitators. At the other extreme is the 'lone wolf'.
This person prefers to do the job alone. He will develop solutions by deductive
reasoning and attempt to achieve objectives with a minimum of help from others.
Which of these types will work beautifully doing a research, analysis, or
audits? Find among your friends a 'lone wolf' and a 'member of the pack'.
(question 6)
Let's find out your
class career preferences! Write on a piece of paper 3 careers that are attractive
to you. Tabulate the results to see the most popular careers in your class.
This will be called TABLE A. What is the favorite career among your
classmates? If everybody in your area wants just these professions - what
professions would not get any employees? Are there some kids in your class
that would have problems in finding a job because these jobs are so popular?
Ask your online classmates about the career preferences in their classroom.
Share with them your results. Are the career preferences similar among your
online friends? Try to explain your findings.
(activity 5)
When you are in the
real world trying to get a job, you have to compete with other people wanting
the same position. Simulate a real world situation: Every class will publish
online different job positions available in their imaginary companies. State
the requirements for the position. Everyone in your classroom and in your
online classroom can send their applications stating why they are the best
candidates. Choose a person to be the interviewer for each job position.
This person will decide which applicant is the most suitable for the job
and will recommend him or her.
(activity 6)
Invite persons with
different occupations to visit your school and talk about their work online.
Send invitations to the other classes participating with you in this module.
Every class will prepare a list with questions they will like to ask that
person. Do some research on what the person does.
(activity 7)
Separate in small
groups. Each group chooses a country from the wall world map.
Search in the Kidlink's public member database to find
more about the career preferences of children from the chosen country. What
is the favorite career in that country? Tabulate your results in TABLE
B. (activity 8)
Tabulate the results
found by both your classroom and your online classmates in TABLE C.
Name the careers that were chosen by both girls and boys. What influence
has culture, traditions and where you live in choosing your career?
(activity 9)
Sometimes grownups are so busy with their lives
that they cannot enjoy what life has to offer them. Life's most precious
joys are completely free. Can you name a few? How do you and your family
enjoy life? (question
5)
"Our neighbors are
our closest family." This saying implies that we have to have a good relationship
with our neighbors. We can help each other if an emergency occurs. What else
can you add to the advantage of being "good neighbors"? Countries have neighbors
too. How can countries be "good neighbors"?
(question 6)
Our opinions can be
strong and varied. Even inside the same family there are different opinions.
How do you solve a problem when you have different opinions inside your family?
(question 8)
What is the main concern of the children in your
class? War, drugs, violence, environment, prejudice, other? Search Kidlink's
public database of registered kids to see what are the answers of children
to the 3rd Kidlink question. From their answers you will learn what worries
children in other parts of the world. For example: drugs, environment, prejudice,
etc. (You may choose the same countries that you chose in the last lesson.)
Tabulate the results. What is the most important problem for the children
in each country selected? Can you explain your findings? Ask the students
participating in the program to do this exercise in their class and share
the results by email to the list.
(activity 1)
Imagine you can change
anything you want, what would you change? Write an essay explaining the things
that make you worry about your family, your school and your country today
and how would you like these things to be in the future. Send your essay
to the list to share your ideas with the rest of the students participating
in this program module.
(activity 2)
Picture your community 100 years from now. Write
a short story describing something in your community in this future year
showing the picture you imagine. Give the story a creative title. Make a
web page to publish the stories of everyone in the class. Add pictures. Share
the address with the other Who-am-I? program participants.
(activity 3)
Construct a web page
with photos of places in your country that you want to protect. Plan a "picture
taking" outing to some of these places with your friends. Invite other children
participating in the program to look at your web site.
(activity 5)
Create a drawing that
expresses your vision of a better future. Send this picture by email to your
online classmates and ask them to do the same for you. Print and label the
drawings with the name and country of each artist. Design a giant poster
with all the printed drawings.
(activity 6)
Answer the question
"How do I want the world to be better when I'm older?". Add to your saved
answers to the questions from the last two lessons.
