Education for All Project...Putting it ALL together!

The United Nations have hopes that by the year 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.  This is one of many “Millennium Development Goals” that have been accepted by all countries in the UN. 

 

You have been appointed by the UN to determine whether the country of ____________ is making any strides towards this MDG.  You will therefore need to do extensive research on the Education system in ___________.   You will need to discuss your findings in front of the United Nations Security Council on __________. Your official presentation to the United Nations Security Council will include a detailed analysis on the Standard of Living in your country in order to determine what needs to be done to ensure that all children in your country have access to an Education.

Report Requirements:

Location/Environment Facts:               

1.   You will need to present a map outlining the major cities and water sources in your country.

2.   You will need to include a brief written description of your country’s location.   

Reflection:  Why is the information important when creating a plan for development?

Human Ingenuity Facts:

1.    What are some major contributions that people in your country have made to their society or to the world?  It may be an invention or an Art form.  It may be from modern times or from the past.

Reflection:  Why is the information important when creating a plan for development?

Population Facts:

1.   What is the total population?

2.   What is the age structure of the people that live in your country?

3.   What is the population of each gender in your country?

Reflection:  Why is the information important when creating a plan for development?

Economic Facts:

1.    How many people are living below the poverty line?

2.   What is the GDP per capita?

3.   What are the major industries in your country?

4.   Did you find any evidence of Child Labour or sweatshops?

5.   What information did you find from the World Bank activity?

Reflection:  Why is the information important when creating a plan for development?

Health and Social Facts:

1.   What is the life expectancy for your country?

2.   What is the literacy rate for the country, males and females?

3.   What is the expenditure on education?

4.   What is the school expectancy?

Reflection:  Why is the information important when creating a plan for development?

Analysis of Facts:

Using the information you have gathered, write a report on the overall standard of living in your country and how it impacts education. You should include: 

1.    Your bitstrip showcasing one major problem in your country

2.    Information on the major problems that exist in your country and how they affect the rights of all children to attend school.

Solution (Plan for Development)

After gathering all of your information and determining what the barriers to education are in your country.  Present to the UN exactly what needs to be done so that ALL children can attend school.  Please include at least 5 suggestions.  Some should begin with:  “START….” And some should begin with “STOP……”

Your solutions should appeal to:

1.    Average global citizens of the world (What can they do?)

2.   Citizens of your country (What can they do?)

3.   Leaders in your country and in the UN (What can they do?)

Presentation of Ideas:  You have creative license to create a presentation that is informative AND persuasive.  You must have a VISUAL component to your presentation and an ORAL component to your presentation.



Week of May 2nd...Bit Strips

1.  Please visit the website:  wwww.bitstripsforschools.com
2.  Click "log in"
3.  Under Student Log In, enter the class code that matches your class ATL7B, ATL7C, ATL7D, ATL7E, ATL7F
4.  Find your name
5.  Set your password
6.  Begin the "Education for All" assignment


thttp://www.bitstripsforschools.com/



7C Letters to Japan

Please post your letters here after carefully editing you work and following the expectations for writing.


Dear 7C,
Thank you for writing such kind words to the students in Japan!  We are still missing letters from:  Constantin, Aleezah, Adam, Alex, Maddie and Michael.  There was one letter from Tanzania?  I am not sure who that is!  See you tomorrow!
Ms.Shoniker

7E Letters to Japan

Dear 7E,
Thank you for writing such honest and thoughtful letters to the students in Japan.  I know they will make a difference to someone!  I am still missing a letter from:  James, Riley, Katerina, Daniel, Elena, Ryan, Aly, Theresa, Kara and Grace.  Please finish your letter before you move on to the Bit Strip activity.  Thanks!
Ms.Shoniker

7B Letters to Japan

Please post your letters here after carefully editing you work and following the expectations for writing.

Dear 7B,
Thank you for writing the letters to the students in Japan.  I hope it will make a difference to someone and raise their spirits.  I am still missing a letter from:  Sharon, Andrei, Lina, Maria, Emily and Tshego.  Please finish the letter before you move on to the Bit Strip activity.  Thanks!
Ms.Shoniker

7F Letters to Japan

Please post your letters here after carefully editing you work and following the expectations for writing.

Dear 7F,
These letters are beautiful!  I can tell some of you put a lot of thought and feeling into your letters.  Thank you!  There are two letters with no names and I am missing letters from:  Tru-Asia, Aymen, Josh, Alex C, Alex C, Steffen, Sanitra, Nadin, Jolani and Gessica.  Please complete these before you start the bit strips.  Thanks!
Ms.Shoniker

7D Letters to Japan

Please post your letters here after carefully editing you work and following the expectations for writing.

Dear 7D,
The letters that have been posted are amazing!  They are very thoughtful and heartfelt.  Thank you for taking the time to write out your thoughts and feelings for these students!  I am still missing A LOT of letters.  Please make sure you have completed a letter before you begin the next bit strip activity!  Thank you,
Ms.Shoniker

Windfields can make a difference!

