Grade 7 Language Arts - Brian

Brian Boyce

PLO - Grade 7 Language Arts 

1. B1  read fluently and demonstrate comprehension of a range of grade-appropriate literary texts, including – stories from various Aboriginal and other cultures
   
   – stories from a variety of genres (e.g., myths, fantasy)

When teaching mythology teachers in the West will often explore European and Aboriginal mythologies, but often neglect myths from other cultures.  However, there is great wealth of mythologies from all over the world that delve into universal truths. 

If students were introduced to mythologies from around the world, they would gain a much richer understanding of how cultures share similarities and differences. 

Regards, 

Brian 

--

Jennifer Towers

UBC - IB Cohort Faculty Advisor

Science Teacher

MYP Personal Project Coordinator

Biology - Evolution unit - Justin Siray

Evolution is a topic that effects all of is in a unique way. Each and every living species on this planet has undergone some kind of evolutionary process and are continuing to experience evolution as we speak. Evolution is not summarized or explained by one single factor or event. It is a cumulation of many factors both biotic and abiotic in our world. To promote international mindedness in the topic of Evolution, I would get students to think of ways how evolution could possibly differ around the globe. Looking specifically at things that occur within nature, including the habitat, ecosystem, life forms present, weather, etc. On top of this I would encourage students to look at how different cultures effect evolution in our world, how would they differ? What kind of selective pressures could exist in one country but not in another? To tie it all together I would get students to investigate and discuss whether these selective pressures are a good thing or a bad thing, should humans be guiding evolution through technological advances? This topic can promote great international mindedness as well as topics dealing with many ethical and interconnected issues that affect evolution in our world today and more importantly in the future. 

Regards

Justin

International Mindedness in Music - Jocelyn Liu

Instrumental Music 12: Structure (Elements of Rhythm, Melody and Expression) Units

International mindedness can be incorporated into the structure units if students play music that features different musical folk elements from different cultures. Instead of playing the standard concert band charts, there can be a programme made up of repertoires composed/arranged by different composers from different areas of the world. By playing in these different music styles, students can learn about the linkage between tradition and music that can be found specifically in each culture. Students can then compare and contrast the differences in rhythm, harmony, and articulations used between the pieces. If possible, guests should be brought in to show and talk about the different performance techniques in his/her specialty area. This experience of playing music from all over the world can later easily be turned into another international minded unit focusing on the historical/cultural context. 

- Jocelyn

--

Jocelyn Liu

B. Ed Candidate 2014 | University of British Columbia

B.Mus 2012 | University of British Columbia
VP External 2010-12 | Music Undergraduate Student Association
jocelynct.liu@gmail.com
(C) 778-865-1388

International Mindedness in Music - Colin Van de Reep

Instrumental Music 11: Context (Historical and Cultural) unit.

PLO: Analyse instrumental music from a range of historical and cultural contexts.

On the surface, this PLO seems to be internationally minded however in the context of a grade 11 band class, this is often realized by simply listening to music from different cultures or by playing shallow western interpretations of music from different traditions. In order to teach this PLO in a truly internationally minded way, the teacher would need to avoid the mindset that the western tradition of music is the "alpha" tradition. By fully immersing the students in the cultural context and teaching that each culture has a musical tradition that is distinct, highly advanced and steeped in tradition, students will learn that the western way is not the only way of realizing sound as music. Because instrumental music classes are taught in the western tradition exclusively, attempts at so-called "cultural music" are often non-authentic, floofy, and in some cases even racist. If the students are completely immersed in the other traditions respectfully and holistically, It could be a much more internationally minded experience.

-Colin Van de Reep

International Mindedness (Mathematics) –Jason Liu

A1. Demonstrate an understanding of the Système International

A2. Demonstrate an understanding of the imperial system

 

The lesson will provide the students an introduction to the different units of measurements that they encounter in their daily life. Other less familiar measurement units will be introduced. The students will be introduced to the units that Canadians don't really use and asked to suggest reasons why different set of measuring units are used in different countries and different regions.

The students should be able to learn how to convert between different set of standard units and develop an idea of the convenience and/or inconvenience of having so many different measurement units. For example, different units will be compared to provoke questions such as: how did the unit measurement come to be (why is a foot called a foot and the cultural aspects behind it), why are the units not standardized worldwide (miles vs km), what are the advantages/disadvantages of an imperial system of measurement.

International Mindedness in Biology - Natalie Liu

Biology 11: topic - Ecology

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

D1 analyse the functional inter- relationships of organisms within an ecosystem

 Lesson Plan

I would try to approach PLO through an international minded lens two ways: in the process of science, and through the content of ecology.