(activity 7)
You have made new
friends among the students in your global classroom. What do you have to
do now to keep in touch with them? What do you have to do to nurture that
friendship and make it grow?
(question 1)
When we are sad or
confused, we just need a word of encouragement from a friend. You are all
part of the "global community". Good friends love and protect each other.
You know how your friends want the world to be better. What can you do to
help them make the world better?
(question 3)
Friends and family
are a very important part of our life. How do you compare a peaceful family
life to a peaceful community life? What elements are the common denominator
in rivalry between brothers and sisters, rivalry between families and rivalry
between countries? How can this be changed?
(question 4)
Do you have any endangered
animals in your country? Who is responsible for protecting them? What are
you doing to protect them?
(question 7)
Search
Kidlink's public membership archives to see what are the answers of children
to the 4th Kidlink question. From their answers you will learn about the
commitment of children in other parts of the world. For example: "do not
use drugs", "pick up trash", " do not judge a person by his or her position
in the community", etc. (You may choose the same countries that you chose
in the last lesson.) Tabulate the results. What is the most cited solution
for the children in each country selected? Why so you think so many students
wrote that one. Do you think it is a quick, easy answer? Do you think they
gave it some thought? What is the most interesting solution? Can you explain
your findings? Ask the students participating in the program to do this exercise
in their class and share the results by email to the list.
(activity 1)
What do you have to
do now to make the world better? Take in consideration your community, your
country and the whole world community and their problems. Write an essay
expressing your ideas and your feelings toward having a better future for
all. Make a real commitment. Send your essay to the list of students
participating in the program module. Print some of your favorite essays and
organize them in a folder to share with your community and your family. Enlist
their help in shaping a better future for all.
(activity 2)
List the ideas you
have to help your classmates and your online classmates to make a better
world. Add a drawing and send to the list so everyone in your global class
can enjoy. Print your favorite letters and organize them in a folder. Share
this folder with your family and your friends.
(activity 5)
Find what are the endangered animals in your
region, make a web page with the names and pictures of the animals. Explain
why those animals are endangered. Invite the other students participating
in the program module to visit your page. Ask them for suggestions that could
help to minimize this situation. Add their ideas to your web page.
(activity 7)
Think of ways in which
the education you get and the way you treat others could help you make the
world a better place to live. Send your ideas by email to the list of students
participating in the program module. Ask the other students participating
in the program module to share similar lists with you. Create a booklet of
ideas using the information from all the lists. Print and distribute the
booklets in your class.
(activity 8)
Answer the question "What can I to now to make
the world a better place?". Add your answer to the answers you saved from
the past lessons, and use them
to
register with Kidlink.
(activity 10)
You and your friends have very unique personalities.
What do you think you have in common and how do you differ? Do you think
that you are shaped by your place on earth, the surroundings you live in,
your country, music, what is popular? What shapes you and your friends as
you are? Do your friends help shape who you are? Do your heroes shape you?
(question 2)
Work with your teacher and divide your class
into groups to find the latitude and longitude for your location. Some of
you will use atlases and maps while others will use electronic media to do
this. Compare your results. Are they close? Which do you think is more accurate?
Who was able to find the coordinates faster, those using paper sources or
digital sources? Place a marker on the map to identify the places where your
online friends live. (activity
1)
Write an essay about a place where you have traveled,
or about a place where people most often go. Why do you think they go there?
Where is your favorite place to visit? Think about the unique qualities of
this place and write about them in your essay.
(activity
4/Organizing goals and dreams.)
How many people live in your country? Who calculates
it? How is it done? Does your government take a census of your people? This
is an activity when all the people in an area are counted for official purpose.
Is it done all the time or just sometimes? How often is it done? What do
these numbers tell?
(question 1)
How many people are in your town or village?
Where can you find this information? Does it matter how many live in a community?
Does it matter where you live?
(question 2)
Has the population of your area grown over the
past 50 years or declined? Do you know the reason for the answer?
