TEACH Magazine Nov/Dec 2013

NOV / DEC 2013 $3.85

LE PROF E D U C AT I O N F O R T O D AY A N D T O M O R R O W - L’ E D U C AT I O N - AU J O U R D ’ H U I E T D E M A I N

COLUMNS

23 Field Trips: 25

Historic Homesteads Web Stuff: Learning Apps

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CURRICULA

10 CANADA’S

DEMOCRACY: Around the World in 193 Countries

DE COURS 16 PLAN SUR LA DÉMOCRATIE : Autour du monde en 193 pays

NETWORK NINJA Teaching Teaching Digital Digital Citizenship Citizenship

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OUR PASSION, THEIR VOICE

How How Teachers Teachers Used Used an an App App to to Spark Spark Communication Communication in in Autistic Autistic Students Students

Engaging students in the future of our Living Planet!

WWF’s Schools for a Living Planet program provides teachers and students with free tools and resources, connecting classrooms to WWF’s conservation work.

Curriculum-linked lessons and activities for K–8 connect directly to conservation priorities in Canada’s forests, lakes and Arctic.

Classroom versions of our Wildlife Adoption Kits help students learn about the interconnectedness of all living things.

Classroom toolkits provide ideas and instructions for getting involved in Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, Earth Hour and other WWF events.

Join the Schools for a Living Planet community at schools.wwf.ca and access these free resources and more! © 1986 Panda symbol WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund). ® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark. Photos: © Zig Koch / WWF, © Mitsuaki Iwago / Minden Pictures

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FEATURES Network Ninja .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Laun Shoemaker

Our Passion, Their Voice ............................................................................................................. 26 Tim Wesson and Muna Kadri

COLUMNS Field Trips: Historical Homesteads ............................................................................................................................. 23 Web Stuff: Learning Apps ............................................................................................................................. 25

CURRICULA Canada’s Democracy: Around the World in 193 Countries ........................................................10 Plan de cours sur la démocratie : Autour du monde en 193 Pays .................................................................16

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF 3

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notes

U

ndoubtedly, we are living in a connected era. Whether it a smartphone, tablet, or computer, digital devices have become central to our daily lives. It is then natural to expect technology and connectivity to be integrated into classroom learning. Our first feature story follows Laun Shoemaker, an educator in Newfoundland who taught Digital Citizenship to students by means of a fun and unique project—create a music video, just by using an iPad! The result, “Network Ninja,” a song and video to the tune of “Inner Ninja”

by Classified and David Myles also demonstrates that understanding how to structure and prepare video is becoming as important as teaching the five-paragraph essay in this digital era.

Today’s advanced technology encourages and transforms communications for special needs students. Contributed by two Ontario educators, our second feature is about their journey to bring communication devices to their Autistic nonverbal students. Inspired by a TV program featuring an innovative iPad app for Autistic users, the team of Tim Wesson and Muna Kadri were determined to equip their own students with the very same devices that allowed users to verbalize their thoughts.

These dedicated educators detailed their journey. It began with securing funding, and moved onto training and overcoming the learning curve, introducing and teaching the app, involving the entire school, and ultimately and most importantly, the success of their students. Together, their shared passion helped give a voice to their students.

historic homesteads across Canada that host tours, discussions, and demonstrations about what life was like for the families who once occupied them.

Last, we want to share some exciting news—The Ruptured Sky has won an award! The Ruptured Sky (www. therupturedsky.com) has received the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario’s (ETFO) Curriculum Development award for Aboriginal curriculum resources on The War of 1812. Written from an authentic Aboriginal perspective, the interactive graphic novel incorporates exclusive video, informative interviews with First Nations members, and profiles of important personalities like Tecumseh, John Norton, Joseph Brant, and others.

The curriculum resources were created in part by Hamilton-Wentworth educator, Tanya Leary. Don’t forget to visit www.therupturedsky.com for more information or to sign up for your free trial.

It’s hard to believe (and admit) that it’s already November! We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to connecting again in the New Year.

Lisa Tran, Associate Editor @teachmag

Elsewhere in this issue, our regular columns also appear; Web Stuff and Field Trips. A collection of apps designed to help students with a variety of learning disabilities both academically and socially are covered in Web Stuff. And in Field Trips, we invite you to visit one of the many

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Publisher / Editor: Wili Liberman Associate Editor: Lisa Tran Contributors: Muna Kadri, Laun Shoemaker, Tim Wesson Art Direction: Katryna Kozbiel Design / Production: Studio Productions Editorial Advisory Board: John Fielding Professor of Education, Queen’s University (retired) John Myers Curriculum Instructor, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/ University of Toronto Rose Dotten Directory of Library and Information Services, University of Toronto Schools (Retired) www.teachmag.com TEACH is published by 1454119 Ontario Ltd. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. Subscriptions are available at a cost of $18.95 plus $1.14 GST including postage and handling by writing our office, 1655 Dupont St., Suite 321, Toronto, ON M6P 3T1 E-mail: info@teachmag.com T: (416) 537-2103, F: (416) 537-3491.

Unsolicited articles, photographs and artwork submitted are welcome but TEACH cannot accept responsibility for their return. Contents of this publication may be reproduced for teachers‘ use in individual classrooms without permission.

Others may not reproduce contents in any way unless given express consent by TEACH. Although every precaution is taken to ensure accuracy, TEACH, or any of its affiliates, cannot assume responsibility for the content, errors or opinions expressed in the articles or advertisements and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any damages whatsoever. Canadian publication mail sales product agreement No. 195855. ISSN No. 1198-7707.

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Network Ninja Teaching Digital Citizenship

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By Laun Shoemaker

Under the umbrella of Digital Citizenship (DC) are some complex concepts. Netiquette, Internet safety, information usage and cyber bullying are just a few of the topics that teachers explore as they help students unpack what it means to use technology responsibly. Our school went wireless this past January. While our tech team provided a carefully thought out access policy and great resources for introducing Digital Citizenship, I wanted to ensure that students internalized the messages within DC.

