Classroom Materials

We offer many different ways to connect your classroom to the global community.

Lesson Plans, Curriculum & Teaching Materials

The Choices Program
A Brown University-based program that offers a wide variety of classroom text and educational resources along with professional workshops for teachers of current issues.

TeachUNICEF
A U.S. Fund for UNICEF education program providing interdisciplinary standards-based units and lesson plans covering a range of global issues affecting children and youth–education, health and nutrition, water and sanitation. Background information for educators is provided as well as tips to engage middle and high students into action.

Center for Teaching International Relations
A University of Denver-based program offering K-12 instructional materials, books; Global Resource Center; Online Bookstore; World Affairs Challenge; Graduate courses related to global teaching. Link to International Studies Schools Association.

The Advocates for Human Rights
Complete downloadable course on conflict resolution and global peace that would be appropriate for ninth grade through adults. Offers innovative and thought-provoking lesson plans introducing students to transnational justice and the process of supporting human rights throughout the world. For educator convenience the entire curriculum can be downloaded or individual lesson plans can be used.

Fair Trade Cocoa Curriculum
A curriculum for elementary and middle school students that meets all education requirements while bringing creativity into the classroom in an unconventional way by teaching kids about Fair Trade and how to make a difference.

Foreign Policy Association: Great Decisions Program
Textbooks that help teachers incorporate current world issues into the classroom.

The Cyberschoolbus
U.N. Global Teaching & Learning Project resources including: lesson & project plans on many global issues; Information Database; Global Issues briefing papers for students; Peace Education units; Poverty Curriculum and more.

SPICE: Stanford Program on International & Cross-Cultural Education
Based from the Institute of International Studies, SPICE provides up-to-date curriculum materials on international topics; Publications; Lesson Plans; Newsletter ‘SPICE Connections.’

National Geographic Society
Online Activities, Online Adventures, Maps, Lesson Plans, Educator Network, TV programs, Searchable Database, Links.

Outreach World
Interdisciplinary, cross-regional and standard-specific units, lessons and instructional aids designed by teachers and scholars and tested by practicing precollegiate teachers affiliated with the National Resource Center network.

DEPweb
Sustainable Development Focus: Learning Modules, Learning Tools, Resources for Educators, Newsletter; Millennium Challenge; World Bank primary sources, and more.

World Savvy
Global education non-profit offering low-cost curriculum consulting services and an extensive curriculum lending library to members. Also offers free workshops on global issues and free email updates for current events lessons & professional development opportunities.

Human Rights Resource Center
Human rights education resource for primary and secondary students, which seeks to create peaceful, effective, and fun learning environments for all to excel. Includes online model units for grades K-12, a unique student-centered education process, and a wide scope of additional resources to share emerging practices and tools.

Population Reference Bureau Educator’s Forum
Lesson Plans; Tools and info for teachers on various population topics; Resource guides; Current Data & Statistics; Publications; Quickfacts.

Population Connection’s Education Resources
Education & Advocacy NGO: Population Education Teaching Materials, World Population video, charts, Lesson Plans, Awareness Campaign Kits & more.

Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger
An international online classroom that focuses on the issues of hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Includes lesson plans, sample materials and an interactive forum.

UCLA’s GlobaLink-Africa Online Curriculum
Online curriculum designed to teach high school students about globalization, Africa, and US policy towards Africa. Offers high school students an interactive series of sixteen case studies that make the complexities of the process of globalization accessible and understandable.

The Learning Web
Part of the U.S. Geological Survey website, is dedicated to K-12 education and lifelong learning. Explore things on, in, around, and about the Earth, such as land, water, plants, animals and maps.

Thinkfinity
Free standards-based Internet content for K-12 teachers. Links to lesson plans, course planning, and various educational websites.

Council for Economic Education
Nonprofit partnership of leaders in education, business, and labor devoted to helping young people learn to think, to choose, and to function in a changing global economy. Source of teacher training and materials used to instill an understanding of economic principles for K-12. Lesson plans, publications catalog, and links to other economic education websites.

Population in Perspective: A Curriculum Resource
High school-level curriculum resource book that challenges students to think critically about national and international population issues. A flexible supplement to existing curricula and textbooks that feature global population issues. Contains 276 pages of teaching ideas, background readings, up-to-date facts and figures, provocative quotes, poems, and cartoons, and a comprehensive resource list.