(question 3)
What is the average age of your population? Are
there more older people or younger people? Are there many families with young
children in your town or village?
(question 4)
What are the main occupations of the parents
of the students in your group? How can you find out? As a class, brainstorm
ways to get this information. Share it with our group and then compare the
results with those in our project. Why do you think there are differences?
What does this tell you about your village, town or city?
(activity 1)
Talk to mom, dad, extended family members, neighbors and friends
and gather recipes that are specific to your region. Make a recipe book to
share with other classes and our project participants.
(activity 3)
Plan an 'International Dinner' to be held at
the end of this online project. Gather recipes from the participants in our
project and include them in the menu. Form teams now to plan the event.
Planning team - (includes your class teacher)
decides when and where the dinner will be held, who will attend and establishes
other teams for the distribution of responsibilities. Finds parent volunteers
to help with the event.
Decorations team - prepares table and room
decorations
Setup Team - arranges the room, tables etc.
Food Team - makes sure a variety of foods are
selected for the menu and recruits student volunteers who will cook the recipes.
Entertainment Team - plans multicultural games,
'quiz shows' and music for the evening.
Publicity Team - creates invitations for the
dinner, posters, arranges for photos, etc.
Research Team - helps classmates find resources
for their chosen country while planning the music, food, entertainment.
Clean up Team - helps tidy the area when the
dinner event is over.
(activity 4)
You have been asked to come up with a suggestion for new jobs in
your area. What kind of jobs do you think could be created? Why? How would
you plan to create them and put them to reality? Share with the others in
the project how you will accomplish that. Make a 'Help Wanted' page for a
newspaper in your area with these new job descriptions.
(activity 11)
Do you like what is chosen for you to learn?
Do you think that the most important things are selected or is there something
missing. Could you plan it better?
(question 5)
Choose one day this week and write a journal
entry for every hour on the hour. Take short notes during your learning day
describing where you are and what your feelings are at the time. If you are
in a learning situation that you really enjoy tell us why you like it. Be
sure to describe your feelings in greater detail that evening.
(activity 1)
Make charts and graphs with the data you collect.
(activity 3)
Looking at the graphs and charts you have made
write some conclusions and answers to your questions. Are the answers what
you expected to see?
(activity 4)
Arrange for a
Kidlink Chat meeting and discuss
education. Compare notes on the weather, the animals that teach you, subjects
you like and other things that educate you.
(activity 6)
Plan how you are going to maintain life-long learning. Write an
essay or a letter to the others in the project on how you plan to keep yourself
educated throughout life. What learning methods are you going to use? Will
the media (Newspapers, TV, radio, Internet, etc.) help you to continue learning?
Tell the others about media that you think would be helpful. If they are
on the Internet make sure you send a link to it for the others to see.
(activity 7)
We know that people in the global
village have different opinions and argue. How can we share different opinions
in a positive way?
(question 10)
Interview an older person in your family or community and ask them
to tell you about their home when they were your age. Share with us their
stories. How is life different today? What topics might you compare? What
would you like that wouldn't have changed? Could things have been changed
in a better way?
kinds of entertainment?
clothing?
prices?
music?
hair styles?
parent/child relationships?
...you name the other topics to compare.
(activity 2)
Design puppets and create a puppet show to compare the differences
between life today and life as your grandparents lived it years ago. Take
the information you found for activity 3 and share it visually in a puppet
show. (activity 3)
Go to the
summary
pages for the Articles. Do your rights match any of the rights found
there? Are any missing? What are they? During the next eight weeks we will
be discussing these rights.
(question 10)
Make a survey of what rights the students in
your classroom think they have. Make an analysis of the result, and discuss
possible reasons for differences in opinion.