Almost simultaneous to the launch of our wireless and bring-your-own-device program (BYOD), was Imagineaction’s announcement of its 2013 funding round for social action projects. Imagineaction is a branch of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation that has a mission to help learners “develop the attitudes, skills, and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and for the future, and to act upon those decisions.” With assistance from the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, Imagineaction offers grants to support student projects that imagine a better world and take action to make it so. I took the grant announcement to my students and asked for ideas on what DC project we might do with $500. Children brainstormed a DC Day, a DC app and at some point someone suggested a music video. This notion was a showstopper and we suddenly had a unanimously approved project. Not long after that we had a rough blueprint for the video process.

Our plan was to choose a popular song and rewrite the lyrics to reflect digital citizenship themes. Because it was imperative that lyrics be clear and audible, we would use the grant to hire a local recording artist to help us master singing the song. Once the song was in hand we could storyboard the video and film it. Our last effort involved sharing the video on Imagineaction’s Website and YouTube.

Our first objective, however, was to obtain the grant.

One of the key criteria in Imagineaction funding is the requirement that projects be student-led. I felt that part of the leadership could come from writing the grant proposal and this was an opportunity to do some persuasive writing. Imagineaction’s online grant form provided the paragraphing framework for these essays. I showed the students this format and we hashed out and organized a basic outline. Each student then created an individual proposal. We peer-edited these essays in pairs and as a whole class. Perhaps, because the writing activity was authentic and children knew their persuasive letters could have a tangible payoff, peer-editing sessions showed maximum effort. The final appeals were remarkably compelling and I combined three of the strongest for our submission. Imagineaction confirmed the funding within two weeks.

The funding authorization built more momentum for the project and this created a very collaborative atmosphere for the next stage. Children suggested a range of songs as the music for our Digital Citizenship lyrics. We agreed on the popular rap “Inner Ninja” by Canadian artists Classified and David Myles. In the same discussion, a student proposed that we call the song “Network Ninja” and by the end of the period this title had been universally adopted.

Before embarking on writing text, we analyzed the original lyrics for rhyme scheme and meter. We considered the song’s literary devices and how they helped create

pictures that would make sense in video. I divided the stanzas into sections and writing groups of three or four students chose a DC topic to illustrate in their assigned verse. Ian Foster, the recording artist we’d chosen, Skyped into our classroom and introduced himself, described his background, and offered additional suggestions for writing.

When students finally broke into their workgroups, ideas were percolating and pencils were scratching. Circulating among groups, I noted high engagement. Social loafing was nonexistent. Students discussed metaphors and emphasized word choice and then would sing what they’d written a capella. Within surprisingly little class time “Network Ninja” was in musical rehearsal.

Some children volunteered to sing or rap solo parts and others chose to do sections as duets. Although many were happy to participate only in the chorus, I was really pleased that some of my more timid students stepped into main roles. Ian Foster created and delivered an MP4 karaoke copy of the soundtrack. I uploaded this to my Teacherweb site and students practiced their parts at home.

At the same time, children’s before-the-bell discussions became quite interesting. I overheard debates about the time and tone of texts, about the sense of friending strangers on Instagram and about questionable content that had been uploaded to Facebook. Maybe these conversations were always there, but they seemed to have a more discerning attitude and reflect the DC ideas we’d been considering during the project.

Students were well-prepared when Ian Foster trotted in with a cartload of equipment on recording day. Ian Foster is a professional musician and an ArtsSmarts veteran and “he’s right sick!” Through our Skype chats, the students had already established an easy rapport with “Ian.” His gentle humour and encouraging character made even our most stressed singers relax. The equipment comprised a portable sound studio that, once set up in our storage closet, had the look of the coolest recording booths seen on TV. Driving all this gear was a MacBook Pro and GarageBand software.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF 7

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Ian took our singers individually and in their pairs and set them to work in the booth. Each group recorded a few takes and once he felt he had something usable, Ian urged the singers to “Go with it!” and “Take some risks!” and “Be a little crazy!” Each performer had a chance to hear their part with different effects and learn about the software and hardware behind our song. It was an excellent introduction to the mechanics of modern music-making. By lunchtime, the recordings were complete. Ian emailed the mixed final copy that afternoon which I played for the students before they went home. Children were negotiating the video production timeline as they left.

With “Network Ninja” in hand, we were getting close to filming, but still needed a screenplay to guide our production. Since the original writing teams had worked well together and had demonstrated commitment to their individual verses, they were in an ideal place to storyboard and act these parts. This grouping also ensured that every student would be featured in the video.

Admittedly, this part of the project could have been better managed. Students were very enthusiastic and their ideas were sometimes beyond both our budget ($0.00!) and our special effects skills. In their haste to get in front of the camera, some of their scenes were very sketchy. I take responsibility for providing children with storyboard sheets that were designed for cartooning. These planners were missing important considerations like the location of scenes, shot types and who would be doing which roles.

These omitted details complicated and extended the actual filming time. A less collaborative class would have bickered a lot more to resolve these issues.

Students were familiar with the free VideoStar app, so we used it and an iPad to film the video. VideoStar cues up the music for a scene, making it it simple to synchronize the sound and video. Any scene can be reviewed after it is shot, but can’t be stored, so there is no option to choose from various versions of a scene or different camera shots.

VideoStar shoots the video sequentially. As one scene is completed, it joins it to the previous making editing extremely easy. One student, who was familiar with the app and quite team and task-oriented, directed and filmed this portion of the exercise. She did an admirable job of keeping

the project moving and assuring that the groups responsible for each scene were proud of their contribution. In less than two days our video was filmed,

edited, and credited. We unveiled it at an assembly later that week.

My school keeps a photo and video release form for every child on file. While I had parental authorization to use images for all my students, I still felt it was important to seek their permission to upload the video to the web.