One activity where students could understand international mindedness is the study of ecology and the value of ecologists throughout the world.  Students would be able to analyze the history of scientific thought in ecology, from local and natural observation, to a global community of collaborative work worldwide.  This will also enable students to understand competing theories throughout history and current conflicting theories that still exist today.

The second activity would be to understand that the world is compromised of several different types of ecosystems.  Students can be grouped and assigned a certain ecosystem.  They can study the biotic and abiotic factors within their ecosystem and present these relationships to the other groups.  Discussion will surround the value of each ecosystem and the interdependence between all different types of environments to maintain genetic diversity.

-Natalie Liu

International Mindedness - English LA - Jenny

One of the PLOs in English 8 state:

B2 - read, both collaboratively and independently, to comprehend a variety of information and persuasive texts with some complexity of ideas and form, such as

– articles and reports 

– biographies and autobiographies

– textbooks, magazines, and newspapers

– print and electronic reference material

– advertising and promotional material

To incorporate international mindedness, a world map could be set up and articles and events could be pinpointed onto the areas that the texts come from, as well as a bulletin board or collection of the responses and articles. This creates a more culturally diverse classroom, conversation between students and also a visual that others can view and learn from to foster respect and understanding for other cultures. Responses to the text could include the student's own personal experiences, their questions, why a certain text was written the way it was written and so on. This could build up critical thinking and analytical skills while still being something that can assess for the student's understanding. 

Jenny 

International Mindedness - Textile Arts - Meghan Leeburn

Meghan Leeburn

Visual Arts- Textile Arts Unit

There are a variety of techniques that could be taught including weaving, dyeing, resist dyeing, block printing, embroidery, knitting, crocheting and quilting. All of which have their own sociocultural histories to explore.

This could connect with contemporary issues about the working conditions of textile industry workers in other parts of the world (such as the recent factory collapse in Bangladesh). There are also connections to be made regarding child slavery, environmental concerns (textiles are one of the largest polluting industries) as well as thinking about our own problematic consumption of "fast fashion".

Music Unit - Alex Mitchell

Alex Mitchell - Music

Choose a unit topic -

MYM Choir: Vocal Timbre (Colour)

How could it be more internationally minded?

In traditional choir classes, there is an optimal vocal timbre that the group works towards achieving.  To contextualize, explore, and expand this concept, choir classes could consider, research and experiment with different timbrel vocal qualities. To do this you could expose the class to music from around the world with varying vocal timbres including but not exclusive to: vocal jazz, European opera, Chinese opera, Inuit throat singing, country, bluegrass, Gregorian chant, and timbre layering in west African vocal music.

First Nations Studies 12 - Alasdair

BC First Nations Studies 12

Upon covering the final portion of the PLO that is concerned with leadership and self-determination, drawing parallels with another nations similar issues (in this case, Japan's relationship with the indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu) can help students understand this is indeed an international issue and also feel empathy rather than guilt in the role of an outsider.

First question to the class: Why do you think other countries don't have issues between indigenous peoples and later settlers?

Let's look at this list of countries. Why do you think we don't hear about issues between indigenous peoples and government in these countries?

United Kingdom

France

Italy

Japan

If students do not point out the issue in Japan, briefly explain and have them research parallels like resettlement of Hokkaido, banning of Ainu cultural practices, expulsion of Ainu village residents and the surprisingly recent Ainu Culture Law of 1997 which permitted Ainu practices.

Can you recognize any similarities between the Ainu movement and the First Nations movement?

How have these people been mistreated in the past?

Why don't we learn about the Ainu in Japan? Do you think students in Japan learn about First Nations in Canada?

Do you think other countries have issues like this?

What role can Canada play in improving relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people internationally? Work in groups and create a policy that fosters equality between these groups in Canada and could be applied to similar situations in places like Japan.

Internationally Minded Topic in Social Studies - Chelsea

Typically World War II in schools is taught from the Canadian perspective, focusing on Canada's role in Europe and the affects the war had at home. To make WWII study more internationally minded, I would have students read a primary source written by an individual from another country involved in the war. The source ideally would represent the experience of an individual from a country that Canada was not allied with during the battle.

Also, I would teach students not only about the economic, political, and social implications the war had on Canada, but on other countries as well. Videos, or secondary sources can be used to show students the devastation countries involved in the other side of the conflict endured. I would use WWII study to develop empathy in children, and to encourage them to look at modern day international conflicts from the perspectives of other countries. 