(activity 2)
Is it common to see children from other parts
of the world adopted by families in your country? Are these children encouraged
to retain their nationality and cultural heritage? Are they accepted into
your society without prejudice? (question 10)
Research the meaning of your name. Talk to your
parents and ask them why they gave you the name they did. Share your findings
in class (activity
1)
Review how KIDLINK kids have answered the 4 KIDLINK
questions in our membership
archives. Do our names identify our country? Divide your class into small
groups and look at the archives. Make a list of 10 student names you see
there. Be sure to choose as many different countries as you can. Share your
list of 10 names with the other groups in your class and see if they can
correctly identify where each person lives. How correct were everyone's guesses?
(activity 2)
All of you have our own special personalities,
hobbies and interests. Think of some things that are small enough to fit
into a shoebox that describe you. If you like to draw you might put a box
of crayons or ink pens in your "shoebox." If you like music you would put
your favorite CD. Bring your shoebox and contents to school and share with
your classmates. Make a list of the items you would put in your shoebox and
send it to the mailing list. See what others have done in an exercise like
this (activity
3)
How do you think a child in a wheel chair can
win a race or play tug-of-war?
(question 2)
How do deaf children communicate? Is there one
universal "language" that they use or does this vary depending on where they
live? Who discovered their language?
(question 3)
What do you think are the major challenges facing
children with disabilities in your school or in your town?
(question 4)
There is a big difference between being blind
at birth and becoming blind later on in life. What do you think those differences
are? (question
6)
Can you think of a time when a blind child might
have an advantage over a sighted child?
(question 7)
Can students in wheelchairs move from class to
class at your school? Are light switches in rooms low enough for students
in wheelchairs to turn on?
(question 8)
Do you think children with disabilities should
be included in regular classrooms with all the other students or should they
be in classes or schools by themselves?
(question 9)
Can you name people who have disabilities but
are still accomplishing major things in life? What are they doing and why
is it amazing?(question
11)
How do visually impaired children color? Let's
try it! Take a coloring sheet with a large design and outline the design
with glue. Let the glue harden. Blindfold yourself with a scarf. Take a crayon
and color between the raised glue outlines
(activity 2)
If there is someone in your school that is blind,
as a class make up a game that they could enjoy playing without having to
see (activity 4)
Design posters to help improve attitudes toward
children with disabilities. Display them in your classroom and school
(activity 8)
Work in groups to design the "ideal" school for
all students including those with disabilities. Would you include anything
that your school doesn't have now? Will your ideal school have two floors
and elevators or will it be a sprawling one floor school? Draw your school
and carefully label all the rooms
(activity 9)
Why do you think that adults don't always include
kids in decision making?
(question 3)
Are you allowed to make decisions about how you
spend your free time for sports or hobbies?
(question 5)
Are there strategies that help us express our
opinions in a positive and non threatening way? Ask other participants what
strategies worked for them
(question 9)
As a class brainstorm a list of issues and
circumstances for which kids would like to have some input. Divide your list
into three areas: home, school, community. Break into small groups and plan
ways that your ideas can be heard. Share these with the class.
(activity 1)
If someone is causing you pain or making you
feel uncomfortable is there anyone you can talk to?
(question 5)
Do you think some drugs are dangerous to your
health? Are some controversial drugs tolerated in parts of the world?
(question 9)
Are there lessons in school about harmful drugs?
Do you think many kids in your town are hurting themselves by using drugs?
(question 10)
A safe environment for kids to grow up in includes
a clean earth. Describe a "clean earth."
(question 12)
Who looks after you when you are ill? Talk to
you parents and make a list of your childhood illnesses and when you had
them. Make a booklet about your 'Medical History' and write about how you
were taken care of and how you felt when you were sick
(activity 1)
Create a school lunch menu for 2 weeks. What
foods would you offer? What restrictions would you suggest (no salt added,
low fat content, etc.)?
(activity 3)
Do you think kids should get an allowance from
their parents? Should this allowance be earned for doing chores?
(question 1)
Should kids work for money? Are you taught how
to handle money? (question
6)
Do you think it is educational for you to have
a job while you are a student in school?