Parents were pleased with the final product and provided

Children’s before-the-bell discussions became quite interesting. I overheard debates about the time and tone of texts, about the sense of friending strangers on Instagram and about questionable content that had been uploaded to Facebook. unanimous assent. I closed the Imagineaction final report by typing my comments into the online form and attaching Ian Foster’s invoice. Then I uploaded the video to both sites and shared the links, www.imagine-action.ca/showcase/ View.aspx?id=5711 and with our stakeholders and the rest of the world.

I will continue to explore video in my teaching. Children are motivated when producing video and it’s really their media of choice. “Network Ninja” helped students internalize Digital Citizenship concepts. It provided them with authentic practice in persuasive writing, poetry writing, and storyboarding. It encouraged girls and boys to sing and act and it exposed them to technologies like GarageBand and VideoStar. Children worked creatively and collaboratively to communicate a message. Understanding how to structure and prepare video is becoming as important as teaching the five-paragraph essay. This year, I’ve set a goal to help students transform their expository writing into documentary film shorts. This effort will include more sophisticated screenplays, camera angles, editing and, with any luck, guidance from a professional director. But for now—cut. That’s a wrap, folks.

Laun Shoemaker lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland with his wife, Caroline, daughter, Sophie and golden-doodle, Bella.

He teaches Grade Six Intensive Core French at Beachy Cove Elementary in Portugal Cove St. Philip’s. He will complete his master’s in Education and Francophone Literature and Cultures at Memorial University by Christmas.

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CURRICULA Adapted from Elections Canada Learning Resources www.democracy-democratie.ca

A Message to Teachers While voter turnout rates have gone down in Canada and other Western democracies, research shows that civic education is linked to increased political knowledge and intention to vote—two important predictors of voter turnout. Research also shows that open classroom discussions on issues related to democracy help build political knowledge, support for democratic values and civic engagement.

Political discussion at home is also linked to increased voter turnout, and students themselves can play a key role in generating discussions with their parents. The purpose of this Canada’s Democracy Week Education Guide is to engage your students in the democratic process by giving them the tools to talk about democracy in Canada, the importance of voting, how they are already contributing to democracy, and how they can continue to do so in the future. Your role as an educator is more crucial than ever in bringing relevance and awareness of our democratic and parliamentary institutions to students—the voters of tomorrow.

LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will: • Increase their knowledge of Canadian democracy.

• Improve their comprehension of the term “democracy” and its variations.

• Research, critical thinking and presentation (oral and written) skills in discussing democracy and civic engagement.

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FOR GRADES

9 TO 12

Canada’s Democracy Introduction/Pre-Activity A Definition of Democracy To introduce students to the term “democracy,” have them brainstorm, individually or in small groups, what they think democracy means before looking at an actual definition.

Students can create spider charts with their ideas on a piece of notebook paper.

Bring all the ideas together as a class by: • Building a word wall. Have all the students use a marker and write out one or two of their definitions or component parts of democracy on pieces of paper and tape them to an empty wall or chalkboard space.

• Having students call out some of their ideas and create a classroom-wide spider chart where everyone can see and refer to it.

• Collecting the students’ spider charts and using their answers to create a word cloud on the classroom interactive white board. Websites such as www.wordle.net and www.tagxedo.com can help with this.

Around the World in 193 Countries: Learning Activity The United Nations has 193 recognized member states; in this activity, students will research a handful of these member states to discover how their political systems and civic values compare to Canada’s. Be sure to select a variety of nation states that represent the full spectrum of democratic/non-democratic societies. You may want to use some of the suggested sources in HANDOUT 3 to help in your selection.

Please note that the online sources provided in HANDOUT 3 are not affiliated with Elections Canada and should be considered only as suggestions for resources that students may wish to consider for their project.

Options in delivering the lesson: The time it takes to complete this activity with your class will depend on the presentation choices you make and the level of research you are looking for. Ideally, you will be able to dedicate one or two classes to the final presentations. If your time is more limited, consider spending a class with your students answering the questions in HANDOUT 2 together, based on a country, or two, that you have selected. Otherwise, you should assign different nation states to individuals, partners or groups of students.

Have students plan their research based on the questions in HANDOUT 2.

Students should complete their research using the library’s resources as well as online sources. HANDOUT 3 provides a list of suggested sources that will be a good place for students to begin their research. Work can be completed at home or in class, depending on your timeline.

Completed projects should be presented/shared following a discussion of what was learned about Canada’s democracy.

Students might present their project as an essay, an oral presentation, in an electronic format such as a class wiki, as a dynamic presentation using www.prezi.com, or as a PowerPoint presentation.

Closing Activity Once the projects have been completed, ask the students to reflect on the process. The reflection could be in the form of an in-class or take-home writing assignment, a blog post, a letter to the editor, a report for the school newspaper/website or simply an in-class discussion. If time permits, Extension Activity #2 could also be considered as a closing activity.

Consider: • Looking at all the countries presented, in your opinion, what are some of the positive and negative attributes of the different political systems?

• Based on the information you have discovered, what do you see as your role in Canada’s democracy, today and in the future?

• Through this process, what new information have you gained about Canada’s system of democracy, about your role as a Canadian citizen, and your rights and responsibilities attached to your role in Canada’s democracy and as a Canadian citizen?

Possible Extension Activities Invite a speaker from Passages to Canada to discuss his or her views on Canadian democracy and how it compares to the system of government in his or her country of origin. You can book a visit online using www.passagestocanada.com.

Plan an educational day for the school where the class presents its findings on democracy by creating country displays.

Continued on page 18

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Canada’s Democracy

HANDOUT 1: DEMOCRACY AROUND THE WORLD

Name: ...........................................................................................................

Date: .............................................................................................................

Class: ............................................................................................................

Definitions to consider and discuss: DEMOCRACY Democracy, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary “is a form of government in which the power resides in the people and is exercised by them either directly or by means of elected representatives.”

A complementary definition: “Democracy is a universal value, based on the freely expressed will of the people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems and their full participation in all aspects of their lives.”

