An important thing to stress in integrating global competencies into standards is that you are not actually adding or changing anything. Teachers are already overwhelmed with everything that they normally have to do on a daily basis. Globalizing standards requires only a shift in mindset, and purposeful, strategic planning. Below, you can find an example of how simply focusing on global education can turn core standards into global ones.
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Integration of Global Education (Investigate the World):
- Students will identify and describe how a similar event in two separate parts of the world are related in terms of impact and recovery.
- Students will look at the impact of a hurricane/cyclone on the lives of the people who live in the affected area in two separate locations in the world.
- Students will review assessments of damage, including dollar amount of destruction, homelessness due to homes being destroyed, access to clean water and necessary supplies, and timeline for social and economic recovery for both areas.
- Students will then look at differences in wealth and access to supplies for each location.
- In small groups, students will discuss why some areas are more affected than others as the result of a similar strength storm and what causes there may be for the disparity, writing individual reflections.
Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
Integration of Global Education (Recognize Perspectives):
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
Integration of Global Education (Recognize Perspectives):
- Students will look at different texts on an historical figure/event of global significance with multiple perspectives
- Students will understand how culture can influence perspective
- Students will begin by briefly writing and sharing what they know and what they believe about Christopher Columbus.
- Students will read excerpts from a text describing Columbus’s journey as the accomplishment of a great man and excerpts from a text looking critically at Columbus’s shortfalls and imprisonment by the Spanish crown. These will be compared with texts analyzing Columbus’s effects on Europe (increase of wealth and power) and his effects on the native population of the Caribbean.
- Student groups will be given roles (two European merchants and two natives of the Bahamas) to discuss/argue the results of Columbus’s voyage from their perspective.
- Student groups will then switch to new roles (two members of the Knights of Columbus, two First Nations citizens) to debate the Columbus Day parade.
- Teacher will informally assess role-playing discussions while circulating
- Students will reflect on role-playing discussions and answer the question, “How did the individual’s culture/national identity influence how they felt about Columbus and his journey?”