(question 8)
If a school does not have a drama class, a choir,
a band, or an orchestra, should they? Should classes be held during the school
day or after school? Should they be free or should children have to pay for
them? (question
9)
If a school does not have a drama class, a choir,
a band, or an orchestra, should they? Should classes be held during the school
day or after school? Should they be free or should children have to pay for
them? (question
11)
Kids like to have an allowance to buy things.
What kinds of things do kids your age like to buy?
(activity 1)
What are your favorite courses in school? What
is your least favorite class?
(question 6)
In the upper classes do you get to choose your
own course of study?
(question 7)
Is multicultural education a part of your curriculum?
How do you think you should be taught about other cultures?
(question 14)
What kinds of provisions are made to help those
new to your school and your country learn your language while still keeping
their own cultural identity?
(question 15)
Do you feel that mistakes are allowed in your
school? What kind of mistakes are allowed and what are not? What are the
consequences when you make a mistake? Do you think the rules are fair?
(question 17)
How do you feel in school? Is it a happy place
to be? It is stressful? Are students kind to each other? How do you want
your schoolmates to treat you? How do you think that you should treat them?
(question 18)
Do you feel that you are challenged to think?
Are you learning things that have meaning for you? Is your school helping
you with all your educational needs?
(question 19)
Work in groups in class and describe the "ideal
school." Join other classes in KidCom and present your school to them. Draw
a picture of your ideal school
(activity 1)
Read what others say about their schools. Tell
them what you think about their school and ask for clarification about things
you don't understand. Is there something in the schools that others have
that you don't have? Would you like to have it?
(activity 3)
What are 10 things that all kids everywhere should
have? Tell the group why you think these 10 are the most important things.
See activity #1 below. Using each class Bill of Rights work together as a
whole group and create one "Kids' Bill of Rights".
(question 1)
Do you think all kids have these rights today?
(question 2)
If you had to be denied two of the rights on
your list which two would you choose? Tell the group why
(question 3)
What can you do now to make the world a better
place for all kids? Think about the fourth Kidlink question that you answered
(question 9)
Write your own 'Kids' Bill of Rights'
Divide your class into small groups and decide
on 10 things that all young people everywhere should have. Write these on
a large sheet of paper.
Display your chart and explain it to the rest
of the class. Do you have all the things on your Bill? What prevents you
from having them?
Make one "Kids' Bill of Rights" for your class.
Make a banner with the Bill of Rights and display
it in the classroom (activity
1)
List 5 things which should be done in the classroom
to make sure that all are happy and safe
(activity 5)
Discuss your responsibilities to your school.
As a class, agree on one responsibility that can be improved. Do a project
that will help this responsibility become a reality
(activity 6)
Volunteer to visit other classrooms in your school
and talk to the students about the rights of all children
(activity 9)
Do research on organizations dedicated to helping
secure children's rights around the world
(activity 12)
What are the qualities of a good friend? If you
needed a new friend, what qualities would you like him or her to
have?(question 1)
How do you know that a person is your friend?
Does your friend have to say something or do something to be
your friend? (question
2)
Did you choose your best friend, or were you
"chosen"? What made you choose her/him as your friend? Why do you think you
were chosen? How would you feel about not being "chosen" as somebody's friend?
(question 4)
In this activity everyone in the class
begins by writing 6 things that characterize a good friend. By the end of
the activity you will narrow your class's list to only a total of 6.
This is how you do it:
Each and every one in the group or class makes
a list of the 6 most important things that characterize a good friend.
Divide into 3 groups and make a new list
with the 6 most important words from your group based on your individual
lists.
Write the words from the 3 groups on the blackboard.
Then the whole group or class has to make a list of the 6 most important
words. (activity
1).
Would you consider having a friend with another
skin colour than your own? Do you think this would cause a problem for you?
Tell us why or why not. How could you solve such a problem?
(question 7)
Some kids are afraid of making new friends. What
could help a new kid in your school or neighbourhood to make new friends?
What advice would you offer to people who have trouble making friends?