(Source: Democracy and the United Nations Backgrounder, www.un.org/en/events/democracyday/index. shtml)

Keep these definitions in mind, along with the classroom discussion, as you continue your studies.

YOUR DEFINITION OF DEMOCRACY:

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Canada’s Democracy

HANDOUT 2: DEMOCRACY AROUND THE WORLD

Name: ................................................................................................................

Date: ..................................................................................................................

Class: .................................................................................................................

Use the following questions to help guide your research: 1. Based on the definitions of democracy in HANDOUT 1, how does Canada’s political system work?

2. Based on the definitions of democracy in HANDOUT 1, how does your assigned country’s political system work?

3. How are government representatives selected and how often is this done?

4. Who can become a government representative? Who can participate in selecting government representatives?

5. What levels of government exist and what are their responsibilities?

6. What rights and responsibilities are given to citizens? How are these protected?

7. Are there political parties? If so, how many and what do they stand for?

8. What are three interesting facts about your country’s way of governing itself, about its government and/or about its elections?

9. Are there differences between your assigned country’s political system and Canada’s? If so what are they?

10. What impact might these differences have on citizens in each country?

11. Why do you think these differences exist?

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Canada’s Democracy

HANDOUT 3: DEMOCRACY AROUND THE WORLD 1/2

Name: ...........................................................................................................

Date: .............................................................................................................

Class: ............................................................................................................

These online resources are not affiliated with Elections Canada and should be considered only as suggestions for sources that might help you in your research.

Potential Resources for Other Countries The CIA World Factbook www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html Freedom House Publications www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=351&ana_page=373&year=2011 The Electoral Systems of the World (IDEA – International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Web: www.idea.int Map: www.idea.int/esd/upload/ESD%20map-english.pdf State of Democracy assessment by country: www.idea.int/sod/worldwide The Electoral Systems of the World (IDEA – International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) Web: www.idea.int Map: www.idea.int/esd/upload/ESD%20map-english.pdf State of Democracy assessment by country: www.idea.int/sod/worldwide ACE electoral Knowledge Network (available in English and French) Web and map: www.aceproject.org/index-en?set_language=en Country information: www.aceproject.org/regions-fr Systems of government map and information: www.aceproject.org/epic-en/CDMap?question=ES&set_language=en Spotlight on voting age (might be an interesting fact for the students to include in their presentations on their chosen country): www.aceproject.org/today/forum/spotlight-on/voting-age Map and voting age: www.aceproject.org/epicen/CDMap?question=VR001&set_language=en Voter information materials: www.aceproject.org/ero-en/index_html?filter&topic=Civic and Promotion Materials Comparing information on elections and government for countries: www.aceproject.org/epic-en International Foundation for Electoral Systems Web: www.ifes.org Elections guide: www.ifes.org/Content/Projects/Applied-Research-Center/Cross-Cutting/Election-Guide.aspx

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Canada’s Democracy

2/2

Potential Resources for Canada Elections Canada www.elections.ca Parliament of Canada www.parl.gc.ca The Canadian Encyclopedia: Nova Scotia: The Cradle of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=A2173

Other Potential Resources The United Nations’ International Day of Democracy Documents www.un.org/en/events/democracyday/docs.shtml United Nations (general – on democracy) www.un.org/en/globalissues/democracy/index.shtml Commonwealth – youth page (may be of interest as it discusses issues related to democracy and youth) www.yourcommonwealth.org EISA – Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa Information on election and governing systems of a series of African countries: www.eisa.org.za/WEP/countryindex.htm

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA 15

CURRICULA

ANNÉES :

Pour les élèves de niveau secondaire

TATS D’APPRENTISSAGE

Disponible aussi en français à www.democracy-democratie.ca

Message aux enseignants Les taux de participation électorale sont en baisse au Canada et dans d’autres démocraties occidentales. Or, des études montrent que l’éducation civique tend à accroître les connaissances politiques et l’intention de voter – deux facteurs importants liés à la participation électorale. Des études révèlent également que les discussions libres en salle de classe sur des enjeux liés à la démocratie contribuent à approfondir les connaissances politiques, l’attachement aux valeurs démocratiques et l’engagement civique. Les discussions politiques au foyer sont aussi associées à une participation électorale accrue, et les élèves eux-mêmes peuvent susciter la discussion avec leurs parents. Ce guide pédagogique de la Semaine canadienne de la démocratie est conçu pour faire participer vos élèves au processus démocratique en leur fournissant les outils nécessaires pour parler de la démocratie au Canada, de l’importance de voter, de la contribution qu’ils apportent déjà à la démocratie, et des moyens de continuer à y contribuer. Votre rôle d’éducateur est plus crucial que jamais pour favoriser une prise de conscience de la valeur de nos institutions démocratiques et parlementaires chez les élèves – les électeurs de demain.

16 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA

Les élèves devront : • Accroître les connaissances des élèves sur la démocratie canadienne.

• Amener les élèves à mieux comprendre la notion de « démocratie » et les différentes formes qu’elle peut prendre.

• Offrir aux élèves l’occasion de mettre à profit leur capacité de recherche, leur pensée critique et leurs compétences en présentation (à l’oral et à l’écrit) dans le cadre de discussions sur la démocratie et l’engagement civique.

Introduction/Mise en situation Définir le terme « démocratie » Afin d’initier les élèves à la notion de « démocratie », demandezleur de faire un remue-méninges, individuellement ou en petits groupes, pour définir dans leurs propres mots ce qu’est la démocratie, avant de consulter une vraie définition. Ils peuvent noter leurs idées sous forme de tableau en toile d’araignée.

Rassemblez toutes les idées de la classe et : • Créez un mur de mots. Demandez aux élèves de prendre un gros marqueur et d’écrire sur des morceaux de papier une ou deux de leurs définitions ou mots-clés se rapportant à la démocratie. Collez ces papiers sur un mur ou au tableau.

Plan de cours sur la démocratie

• Demandez aux élèves d’exprimer oralement certaines de leurs idées et créez un grand tableau en toile d’araignée que tout le monde pourra voir.

