Organizations bring international development issues to classroom

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By EMC News

EMC Events - Calling all teachers and students: want to learn more about Canada's role in international development and the important contribution of many Canadians in developing countries? Or find out how you can become active global citizens and get involved?

Bringing international development issues into the classroom is an exciting and important way of learning. Why not take part in International Development Week, held annually during the first full week of February (Feb. 5-11, 2012). Classrooms can explore the work of Canada's development community and provide an opportunity for students to get involved in international development.

According to a press release, a recent study conducted by WaterCan in collaboration with the University of Toronto shows that teachers are interested in learning about and using resources offered by charities, but are often unaware of their availability. Since charities lack the budget to widely advertise, their curriculum-specific lesson plans may go unnoticed, despite their great worth. If you or someone you know would be interested in including issues related to water, literacy, sustainability, and more, these Canadian organizations are a valuable resource.

WaterCan

WaterCan promotes awareness and understanding about the impact of clean water for the nearly one billion people who do not have access to safe drinking water. Through the 'H20! Learning' series, which includes lesson plans for primary, secondary, volunteer/credit, and French classes, teachers can explore many engaging and informative ways to include water education. Classroom slideshows, videos, websites, documentaries and songs are freely available for teaching about the importance of water in daily life. WaterCan provides ways to help students identify how the human body depends on water for survival and health or even learning about waterborne diseases such as Guinea worm and Typhoid, all subjects have the potential to include water-based activities. For more information, visit http://www.watercan.com/students/

CODE

For more than 20 years, CODE has developed a wide range of teacher resources for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, including a Teacher's Activity Guide (TAG), lesson plans, and quizzes. The lesson plans, at both the primary and the junior levels, have a thematic focus on literacy and are designed to assist Canadian teachers in meeting their provincial/territorial curriculum requirements in Language Arts, create a literate environment in their classroom and nurture their students' love of reading. Learning to read and write can be a challenge in many countries due to a lack of teacher resources and books, especially in local languages. Through the CODE lesson plans, students realize that learning to read and write can help keep them healthy and safe. For more information, visit http://www.codecan.org/

The Canadian

Hunger Foundation

CHF is a non-profit organization dedicated to enabling poor rural communities in developing countries to attain sustainable livelihoods. The focus on livelihoods is applied in innovative ways from building peace in post-conflict areas and reconstructing the lives of those struck by disaster, to empowering women and protecting the environment. Through CHF's Global Education Program, this organization helps teachers create a sense of global citizenship and empowerment. Invite CHF into your classroom by taking advantage of their free guest speakers, free lesson plans, videos and games created by teachers to meet curriculum expectations from grades 1-12 for many subjects. For more information, visit www.chf-partners.ca/education

Submitted by Emily Harris, (WaterCan volunteer.