(question 8)
Do kids whose parents get divorced sometimes
feel like they have lost a parent because they are not living with both parents
anymore? What can they do to deal with this "loss?"
(question 9)
Has an older brother or sister or other family
member moved to another city? Do you see them as much as you did before they
moved? Does this make you sad? What can you do to help you stay close to
friends and family members who move away?
(question 10)
How can we deal with anger when loved ones are
killed by accidents?
(question 12)
What are your roles in your family? What changes
in your role, if any, would you make if you
could? (question
2)
Do you think young people should have
responsibilities in their family? Can you expect that adults do all the work
at the home? Why not or why? Be prepared to defend your answer with reasons
(question 3)
Do you have grandparents living with you in your
family? What should be the roles of older members of our families living
with us such as elderly grandparents?
(question 4)
Are there differences between the responsibilities
that girls and boys, fathers and mothers should have in a family? Should
there be chores that are "girl's chores" and "boy's chores?" Can girls take
out the rubbish as well as boys? Can boys do dishes as well as girls?
(question 6)
Do you think responsibilities are fairly divided
among your family members? If you don't think so, how would you makes changes
that would be more fair? Do you think you should do more - or less? If so,
why? (question 7)
If you become a parent what rules do you think
you will make in your family? Will you give your kids a chance to help make
family rules? (question
17)
Do a survey of your class and find out what place
in the family birth order each student holds. Place yourself into three groups:
the oldest, the middle children and the youngest. Each group discusses what
the advantages or disadvantages of these positions and then presents this
to the whole class. Be sure to share these ideas on your module's mailing
list (activity
1)
In small groups brainstorm the roles of the father,
mother, children and grandparents or other family members who live with you.
Make a display board with pictures that define these roles
(activity 2)
As a class group define together some of the
roles that you have in a family. Include such things as: caregiver for pets,
babysitter for younger siblings, etc
(activity 3)
Are there certain members of your family that
you only get to see on these holidays? Which family member do you enjoy seeing
the most? Why is this so? What makes this person special to you?
(question 2)
Does your family travel to be with other family
members on holidays? Do you travel far? Can you go by car or must you take
an airplane or train?
(question 4)
Plan a festival, just as you would like it to
be, and describe it to your on-line friends. Invite us to your party, tell
us about what you'd like us to eat and what kind of traditions you have.
Will there be stories told or will you sing special songs? Will there be
dancing perhaps? Will you make special decorations? Tell us about it...
(activity 3)
Have you ever found any old books, diaries or
treasures in your attic that tell you more stories about your ancestors?
Tell us what you have found
(question 11)
Do you think your ancestors have contributed
to the way you are today? Think about the things you value in life and that
are important to you. Did any of your ancestors have these same strong values
or feelings? If you happen to love music or art, for instance, did you inherit
this love from any relatives? Can we inherit such things as a love for art
or dancing or music? Can talents in such areas be inherited?
(question 22)
When older members of a family become ill and
need care during the day is it the custom in your country for younger family
members to care for the elderly or are they generally placed in homes for
the aged (question
24)
During the eight weeks of this module you will
make a Family Tree. Begin to gather information for your Family
Tree by asking relatives for names, birth dates and birthplaces of members
of your family. Gather your information and any pictures you might have in
a folder. Collect important information about relatives that you would like
to add to your Family Tree. As a class brainstorm some questions that you
can ask your mom, dad, grandparents and relatives. Share these questions
with the rest of us in this module
(activity 2)
Make a diorama (three dimensional scene in miniature)
of a house in the time of one of your early ancestors. Make sure that the
items you place in the house were actually invented by that time. Do research
in the library and on the web to make sure your diorama is authentic
(activity 5)
Why do you think people move from one country
or part of the world to another? List your reasons and give examples in history.