• Rassemblez les tableaux en toile d’araignée des élèves et, avec leurs réponses, créez un « nuage de mots » sur le tableau électronique de la classe. Des sites Web comme www.wordle.net et www.tagxedo.com pourront vous être utiles (ces sites fonctionnent en anglais, mais peuvent être utilisés pour créer des documents en français).

Autour du monde en 193 pays : activité d’apprentissage Les Nations Unies comptent 193 États membres. Dans cette activité, les élèves feront une recherche sur quelques-uns de ces États membres afin de découvrir comment leurs systèmes politiques et leurs valeurs civiques se comparent à ceux du Canada. Assurez-vous de choisir des pays qui couvrent tout le spectre des sociétés démocratiques et non démocratiques.

Vous pouvez utiliser certaines des sources suggérées dans le DOCUMENT 3 pour vous aider à faire vos choix.

Veuillez noter que les sources en ligne présentées dans le DOCUMENT 3 ne sont pas affiliées à Élections Canada et ne sont là qu’à titre de suggestions.

Options pour le déroulement de l’activité : Le temps nécessaire pour cette activité dépendra de vos choix concernant le format des présentations et le niveau de recherche attendu.

Idéalement, il faudrait prévoir une ou deux périodes pour les présentations finales. Si vous disposez de moins de temps, vous pourriez passer une période à répondre avec vos élèves aux questions du DOCUMENT 2, pour un ou deux pays que vous aurez sélectionnés. Autrement, vous devriez attribuer différents États membres à vos élèves, travaillant seuls ou en équipes de deux ou plus.

Remarque : Vous voudrez peut-être profiter de cette occasion pour parler à vos élèves des techniques de recherche propres à leur niveau scolaire, ainsi que des sources, des techniques de prise de notes et des stratégies que vous jugerez appropriées afin de circonscrire et de définir les sujets.

Demandez à vos élèves de planifier leur recherche en fonction des questions du DOCUMENT 2.

Pour compléter leur recherche, les élèves devraient utiliser les ressources de la bibliothèque ainsi que des sources en ligne.

Le DOCUMENT 3 contient une liste de sources suggérées qui constituent un bon point de départ. Le travail peut se faire à la maison ou en classe, selon l’échéancier que vous aurez fixé.

Une fois réalisés, les projets devraient être présentés à la suite

d’une discussion sur ce qui a été appris au sujet de la démocratie canadienne. Les élèves peuvent présenter leur projet sous forme d’essai, de présentation orale ou de document électronique (wiki de classe, présentation interactive utilisant le site www.prezi.com ou présentation PowerPoint).

Remarque : Un guide d’utilisation en français sur le logiciel Prezi est disponible à www.prezi.com/learn/prezi-guide-french.

Activité de clôture Une fois leurs projets terminés, demandez à vos élèves de dire ce qu’ils ont pensé du processus. Cet exercice de réflexion peut prendre diverses formes : devoir écrit en classe ou à la maison, texte de blogue, lettre à un éditorialiste, article pour le journal ou le site Web de l’école, ou simple discussion en classe. Si vous disposez du temps nécessaire, l’activité complémentaire 2 peut aussi servir d’activité de clôture.

Questions : • Dans les pays examinés par les élèves, quels sont certains des points positifs et négatifs des différents systèmes politiques?

• D’après les renseignements que vous avez trouvés, quel rôle pensez-vous avoir dans la démocratie canadienne, maintenant et dans l’avenir?

• Tout au long de ce processus, qu’avez-vous appris sur le système démocratique du Canada, sur votre rôle comme citoyen canadien et sur les droits et responsabilités rattachés à ce rôle?

Possibilités d’activités complémentaires Invitez un conférencier de Passages vers le Canada à venir expliquer comment il voit la démocratie canadienne et comment ce système se compare à celui de son pays d’origine.

Pour réserver les services d’un conférencier : www.passagestocanada.com.

Organisez une journée éducative au cours de laquelle votre classe présentera ses recherches sur la démocratie à toute l’école au moyen d’affiches sur les pays.

Critères d’évaluation proposés Sur le plan du contenu : • Dans quelle mesure l’élève a-t-il démontré, dans ses réponses aux questions du DOCUMENT 2, qu’il avait bien compris la nature distinctive du système de gouvernement du pays sur lequel portait sa recherche?

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA 17

Plan de cours sur la démocratie • Dans quelle mesure l’élève a-t-il démontré qu’il comprenait que la démocratie est plus qu’un simple système de gouvernement?

• Dans quelle mesure l’élève a-t-il démontré qu’il comprenait la nature distinctive de la démocratie canadienne et de nos institutions démocratiques?

Sur le plan de l’efficacité : • L’élève a-t-il présenté les résultats de sa recherche de façon claire et organisée?

• Dans quelle mesure l’élève a-t-il démontré qu’il était capable de recueillir des données (recherche), et de faire preuve d’analyse critique plutôt que de simplement résumer l’information trouvée dans les sources?

• Dans quelle mesure l’élève a-t-il synthétisé ses résultats de recherche de manière à présenter seulement les éléments ayant rapport avec les questions posées?

Continued from page 11 Suggested Assessment Considerations Content assessment suggestions: • How well did the student answer the questions in HANDOUT 2 to demonstrate understanding of the distinctive nature of the country system of government that was researched?

• To what extent did the student convey an understanding of democracy as more than simply a system of government?

• To what extent did the student convey an understanding of the distinctive nature of Canadian democracy and democratic institutions?

Effective assessment criteria: • Did the student present his or her findings in a clear, organized manner?

• To what extent did the student demonstrate a capacity to collect data (research), analyze it and apply critical thinking in his or her work, as opposed to simply summarizing source material?

• To what extent did the student edit his or her research to present only findings that were relevant to the questions asked?