Chelsea C

International Mindedness Physics 11 - Dave

Physics 11: Nuclear Fission and Fusion

One of the units covered in Physics 11 is Nuclear Fission and Fusion.  Fission has huge environmental and international impacts both as a source of power and weaponry, and it would be very interesting to explore this topic with a focus on international mindedness.  We could examine the international impacts of disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima, as well as the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan during WWII, and how the knowledge of these events might affect the future.

Fusion would also be worth taking a look at with a focus on international mindedness.  The Sun is one big Fusion reactor, and solar energy is one source of renewable energy that might become more commonly used in the future.  We could explore the international impacts of the future of solar power, as well as the possibility of developing cold fusion power generators, and what each would do to the world power market.

Dave

International Mindedness in Language Arts - Peter

Language Arts 8 - Vocabulary: Loan Words

One of the PLOs for Language Arts for Grade 8 is as follows:

B13 demonstrate the increasing word skills and vocabulary knowledge, by

      -- analysing the origins and roots of words

Rather than restricting this analysis to the typical etymology of words that come from Germanic or Latinate languages, or Greek, it would be instructive to prepare a lesson on the presence of a large number of loan words from South Asian languages (bandana, bungalow, bottle, cot, jungle, pyjamas, shawl, etc.) Looking at a list like this might be folded into a literature unit that looked at fiction from South Asia. The class could read stories by Rudyard Kipling, written from a traditionally imperialist and culturally chauvinist perspective, as well as stories or a novel by a more contemporary South Asian writer who can offer a postcolonial corrective. This type of lesson could be linked to a general unit on the British empire, or the empire on the Indian sub-continent, that could be collaboratively planned with a social studies colleague. A similar exercise or lesson could be done with loan words in English that have an indigenous origin as part of a unit on the history and literatures of colonization in our country. Many other languages supply loan words to English, but South Asian and aboriginal examples are often quite surprising! Interrogating that surprise can be part of what makes the lesson so instructive.

Obviously, learning about the history of empire is crucial to understanding the cultural and political shape of the world we've inherited.

Peter

--
Peter MacRaild
1 - 575 Commercial Drive
Vancouver BC V5L 359
(778) 985 - 5845

International Mindedness in Biology - Lucy

Biology 11 - Taxonomy and Evolution

In these two units the emphasis is on the relatedness and evolutionary relationships between different organisms through morphological, physiological and molecular perspectives. In examining the vast number of interconnected organisms through the evolutionary timeline, students can gain insight into the fundamental similarities between all living creatures. In examining mammals and eventually human beings, students will recognize from a biological standpoint that the differences we perceive are biologically minute and insignificant in the larger ecosystem and/or human society. The important issue to address is the interdependence of all members inhabiting the earth, promoting a sense of global community. 

Lucy  

Internationally Minded- PLO English Language Arts 12 - Justin B

PLO B1 in English Language Arts outlines that:

"read, both collaboratively and independently, to comprehend a wide variety of literary texts, including"
- literature reflecting a variety of times, places, and perspectives
- significant works of Canadian literature

To make this PLO internationally minded, I would be interested in using the work "What We All Long For" by Dionne Brand, which examines several cultural struggles for first generation immigrant children from several different cultural backgrounds in Toronto. If we look at a feature of international mindedness as "knowledge and understanding beyond one's own nationality" and "awareness and understanding of the interdependence among peoples," this work helps to demonstrate how different cultures function within the Canadian landscape. What I would hope to gain out of teaching this piece is for students to learn about issues within other cultures, not just their own.

- Justin B.

International mindedness in business - Francois

Grade 12, Economics PLO's

-The role of Government 

This section of Economics 12 explores the impact of governmental decisions on an economic system. I could use this section to illustrate differences in governance between nations. For instance, I could ask my students to do a case study on Zimbabwe, and provide an explanation as to why Robert Mugabe's misguided governmental policies brought his country to ruins. Providing a comparative analysis of governments would in my opinion, foster international mindedness among my students.

Francois

International Mindedness in Social Studies - Megan T

Social Studies 11 - PLO: assess Canada's participation in world affairs with reference to modern conflicts

As a part of a lesson, I would do a case study of Canada's non-involvement in the most recent war in Iraq. We would study the events of 9/11 (perhaps a short movie?), the invasion of Afghanistan, the key politicians in power at the time and compare the reasons to go versus not (what if they have weapons of mass destruction? what does that mean for our safety and people living throughout the world? when is going to war the right choice?). I would have the students review and discuss the pros and cons of going to war in order to decide whether they agree with the government's decision, with an emphasis on the fact that hindsight is 20/20.