Share this with us on the mailing list
(question 1)
Look at a map of the world and identify some
places where people are leaving their homelands. What is the country where
your ancestors came from? Have any of your relatives left their original
homeland for another? Why did they move
(question 4)
When families move to another country is it difficult
to keep their national identity? In your school are there students from other
lands and cultures? Do they wear clothing that identifies their culture?
Are they accepted by the other students
(question 10)
Divide your class into groups and brainstorm
the reasons why people leave a country and why people want to stay in a country.
Display your reasons on a chart in your classroom. Place flags on a world
map to identify countries where a large number of people are leaving their
homeland today. Identify countries where people want to go when they flee.
(activity 1)
How many people lived in your area 50-100 years
ago? Ask your relatives or a librarian to help you find this information.
Search the web to find countries ranked by population, population growth,
and projected growth . How has the population of your country grown since
1950? How is it projected to grow for the next 25 to 50 years?
(question 3)
What historical events were taking place in your
area and in the world 100 years ago? How did these change the course of your
life today? Are there are some famous events from your country that are world
famous (question
5)
What natural events such as floods, famines or
wars changed the course of the history of your area? What strong figures
in your country emerged as leaders in time of crisis? How did they help shape
the lives of the people of your country
(question 6)
What kinds of jobs were available in your area
50 years ago? Ask your relatives to describe some of them. What new technologies
have developed in recent years that were not around when your oldest living
relatives were seeking jobs
(question 8)
How does the clothing
that your grandparents wore when they were young differ from the clothes
you wear today? Are hair styles the same?
(question 12)
How has the value of your money changed in the
past 50 years? How much did it cost to send a letter through the post 20
years ago? How much does it cost now? How much did it cost your grandmother
to buy a loaf of bread 25 years ago? How much does a loaf of bread cost today
(question 14)
Make a graph of the population growth of your
area since 1950. Write an analysis of this graph. What do the figures show?
How has this effected your country? Discuss the changes in your cities and
the environment because of it
(activity 2)
Make a timeline and show the natural happenings
of the past 100 years that made an impact on your area such as drought, floods
or earthquakes, etc (activity
4)
Make a timeline and show the historical events
of the past 100 years that changed the course of history where you live.
What might you expect to see in the next 100 years of that timeline
(activity 5)
Make a personal family timeline and show the
important events in your immediate family
(activity 6)
What character traits do you admire most in your
ancestors? Is there a special relative who has influenced you to do good
things? Tell us about this relative. Where did he or she live? What was his
or her career? Is he or she still living today? Do they know how much you
admire them (question
2)
Do you think that your ancestors thought about
their future generations and how life would be for them? You are that
future generation. Do you think that your ancestors handed down to you a
world that is better than they had? Be ready to defend your answers
(question 3)
What kind of a world do you hope to see your
children and their children have when they are growing up? What things would
you change in our world as it is today
(question 4)
If you could look into the future for your children
what do you think you would see? How would life be different? How are you
preparing for your future? Is there anything you can do right now to prepare?
How did your ancestors prepare for their future
(question 6)
What is your birth position in your family? Are
you the oldest child, the middle child, the youngest child or an only child?
How does this determine your role in your family? If you are the oldest do
you think you have been given more responsibilities? Will this help you in
your future career (question
8)
If you could make one contribution to the future
of your children what would it be? What invention would make life better
for future generations
(question 11)
Do you think we have a responsibility to the
take care of our earth today so that our future generations have a healthy
and safe place to live? What are some things we can do to show that we accept
this responsibility (question
12)
Make a
Venn Diagram
and compare life in school today and life in school when your grandparents
were students. What things are similar? What things have changed?
(activity
1/analysis)
Take a survey of your classmates and graph the
birth orders for everyone. In your class do you have more first born, more
youngest children, more middle children, more only children
(activity 5)
Look at the personalities of the students in
the different birth order categories. Can you make any conclusions based
on what you see? Are middle children in a family more easy going or have
they been elbowing their way through life since birth? What do you think?