18 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA

ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER..................................................................................PAGE 1 Anaphylaxis Canada............................................................................. 8 2 Disney................................................................................................ 28 3 Medieval Times.................................................................................. 25 4 The Ruptured Sky ............................................................................... 24 5 The Shadowed Road ............................................................................ 5 6 Vesey’s............................................................................................. OBC 7 WWF.................................................................................................... 2

Plan de cours sur la démocratie

DOCUMENT 1 : DÉMOCRATIE : AUTOUR DU MONDE

Nom : .............................................................................................................

Date : .............................................................................................................

Classe : ..........................................................................................................

Définitions à étudier et à discuter : DÉMOCRATIE Le dictionnaire Le Petit Robert donne la définition suivante de la démocratie : « Doctrine politique d’après laquelle la souveraineté doit appartenir à l’ensemble des citoyens; organisation politique […] dans laquelle les citoyens exercent cette souveraineté ».

Définition complémentaire : « La démocratie est une valeur universelle, qui émane de la volonté librement exprimée des peuples de définir leur propre système politique, économique, social et culturel et qui repose sur leur pleine participation à tous les aspects de leur existence. » (Source : document d’information intitulé La démocratie et les Nations Unies – www.un.org/fr/events/democracyday/democracy.shtml) Gardez à l’esprit ces définitions, ainsi que les discussions tenues en classe, pendant que vous poursuivez vos études.

VOS DÉFINITIONS DE DÉMOCRATIE :

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA 19

Plan de cours sur la démocratie

DOCUMENT 2 : DÉMOCRATIE : AUTOUR DU MONDE

Nom : .............................................................................................................

Date : .............................................................................................................

Classe : ..........................................................................................................

Servez-vous des questions suivantes pour vous aider à orienter votre recherche : 1. D’après les définitions de la démocratie dans le DOCUMENT 1, comment fonctionne le système politique du Canada?

2. D’après les définitions de la démocratie dans le DOCUMENT 1, comment fonctionne le système politique du pays qui vous a été attribué?

3. Comment les représentants gouvernementaux sont-ils choisis, et à quelle fréquence?

4. Qui peut devenir un représentant gouvernemental? Qui peut participer à la sélection des représentants gouvernementaux?

5. Quels sont les différents ordres de gouvernement, et quelles sont leurs responsabilités?

6. Quels sont les droits et les responsabilités des citoyens? Comment ces droits sont-ils protégés?

7. Y a-t-il des partis politiques? Si oui, combien et quelles idées défendent-ils?

8. Au sujet du pays qui vous a été attribué, indiquez trois faits intéressants concernant sa façon de se gouverner et/ou sa façon de tenir des élections.

9. Y a-t-il des différences entre le système politique du pays qui vous a été attribué et celui du Canada?

Si oui, lesquelles?

10. Quel pourrait être l’effet de ces différences sur les citoyens de chacun des deux pays?

11. Pourquoi ces différences existent-elles, d’après vous?

20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA

Plan de cours sur la démocratie

DOCUMENT 3 : DÉMOCRATIE : AUTOUR DU MONDE 1/2

Nom : .............................................................................................................

Date : .............................................................................................................

Classe : ..........................................................................................................

Ces ressources en ligne ne sont pas affiliées à Élections Canada et sont indiquées seulement à titre de suggestions pour vous aider dans votre recherche.

Ressources potentielles concernant d’autres pays The CIA World Factbook (en anglais seulement) www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html Freedom House Publications (en anglais seulement) www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=351&ana_page=373&year=2011 Les systèmes électoraux du monde (IDEA – Institut international pour la démocratie et l’assistance internationale) Site Web : www.idea.int (en anglais seulement) Carte : www.idea.int/esd/upload/ESD%20map-english.pdf (en anglais seulement) Évaluation de l’état de la démocratie par pays : www.idea.int/sod/worldwide (en anglais seulement) Réseau du savoir électoral ACE (en français et en anglais) Site Web et carte : http://aceproject.org/index-fr?set_language=fr Information sur les pays : http://aceproject.org/regions-fr Carte et information sur les régimes politiques : http://aceproject.org/epic-fr/CDMap?question=ES&set_language=fr Pleins feux sur l’âge de vote (il peut s’agir d’un fait intéressant à traiter par les étudiants dans leur présentation sur le pays qui leur a été attribué) : http://aceproject.org/today/forum/spotlight-on/voting-age (en anglais seulement) Carte sur l’âge de vote : http://aceproject.org/epic/fr/CDMap?question=VR001&set_language=fr Documents d’information à l’intention des électeurs : http://aceproject.org/ero-fr/index_html?filter&topic=VoterEducation&country=&type=Information Données comparatives sur les élections et les gouvernements pour différents pays : http://aceproject.org/epic-fr/ IFES – International Foundation for Electoral Systems Site Web : www.ifes.org (en anglais seulement) Guide électoral : www.ifes.org/Content/Projects/Applied-Research-Center/Cross-Cutting/Election-Guide.aspx (en anglais seulement)

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA 21

Plan de cours sur la démocratie

2/2

Ressources potentielles pour le Canada Élections Canada www.elections.ca Parlement du Canada www.parl.gc.ca L’Encyclopédie canadienne : « La Nouvelle-Écosse, berceau de la démocratie parlementaire canadienne » www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=ArchivedFeatures&Params=F2173

Autres ressources potentielles Documents des Nations Unies sur la Journée internationale de la démocratie www.un.org/fr/events/democracyday/documents.shtml Nations Unies (informations générales sur la démocratie) www.un.org/fr/globalissues/democracy/index.shtml Commonwealth – page destinée aux jeunes (page qui peut s’avérer intéressante, car elle traite d’enjeux liés à la démocratie et aux jeunes) www.yourcommonwealth.org (en anglais seulement) EISA – Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa Informations sur les systèmes d’élections et de gouvernement de divers pays d’Afrique : www.eisa.org.za/WEP/countryindex.htm (en anglais seulement)

22 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF - CURRICULA

field trips Historic Homesteads All across Canada, there are properties dating back to centuries ago that have been wonderfully preserved and cared for and are open to the public. Many of these places host tours, discussions, and demonstrations about what life was like for the families who occupied these homes. Here is a list of excellent old homesteads across Canada that will make great destinations for history field trips for all grades.

agriculture and specific farming practices in Canada. This a great field trip for children learning about farming or Canadian prairie history.