Messages of Hope:

Article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366898/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-30-children-sit-silent-classroom-parents-vanish.html

Article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/29/us-japan-tsunami-school-idUSTRE72S1P420110329

Excellent Blog: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/world/asia/12japan.html

Interactive map:  http://www.nytimes.com/packages/flash/newsgraphics/2011/0311-japan-earthquake-map/index.html

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL05ckcLqbM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12725646

Images of before and after:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

Example letters:  http://www.hopeletters.org/

Address: 

Taira daiichi chyugakko (Taira Junior High School)

1 Agetsuchi Taira-aza

Iwaki-shi

Fukushima-ken

Japan

〒 970-8026



Pink Day is Wednesday, April 13th!!!

This Wednesday is the International Day against bullying, discrimination, and homophobia!  Windfields students are encouraged to wear pink clothing this Wednesday in order to show that they celebrate diversity and are against bullying in our school. 

 http://www.dayofpink.org/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2007/09/18/pink-tshirts-students.html

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/about_us/media_room/Room.asp?show=allNews&view=detailed&self=29367

http://www.pinkshirtday.ca/  Go to this website and read one News Article in full.  Post your response to the article using the 3R's:  Retell (Summarize), Relate (Connect) and Reflect (Question). 



2011 Federal Election

Vote Compass:  What views are most like yours? 

http://federal.votecompass.ca/

 

ILLITERACY:

1.  What is illiteracy?
2.  If someone is illiterate, what problems might they face in their life?
3.  How can violence be related to illiteracy?

Week of March 28th....In The Export Processing Zone!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

More than 25 million people in developing countries work in export processing zones, where goods are mass-produced, wages are usually low and human rights are not always respected.

  

Part #1:

1.    What is an Export Processing Zone

2.    What is a sweatshop

Part #2:  "Mickey Mouse goes to Haiti"

 In the late 1990’s, the CEO of Disney was making $9 783 per hour.  A Haitian worker making Disney products made 28 cents an hour.  How long would it take one worker, working a 40 hour week to make what the CEO earned in one hour?

Part #3:

Pretend you are a leader of a company who has factories in Canada, The United States and Spain.  The following chart lists the average salaries and number of employees you have working for you:

Country:	Ave. Salary:	Number of Workers:	Total Cost:
Canada	$11.42	800
United States	$10.56	1450
Spain	$12.45	760

Imagine you fired ALL of your staff, closed the factories and opened a factory in an export processing zone, paying the same number of workers 40 cents an hour.  How much would you spend on the new labour?  How much would you save?

Part #4:  Please post your answer to at least one of these questions:

1. Do Export Processing Zones exist in your country? 

2. What is the impact of this policy on the people living there?

3. How do you feel about this issue?

4. What questions do you now have about EPZ's?

 $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Warm Fuzzies!

1.  Why did the children give out warm fuzzies in a carefree and     reckless manner?
2. What did the children know that their parents didn't know?
3.  What could warm fuzzies represent in the world?

Week of March 7th, 2011

International Women's Day is on March 8th. 

The official theme of this day is:  “Access and participation of women and girls in education, training, science and technology.”

We have learned that Education is a basic right that can change a country and lift people out of a life of poverty.  In your country do both genders have equal access to education?  How do you know?  What are some reasons that girls either do or do not have equal access to education in your country?

Check out:
http://www.un.org/en/events/women/iwd/2011/index.shtml

http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/index.php?id_page=38&pattern=education%20for%20all


http://plancanada.ca/page.aspx?pid=2272

Week of February 28th

Please visit the website:  http://www.worldbank.org/ and follow these steps:
1.  Read about the World Bank.  What do they do?
2.  Find your country
3.  Read the country overview provided by the World Bank.  What are the specific challenges to development?  How many MDG's are estimated to be achieved by the year 2015?  What does the World Bank say about the role of education in your country?

4.  Post one important new piece of information that you uncovered about your country during today's class.  (Please post your response with your name and class) 

Afghanistan

My country is Afghanistan. Their population is 29,121,286, afghanistan is located south of Asia. Their flag appearence and meaning has vertical bands of black , red and green, with the national emblem in white in the center (Meanings- black means the past, red means blood that shed for independence and green means either hope for the future, agricultureal properity, or islam.) Their official language is Afghan persion or dari. 50% speek Afghan persion or Dari or theres Pashto which 35% people speek. Their literacy rate for males is 43.1% ; the rate for females is 12.6% (2000 est.) their expenditure on education is NA, although their school expectancy  for males is 11 years and for females is 5 years (2004). The population below the poverty line is 36%. The GDP is $1000(2010est.) $1000(2009 est.) and $800(2008 est.) NOTE THE DATA OF THE GDP ARE IN 2010 US DOLLARS. Afghanistan's life expectancy: total population-44.65; males-44.45 years and females 44.87(2010est.)
-Maria V. 75

UN Day of Social Justice: February 20th, 2011

Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/user/unitednations?blend=3&ob=4#p/search/2/-Ktj_cIsxJU

Check out this UN Publication:

http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/GAP_Report_part1_final_14_Nov.pdf

Week of Feb. 14th: Research

The United Nations has set the Millennium Development Goal that by the year 2015 every child can complete a full course of primary schooling.  According to your research, does your country meet the UN's Millennium Goal?  If not what are some factors that are preventing the children in your country from going to school?

Potato Activity

During our last ATL class, each of you participated in a strange activity involving potatoes!  I would like you to respond to the following question:  What do you think was the overall purpose of the potato activity?