Do you think birth order matters at all in how our personalities develop
(activity 6)
What is the weather like where you live? Do you
like your kind of weather or would you like it to be different? Would you
like to go on a virtual vacation where the weather is different from what
you are used to? Do you think it matters what kind of weather we have?
(question 5)
How big is your country? How many people live
in your country? How many people live in your area? What kind of an area
do you live in (rural or urban)? Do you think it makes a difference for kids
whether they live in a town or on a farm? Do you think environmental issues
are treated well in your country?
(question 6)
During the first two weeks you will write
an invitation to kids all over the world to come to visit your area.
Go to the library to find books about your area. Make notes and write them
down. See if you can find anything on the internet about your area (remember
to write down the web addresses - you can put them in the invitation).
(activity 1)
What languages do you speak? In which countries
can you use them? How can you prepare yourself for a vacation in a country
whose language you do not know?
(question 5)
Do you need more information than there is in
the invitations? How are you going to organise getting further information
and plan your trip?
(question 12)
Can we travel to the country you have chosen
by car or do we have to travel by plane or even go on a ship? Do you need
to use more than one way to travel there?
(Question 13)
Work in groups of four and look the invitations
through. Do you all agree? How do you solve a disagreement? Do you vote?
Are there other ways for you to reach a decision?
(activity 1)
Compare how long it takes to go to the places
you are interested in. Do you think it matters how long the trip takes?
(activity 2)
Create a Venn diagram of opportunities. Does
the place have exciting history, nature, entertainment, exciting people to
visit? (activity
4)
Set up a budget for the trip, including
transportation, accommodation, food, entertainment, museums, sport events,
etc (activity
10)
Prepare to present your choice to your class.
When all have prepared their presentations, every group presents its choice
to the class and the class discusses which place they think is the most exciting
to visit. Find out from your budget if you can afford to go to this place.
Then cast your votes
(activity 11)
Each person in the group has the amount equal
to 200 EUROto spend on the trip. Will it be enough? What can you
buy for this amount in the place you are going to visit?
(activity 12)
What about the price of food? Can you cook for
yourselves or do you plan to dine out? What kind of food do you want to have?
Do you think it is available where you are going? Are you going to try some
local food? What kind of food is there? You can use the mailing list to ask
your hosts (question
2)
Search the web to find out about the weather
where you are going. What kind of weather can you expect? When you have found
out about the weather, discuss what kind of clothes to bring with you
(question 3)
Are you going to bring a gift to your hosts?
What kind of a gift might be suitable? Some souvenir from home? Something
you made yourself?
(question 6)
What language is spoken in the country you are
going to visit? Can you speak that language? Do you know anyone who can?
What are you going to do if you don't speak the native language? Do you want
to be able to say some words in the native language when you arrive there?
Search the web to find dictionaries that might help
(question 7)
What about health? Do we need some extra precautions?
Do we need to buy insurance? Do you need injections?
(question 9)
What kind of money is used in the place you choose?
How much is 100 in their currency in your currency?
(question 10)
What about a passport and a visa? What are passports
and visas for? Do you need a new passport or visa? Do we need passports or
visas to all the countries we travel to? What information is in a passport
or a visa? (question
11)
How long will it take? How much will it cost?
Would you be able to go if this were not a virtual vacation but a real vacation?
Compare costs between various offers
(activity 2)
Find out what is the best way to travel to the
place you are visiting. You might be able to find information on timetables
for flights, trains or other transport methods online. Or you can either
send an e-mail to a travel agency or visit one to find out exactly how you
are going to get to the place you are planning to visit
(activity 8)
Communicate with your hosts. Sometimes people
find it difficult to find something to talk about when they meet for the
first time. How do you break the ice? What do you find in common to
discuss? (question
7)
Calculate how far you did travel. Do you use
miles or kilometres? Why not calculate both? How do you exchange currency
from your currency to the currency in the place you are visiting? How do
your hosts measure heat? Fahrenheit or Celsius? Can you calculate both? Make
a table where you can compare different results depending on what calculation
you use (activity
7)
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