Florillon National Park www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/qc/forillon/edu.aspx

Huble House www.hublehomestead.ca/HubleHouse.html

Located just outside of St. George, British Columbia, Huble House is an old homestead built in 1912. It has been restored to its Victorian era glory, and the site also boasts an old post office, a general store, a blacksmith with a fully functioning forge, and a recreated First Nations Settlement. School Tours are offered at an inexpensive $3.00 per student as well, and in-class visits can also be scheduled.

Seager Wheeler Farm www.seagerwheelerfarm.org

Florillon National Park is located in the Gaspé Peninsula (the tip that borders New Brunswick) and boasts a small fishing village filled with the history of Canada’s fisheries from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century. A visit to the Hyman and Sons General Store and the AnseBlanchette homestead will demonstrate the importance of the cod fishery to villagers of the town many decades earlier and students will learn of an important piece of their province’s history.

Fraser’s Homestead www.explorenovascotia.com/nova-scotiaattractions/?id=30 Located in Glenn Margaret, Nova Scotia, Fraser’s Homestead has over 100 years of history, including being the home of storyteller and artist Ivan Fraser, famous for his novel and legend of of Peggy’s Cove. Fraser conducts tours of his home-turned museum and gives students a lively and interesting foray in Nova Scotia lore and history.

The Seager Wheeler Farm is located northeast of Saskatoon. Built in the early 1900’s by renowned farmer, Seager Wheeler who won numerous awards for his wheat, the farm has been fully restored to its 1919 condition along with the farming equipment used in that era.

Students can tour the grounds, learning about the history and importance of

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF 23

EDUCATORS LOVE THE RUPTURED SKY!

The Ruptured Sky is a digital literacy title that explores the War of 1812 from First Nations perspectives.

A great resource for teaching social studies, history, literacy, and First Nations curriculum.

SEE MORE INFO AT THERUPTUREDSKY.COM

webstuff The following apps were all designed to help students with a variety of learning disabilities academically, socially, and behaviourly.

Sosh

www.mysosh.com/whatissosh.php Sosh is an app to help those with Asperger’s and highfunctioning Autism adapt to social surroundings, through managing stress, reasoning, connecting with others, managing behaviours, and understanding feelings. A free “lite” version is available for download, and the full app is available for purchase at approximately $40 a download.

This app is a great way for students to learn valuable social and communication skills.

The Talking Scientific Calculator

itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-scientificcalculator/id411433609?mt=8 The Talking Scientific Calculator utilizes voiceovers to help students facing difficulties in math better grasp certain concepts such as, counting, adding, and subtracting. This app also comes with the unique option to use voice commands for button names, formulas, and answers. This is a great and affordable aid ($4.99) for those with dyscalculia (a range of learning disabilities specific to mathematics) or anyone who may need extra help with their math problems.

My Choice Board

itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-choice-board/ id384435705?mt=8 My Choice Board provides a means of communication for children with autism, developmental delays, or any other condition that may limit verbal responses.

This app works by allowing the user to organize their preferences into categories onto a choice board. Customizable options include the ability to add audio, upload images, and edit the choices to show that they are “unavailable.” My Choice Board makes communication much easier and more

manageable for children who now have the ability to sort through the information given to them and express their own thoughts, opinions, and desires.

ACT Spell

itunes.apple.com/us/app/act-spell/ id379976080?mt=8 ACT Spell is a spelling and vocabulary app that aids in building motor, visual, and neurological skills. It has textto-speech output for the buttons (the user can hear what is being spelled) and the size and visual setting scan be adjusted to teach fine motor skills. The game itself challenges the user’s cognitive skills by asking them to correctly complete the spellings of words, phrases, and sequences. This app is great for early language learners regardless of their age.

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feature

How Teachers Used an App to Spark Communication in Autistic Students

Our Passion, Their Voice

By Tim Wesson and Muna Kadri

As the assistant head of special education at Vaughan Secondary School in the Toronto area, Tim Wesson describes his professional learning journey as one driven by the desire to improve the standard of living for autistic students and to seek ways to build partnerships in the school community. For four years, Tim has been teaching autistic students and facing a recurring struggle to assist them in developing their communication skills. The ability to interact effectively is perhaps the largest barrier to inclusion and independence that students on the spectrum encounter. One night, while watching 60 Minutes, Tim saw a segment on an iPad application named Proloquo2go that assists nonverbal autistic students with verbalizing their thoughts.

Proloquo2Go turns an iPad, iPhone or iPod into an augmentative conversation device. The app provides an individual with a voice by using text to speech-based symbols or words selected or typed by the user, with word prediction capabilities. In its basic view, the app is set up like a communication board. Users tap a word, phrase, or picture and the program speaks it. A spark was lit. Tim wanted to know if this application could help his students but the high cost of both the device and application would be a challenge.

Wayne Gretzky was right, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so seize every opportunity presented to you.

Back at school, Tim shared the 60 Minutes clip with his staff and administration colleagues to garner interest in working with this technology. Muna Kadri, the school’s literacy teacher responded with, “I think I may have a way for us to make this happen.” Tim and Muna then turned to the Ontario Ministry of Education’s Teacher Learning and Leadership Program that provides funding for “experienced teachers to enhance their professionalism and skills, extend their learning and share their expertise with others for the broader benefit of Ontario’s students.” Once Tim, Muna, and the Vaughan Secondary team secured funding for the project, a three-day conference was held to prepare teachers for the endeavour. They dove right in. Muna organized the purchase, setup, and management of the equipment while Tim integrated the technology into his classroom.