Facing the Future
Facing the Future develops young people’s capacity and commitment to create thriving, sustainable, and peaceful local and global communities. Includes web resources, activities, lesson plans, curriculum, global issues teaching units, and service learning resources.

Asia for Educators Online
Classroom materials and teaching guides on Asia for use by faculty and students in world history, culture, geography, art, and literature at the undergraduate and pre-college levels. Search for content by subject area, document type, or time period. Features several multimedia units on Asia-related topics, as well as maps, timelines, and primary source readings.

VIDEA
Non-governmental organization in Victoria, British Columbia. Includes learning resources such as Global Learner series of loose-leaf teacher guides for secondary students, a Curriculum Database that contains information on over 70 current global issues learning resources, and assorted workshops, fairs and commemorative events that bring information directly to interested individuals.

Social Studies School Service
Educational resources: online database of teaching materials; Global Education catalog; Professional development page.

ODT.org
A source of alternative information on maps, corporate diversity materials, and books.

African Studies Center of Boston University
Resource Library for educators wishing to improve their teaching about Africa: curricula, lesson plans, videos, slides, children’s books, handouts, maps, posters.

Women in the World History Curriculum
An interactive site full of information and resources about women’s experiences in world history: Biographies; Online Catalog; Links; Lesson plans with reviews.

Stanley Foundation Now Showing event-in-a-box Toolkit
The toolkit provides everything groups need to put together an event that will explore U.S. leadership in today’s uncertain world. The toolkit contains DVDs, an event planner, guides, and other helpful tips and resources for putting together a successful event.

Global Classroom Connections

UNICEF Voices of Youth Program
Online discussion forum for students and teachers to discuss global issues and global educational projects.The website also contains informational links on how young people can make a difference or simply learn more about global issues

Darfur Sister Schools Program
The Darfur Sister Schools Program offers an opportunity for American students and teachers to become connected to “sister schools” in twelve refugee camps in Chad, where children displaced by the war in Darfur strive to gain a good education and opportunities for the future. Students will be able to learn about the culture and community of their sister school and share their own story as well. Schools involved will inspire and encourage others to take action on global issues.

Classroom Connect
Develops web-based curriculum products, and professional development programs for K-12 educators; The Quest Channel – online global learning adventures; Extensive catalogs available.

I*EARN
International Education & Resource Network: They empower teachers and young people to work together online through a global telecommunications network.

Coverdell World Wise Schools
A Peace Corps program for schools, offering speakers on global topics, correspondence with a current volunteer, Lesson plans, Teacher guides, videos and global education links.

Youthink!
Youthink! gears international development issues to a youth audience and encourages young people to get involved in solutions to global problems, such as HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, and gender inequality. Includes research, action opportunities, multimedia, stories and facts on issues of global importance.

TakingITGlobal.org
An online community that connects youth to find inspiration, access information, get involved, and take action in their local and global communities. Includes blogs, art galleries, articles and poems, and discussion forums by and for members from all over the world.

The Global SchoolNet: Global Schoolhouse
Focuses on using communication technologies to support learning. Free to all Educators.

Sister Cities International/Sister Schools
Through direct interaction with students in other countries – whether in person or via email – students learn to appreciate cultural differences, recognize similarities, and develop a global perspective. Visit the website and click on “Sister Schools.”

People to People International’s School and Classroom Program
Connects teachers and their students with similar-age classrooms in othe countries. Program includes pen pals, international visitors, and project sharing.

International Studies for Indiana Schools (ISIS)
Innovative distance-learning program using interactive video (IAV) technology to connect IU international students, scholars, and specialists with elementary, middle, and high schools. Available free-of-charge to K-12 teachers, in Indiana or any state, whose school has access to IAV technology. All programs are “tailored,” originating with teachers who contact the Program Coordinator to request the development of IAV programs focusing on particular topics.

Resource Collections and Virtual Libraries

Peace Corps Online Library
Since 1961, Peace Corps Volunteers have worked with diverse cultures in 136 countries. Many materials can be useful to U.S. teachers who work in communities with diverse cultures or teach English to speakers of other languages. The Teaching and Learning section includes ideas for standards-based lessons and activities involving environmental education, reading and writing about the world, teaching to diverse groups, girls’ education, and teaching about geography, cultures and service.

