I always know a quarter has been successful when students are able to apply what they have learned to a real life situation. That’s what the Global Citizenship Project is all about.

Today was the last day of Social Studies for this group of students, and we closed out by taking some action! Each class chose a different topic, and in a very short time frame, they wrote and produced a video that they hope will influence adults around the world to think differently.  Please watch, and share with others who might need to hear these messages!

Global Citizenship Project for the “Turtle Duck” Class: Responding to the recent bombing in Brussels

Global Citizenship Project for the “Cool Kid” Class: Responding to a report on Arctic temperatures being higher than ever. 

Pretty impressive work, right? In case you are curious how we did this project, here’s a taste of our  action-packed week.

First, we watched a film about Malala Yousafzai, the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. This film helped students understand what it means to be an extraordinary global citizen.

In order for each class to decide on their issue, students researched current events. They each chose a news article (from student-friendly sites like Newsela, Dogo News, and Time for Kids) and posted about their findings on GoogleClassroom, a forum where they could further exchange ideas and comment on each other’s articles. 

Then, we moved into the discussion phase, where we went through several rounds of talking and voting to narrow in on the preferred topic and method of change.

After that, the class needed to brainstorm action steps, and make it happen. Since we were time crunched, I helped with facilitation and video editing, but the students hashed out all of the other details collaboratively. There were plenty of outtakes, but all in all, students took the process seriously and supported each other as they each contributed in different ways.

I am proud of their global citizenship and dedication. May it be a first of many experiences for these young people to get to take action on a global issue.