-Megan T

International-Mindedness in Math - Alex B

Alexandra:

Math 9: Patterns/Relations; linear relations, two-variable graphing, interpolation, extrapolation

Income statistics here: http://www.wider.unu.edu/research/Database/en_GB/wiid/

Lesson idea: Have students create input/output tables for the data found in the Excel document on the website above. In order to understand the information in the document, the students then need to research what "GINI" means (GINI coefficient is used to determine distribution of wealth within a household within a given economy). Upon learning the meaning of the GINI coefficient (what the meaning of a large coefficient is versus a small coefficient), students must then plot the year vs. the GINI coefficient of the year and interpolate the data for each year. The next step is to extrapolate the information for the next 30 years, and explain why their extrapolation is reasonable or unreasonable. Various questions to ask students is to check whether or not GINI is based only on households, or is it also based on people who do not have typical homes. Finally, I could ask the students to provide one example of a website they could use to verify their information.

Internationally Minded idea for English Language Arts - Robb

One group our idea had was to study The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This novel, to be taught at Grade 11 ideally, introduces Canadian students to a different culture and an entirely different part of the world - one that mostly receives negative media attention. To understand this novel, students would need to gain a cursory understanding of Afghanistan history and culture, a task that promotes International Mindedness.

Many of the novel's themes such as bullying, guilt, redemption, and father and son relationships, are universal. This universality helps spark and maintain students' interest. The class could be asked to evaluate the decisions characters make within their cultural context, while comparing them with how decisions would be made in their own culture.

 - Robb Ross

International Mindedness in Literature and Language Arts - Naz

Lit 12 PLO: Demonstrate an awareness of the influences of gender, ethnicity, and class on literature.

One of the themes in literature is the plight of the oppressed. This is often relegated to characters from Charles Dickens novels (generally orphans and those from the west), or British and American books about people of white and European decent (i.e. The Grapes of Wrath, David Copperfield). It would be wise to study less known literature by authors from oppressed communities, so that the voice of the other can become the norm: Joseph Boyden's "Orenda", or Ben Okri's "The Famished Road." Both are studies of oppression within colonized communities, one set in Canada, the other Africa, looking at how colonization has created abject poverty, leading to violence and war.

Naz

International Mindedness in Math 8 and Marketing 11 - Miranda

How can I bring International Mindedness into the Classroom?

Grade 8 Math PLO's

-Measurement C1: develop and apply the Pythagorean theorem 

-Measurement C3: determine surface area of cylinders

In word problems you could use capitals and names of actual countries around the world to expose them to the geography. When applying Pythagoreans theorem you could have people looking up at tall buildings around the world and based on the angle the are standing at calculate the height of the building etc. For a little project students could choose a building of choice and present their calculations to the class.

Marketing 11 PLO's

• Marketing Strategies: describe how cultural values influence and are influenced by various marketing strategies

Students can look into difference cultures around the world and see the difference it would make for marketing products. 

For example they may discover that in some countries the color white represents death so they may not want white packaging. In other countries certain numbers may be considered unlucky so they may want to avoid these numbers in packing and in pricing. Students can present to the class their findings. 

Miranda

Music - Internationally minded ideas

Language A - Internationally minded ideas

Biology-international intermindedness

Social studies - Internationally minded ideas

Math physics business - internationally minded ideas

Visual arts - Internationally minded ideas

Socials 10 - Sarah Gordon

From the 1997 Social Studies 8-10 IRP:
Unit: Grade 10 Politics and Law (page 38)

This unit includes a PLO asking students to "compare Canada's developmental steps to nationhood with those of the United States".

I believe that this unit lacks international-mindedness in that it reinforces a narrow North American focus. While I understand that the U.S. has greatly impacted Canadian history and it is therefore important to know American history, I also think that there are lessons that are lost when we only compare ourselves to another western liberal nation with similar demographics and values to Canada. If students were to compare Canada's development to a country with more different history and values, they would get a more global perspective on how Canada compares to the wider world. There are perspectives which may evade being detected or challenged if we focus our comparison on like-minded neighbours.

I would make this unit more internationally minded by asking students to compare Canada's development to a different country of their choice. This would encourage students to learn about a wider range of countries and to consider Canada within a global context. Each student could pick a different country and do a brief presentation to the rest of the class, leaving all students with more international understanding, rather than them all having an American focus.

Sarah Gordon

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Criteria for Internationally minded ranking activity

Ranking activity group 1

Ranking activity - group 2

Ranking activity group 3

Ranking activity group 4

Ranking activity - group 5

Ranking activity group 6

Reason for international education #1

Reason for international education #2

Reason for international education #3

Reason for international education #4

Reason for international education #5

Reason for international education #6