African Studies Center of Boston University
Resource Library for educators wishing to improve their teaching about Africa: curricula, lesson plans, videos, slides, children’s books, handouts, maps, posters.

PIER – Programs in International Educational Resources, Yale University
Collection of more than 2000 audiovisual items and more than 5000 print items available for free loan to educators who teach at the college and K-12 level.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources
Over 2600 carefully selected, annotated links in a wide range of international affairs, international studies, and international relations topics.

TeachGlobalEd.net: Online Resources for Global Educators
Over 5,000 reviews of resources to strengthen teaching and learning about the world. The collections of resources are arranged by region and by global topics and include websites, print materials, and media.

Peace Corps at the National Archives
Background information, documents, and teaching activities focused on Peace Corps materials at the National Archives.

The Global Ed Yellow Pages
A directory of global education resources for K-12 teachers.

Iran Book List
A collection of books that provide a good introduction to the Iranian people and their culture, compiled by the Peace Corps Friends of Iran. The list is organized alphabetically by title.

Interactive and Informational Websites

Free Rice
A fun, interactive game allows students (and teachers) to test their knowledge as well as help fight hunger! For every question that is correctly answered, Free Rice donates ten grains of rice through the U.N. World Food Program to help fight world hunger. The more you play, the more rice you help donate. Now offers question topics such as art, chemistry, geography, grammar, language learning, and math.

My Wonderful World
A National Geographic-led campaign to expand geographic learning in school, at home and in the community. Includes an Action Kit, resource links, games and tips for bringing geography education to your school and community.

VIDEA Global Citizen Website
What you need to start becoming a global citizen. Background information, case studies, action ideas, and resources for dealing with a variety of international issues.

Beyond the Fire
Beyond the Fire takes you into the lives of teenage refugees through various text and audio stories and other educational resources.

GlobalWarming101
Web Forums, Ask the Expert online sessions, curriculum and action opportunities around global warming.

World Peace Emerging
A website that shares and promotes ways that people around the world are working for peace. Includes a newsletter, a list of readers’ projects, and a resource center covering a range of topics.

Project Finland
A project of the Embassy of Finland, Washington D.C. Developed by the government of Finland. Offers three virtual tours: Environment, Social Change and Global Connection. By showing how Finland has addressed these important issues, it provides a great starting point for your class to discuss these topics and learn about Finnish culture.

UN Works
This website puts a human face on serious issues (Business, Children, Development, Education, Emergencies, Environment, Health, HIV/AIDS, Human Rights, Labour, Peace and Women) by telling stories about real people. Filled with resource links for teachers and students who want to learn more about the issues and get involved.

Women in the World History Curriculum
An interactive site full of information and resources about women’s experiences in world history: Biographies; Online Catalog; Links; Lesson plans with reviews.

Google Earth
Google Earth is a free software package that allows users to add notes to satellite maps and share that data with others around the world. Google Earth’s annotated maps show good hiking trails in Marin County, Calif., and interesting medieval sites in Poland. Itﾒs a globe that sits inside your PC. You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts.

Be the Change: Upstanders for Human Rights This website, created by Facing History and Ourselves and designed for middle and high school students, profiles five Reebok Human Rights Award winners. Students explore the influences, inspirations and motivations that led these five upstanders to take action on behalf of others. And in the process of learning, students make connections between the award winners and their own choices and influences.

Against All Odds
Against All Odds is an online game created to increase students’  awareness and knowledge about refugee situations by putting players in the position of a refugee.

PANWAPA
A website that inspires and empowers young children to become global citizens: awareness of the wider world, appreciating similarities and differences, and understanding issues of economic inequality.

Classroom Programs and Presenters

Concern Worldwide Global Concerns Project
Provides participating schools with print and online materials about a compelling topic. Student Modules give an overview of and outline diverse perspectives on each issue. Modules provide information about the issues using maps, images, graphs, quotations, statistics, references and web links. The Teacher Resources contain focused and current information about each topic and region. The resources also include suggested lessons and activities related to the topic that emphasize debate and critical thinking.

The Earth Foundation
The goal of Earth Foundation is to help both educators and students learn and work toward a sustainable economy and a healthy environment. The organization offers an interactive fundraising program to save acres of rainforest from destruction. The site also offers lesson plans, advocacy and letter-writing prompts, and other teacher/student resources.

