Youths Who Changed the World
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
--Mahatma Gandhi
--Mahatma Gandhi
Students take a literary journey through history to learn about social injustices and how youths use technology to change the world. We begin in WWII Germany, learning about resistance fighters who weakened Hitler's evil regime. Then, we travel to the United States during the Civil Rights Movement to explore how youths used technology to secretly share information and protest social injustices. We conclude the unit by taking a trip to 21st Century Pakistan to explore how a young girl leads a crusade against the Taliban to fight for women's right to an education in Pakistan.
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Objectives
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Focus Skills
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inference, text details, descriptive language, mood, text structure
Activities
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"The Boys Who Fought the Nazis"
by Kristin Lewis
(Scholastic Scope, 2013) (narrative nonfiction) Essential question: What role does information and technology play in fighting Hitler's evil regime? |
"Teen Freedom Fighters
Scholastic Scope, 2012
(drama) Essential question: How does technology and music play a role in Black-Americans gaining the right to vote. |
"Malala the Powerful"
by Kristin Lewis
(Scholastic Scope, September 2013) (narrative nonfiction) Essential question: How does having technology help Malala fight the oppressive forces of the Taliban. |
"WWII Part One: Origins of the War"
by Kenneth T. Jackson, Newsela
(informational) Essential question: What were the causes and effects of World War II? |
Mighty Times: The Children's March
by Teaching Tolerance
(documentary) Essential question: Why do the children, and not the adults, participate in the protests? |
Class Dismissed: Malala's Story
by Adam B. Ellick and Irfan Ashraf, New York Times Documentaries
(documentary) Essential question: Why is it difficult for Malala to follow her dreams? |
What does it take to change the world?
In this before reading activity students tap into their prior knowledge and make a list of famous trailblazers: the pilgrims, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson Jr., and Amelia Earhart. Next, we brainstorm a list of words, traits that these people possess, traits required to change the world. Each student selects one word he or she believes is most essential to causing change. After tracing their arms on white art paper, they write the character trait on the cutout, and decorate the arms with colorful designs. The arms symbolize the people throughout history who depicted courage, determination, and resilience -- character traits of those who stood up for what they believed, initiating the change they wanted to see in the world.
Download the list of words, "Vocabulary Traits of Inspiring People," that we created. |
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Note-taking Strategy
As students progress through the passages, they take notes using the "Children Who Change the World Graphic Organizer."
Group Discussions
Working in group, the students discuss:
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Multiple-Choice Debates
Turn multiple-choice assignments into more than a multiple-guessing game with this debate activity. Students answer the questions independently for homework. Next next day, they work in small groups to compare their answers, debate if they disagree, and decide on a final answer. Each group turns in one answer sheet, which encourages debating rather than sharing answers.
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Higher Level
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Lower Level
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Essay Interactive Rubric
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