You don’t have to be an expert to try something new in your classroom Although Tim had received the iPads and installed the app, he still needed to learn how to use Proloquo2Go. This, maintains Tim, is an example of the importance of building a learning network. Their network consisted of a speech and language pathologist, occupational therapist, as well as a communicative disorders assistant from Children’s Treatment Network (CTN) who guided the teachers’ professional development. The experts provided profiles that were customized to each student’s needs along with a huge library of online learning tools from Proloquo2Go. The CTN team coached teachers so that they could learn as much as possible about the app. During the learning process, Tim and Muna learned first hand that that you don’t have to be an expert to try something new in the classroom.

Start with a clear goal Before starting the project, baseline data of students’ communication skills were taken. Using partners from the

wider school community, the data showed that the students were misunderstood in an overwhelming majority of trials.

Each student already had an Individual Education Plan so the learning objectives were built on established goals. “By starting with a goal that would engage our students, we hoped that any success would motivate them to persevere,” says Tim. “Our most common goal was to independently initiate a request [from students] three times daily using Proloquo2go.” Tim was working closely with a group of high school kids who were highly motivated by lunch so using prompts, students were encouraged to tap the ‘I want’ button followed by a selected a food item. Staff would then hand students what they requested.

There are no mistakes, simply opportunities to learn from experience Quickly, it became apparent that organization and layout of the buttons in the app needed to be specific to each student.

Muna describes the process: “We started off by borrowing a template that was used by another student in our school board and modified it to suit our class. Over the course of the first few months, we made near daily revisions to better suit the needs of each student.” For instance, Tim explains that reading comprehension was a strength for one student and as result he removed pictures that distracted the student.

For another student, all of the choices on a particular screen were overwhelming so the buttons were colour coded and organized into rows by subject to accommodate his learning style. Throughout all the revisions and modifications, the teachers were able to become more familiar with the program and its many features.

There are no setbacks, just new opportunities to learn.

Often, Tim and Muna found their students still required verbal prompts to make requests. Since P2G is a communication tool, it seemed natural that students would rely on their teachers to start the conversation. “While we certainly hoped for some spontaneous use of P2G, we did need to use verbal prompts to get students to use the app,” says Tim. He and Muna opted to use prompts that are naturally part of language and conversation whenever possible. For example, one student would sit quietly at the lunch table until asked, “what would you like to eat today?” He made his request or teachers were encouraged to say, “Pardon me? I don’t understand,” and the student would tap the appropriate button to express himself. The team also asked the entire school staff to initiate the students to communicate in the same way. This approach led students away from relying on their support staff to prompt them to use their devices and seamlessly integrate the P2G into conversation.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 TEACH | LE PROF 27

Another powerful teaching tool the P2G team employed was modelling. To convince students that P2G was an effective conversational tool, the educators had to prove it by using it themselves. When introducing students to a new classroom goal, Tim and Muna did so using P2G. It helped the students see the placement of the buttons in the app.

“Modelling also gave us a greater appreciation for how difficult it is for our students to adopt a new communication method, it truly felt like we were all learning a new language,” shares Muna.

The larger your support network, the greater chance your students will succeed.

After integrating the P2G into the classroom environment, the opportunity to continue using the iPad at home was offered to parents. Here, CTN’s support was particularly valuable in that they were able to provide direct support to parents as their mandate allows them to go directly into the home to work with the family. They were able to teach the families how to use the app and made changes to the app based on the student’s life at home. Said Tim: “We found that having the app used at home increased the student’s success.

It becomes a much more powerful tool when it is always available to the student.”

As the school year continues, Tim and Muna reflect

back on the successes of the previous term with P2G and hope to carry them forward. They were able to meet many learning goals while others needed to be adjusted so that they became more attainable, but that is just good special education practice. Some students were able to learn to use their iPad without teacher prompts during some activities.

As a school community, they were very encouraged by the student progress in only a year, which keeps them optimistic for the future. Muna shares some insight she received during the pilot project, “An autistic student’s learning progression is not like a mountain, always increasing. Rather it is like stairs. There is success, but then it plateaus while we work to maintain it before the next success.” With that in mind, Tim and Muna stress, that, for their students, it is very important to use the app as much as possible. They both agree that, “When our students used Proloquo2Go to communicate everyday, they became the most successful.”

Tim Wesson is the assistant head of special education at Vaughan Secondary School in the York Region District School Board. He is keenly interested in creating classroom environments that focus on developing skills that will enhance quality of life.

Muna Kadri is the head of alternative education and lead literacy teacher at Vaughan Secondary School in the York Region District School Board. She is passionate about investigating ways technology can be used to promote student success and drive teacher learning.

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The Importance of School Meals

PHOTO EXHIBITION

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food aid arm of the United Nations. It is also the world’s largest humanitarian organization that is focused on fighting world hunger. The WFP recently launched a travelling photo exhibit funded by DFATD (Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development) formerly CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), that consists of 12 printed photos depicting the WFP School Meals projects around the world. The WFP serves as many as 26 million meals a year to school children in 60 countries. Some of the photos show the potential of children who receive them—they’re raising their hands in class, excited to learn or they’re engaging in lively conversation with friends. For poor families in the developing world, a free school meal provides a powerful incentive to send their children to school; a meal represents opportunity.

The photo exhibition has now travelled to seven schools across Canada and is also accessible to all educators online at no cost. The photos are accompanied by a description and include lesson plans as well as a free educational online game, Free Rice. For every correct answer, the game’s sponsors donate 10 grains of rice to WFP. Students can now become actively involved in addressing world hunger and have fun at the same time!

Many people may feel that world hunger is too large an issue to solve and they cannot make a difference. In reality, it only costs $0.25 to provide a child with a meal. The photo exhibit and lesson plans teach students the ways in which they can become involved and the profound affect of humanitarian food aid when it extends beyond a single meal.

The Importance of School Meals Photo Exhibition is appropriate for all grade levels and is available in both English and French.

To access the online exhibit please visit, www.wfp.org/photos/gallery/importance-school-meals-photo-exhibition or contact Julie Marshall at julie.marshall@wfp.org who can help

bring the exhibit to your school.

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