ICONS Project
Experimental learning program that uses Web-based tools to support educational simulations and training. High school- and university-level programs cast students in the role of decision-makers tasked with trying to resolve contentious political issues of today. Training programs related to conflict resolution, decision making, negotiations, cross-cultural communication, and crisis management.

KIDS Can Make a Difference
Grades 6-12 program for students to become empowered about poverty & hunger issues; Finding Solutions to Hunger Teacher Guide with 25 lesson plans; Hunger Quiz; Newsletter; Hunger Facts.

GLOBE: Global Learning & Observation to Benefit the Environment
A network of students, teachers and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment; Teacher’s Guide; Resource room; Teacher Workshops.

Map Painting Project
Download an instruction manual for painting a world map on the wall of your school. This project is popular with teachers and Peace Corps volunteers around the world and is an excellent way to teach geography and engage students in thinking about the world and their place in it.

O Ambassadors
The O Ambassadors educational program seeks to inspire young people to become active, compassionate, and knowledgeable global citizens. Educators or students can implement the program at their school either as part of their in-class curriculum or as an extracurricular club. Focus will be on the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and awareness of the themes they promote – poverty, education, health, and sustainable development.

Art, Film and Video Resources

UNICEF Television Video Catalogue
Videos from around the world on a wide range of subjects such as child rights, emergencies, young leaders as well as others.

Journeys in Film
Program combines the viewing of foreign language films with innovative lesson plans and facilitated, interactive discussion that creates an immersive, high-impact experience for middle school students. Helps school systems enrich their social studies offerings without increasing personnel while meeting their federal and state educational performance mandates.

International Child Art Foundation
Works to build bonds of friendship and trust between American children and children of the world through the arts. ICAF Website includes an art gallery and information on the program and how to get involved.

“What’s Going On?”
Website based on the popular ten-episode TV series of the same name which was created by the United Nations in partnership with Showtime. Each episode stars a Hollywood actor/actress like Meg Ryan with children who fell victim to social problems such as intolerance and poverty. Each episode was shot in a different country with different actors/actresses (Michael Douglas, Angelina Jolie, Susan Sarandon).

Open Vault
Website provides online access to unique and historically important content produced by the public television station WGBH for individuals and classroom learning. The ever-expanding site contains video excerpts, searchable transcripts, a select number of complete interviews for purchase, and resource management tools.

The Many Colors of Islam
In 2004, children from Indonesia participated in the “Islam Berwarna-warni: The Many Colors of Islam” exhibition project. This project introduces American children and their families to the lives of Muslim children in Indonesia through artistic expression.

Many thanks to Anissa Paulsen, curator of the exhibition, for providing these materials. If you wish to find out more about The Many Colors of Islam traveling exhibit of original artwork for your school or museum space, please contact Anissa Paulsen, Curator at: anissa_joy[at]yahoo.com

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Who are Muslims?
Part 3: Practicing Islam
Part 4: Holidays

Media Sources for Global Educators

World Press Review
Provides platform for ideas and opinions on topics of international concern, specifically the political and economic climate outside the U.S.

OneWorld International
Global development & human rights information, campaigns & news service. Searchable online issue database with 1000′s of archived articles.

The U.N. Foundation
Newswire service covering all United Nations issues. Daily email news digests available. Archived resources.

Green Teacher Magazine
Magazine by and for educators to enhance global & environmental education across the curriculum: 50 pages of lesson plans, activities, ideas, resource reviews, 4 times a year.

World Savvy Monitor
The World Savvy Monitor is a free service of World Savvy, a 501c3 national education nonprofit. The World Savvy Monitor is designed and written for educators, but is a universal tool for deepening content knowledge of world issues. It provides background, context, and perspectives to help understand the conversation in the global community.

Global Stats and Facts for Educators

U.N. Global Statistics Homepage
Links to many UN and non-UN statistics sources.

UNICEF Statistics and Facts
Statistics & Facts about the State of the World’s Children.

CIA World Factbook
Country information with maps – assembled by the CIA.

International Information Center & Archives for the Women’s Movement
Catalogue & Bibliographical Files, Archives & Documents, Mapping the World, Database of Research in Women’s Studies.

28 queries in 0.814 seconds.