SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SECONDARY LEVEL - LESSON PLAN AND ACTIVITIES
Educating and Inspiring a Generation of Youth to Change the World
HERE’S WHAT’S INSIDE
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Creating a Sustainable World—Lesson Plan on Sustainable Development
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Handout/worksheet G18: The Local Experience: Our Own “Environmental Report Card”
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Handout/worksheet G19: The Reality Check
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Handout/worksheet G20: Drought in Kenya Threatens Food Supply
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Handout/worksheet G21: Opening Paths of Creativity
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Handout/worksheet G22: Strategies to Support Developing Countries
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Activity #S7: Finding Environmentally Friendly Alternatives
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Activity #S8: G8 Summit at Gleneagles—Role Play
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Handout/worksheet S23: G8 Summit at Gleneagles – Student Handout
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Culminating Activity Suggestions
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World Map
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About Free The Children
Catherine McCauley, M.Ed., Director, Teacher Development
Sapna Goel, Director, Creative and Communications
Cait McKinney, Writer and Researcher
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
CREATING A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
Lesson plan on Sustainable Development
Grade Level: Secondary and Elementary
Time: Three 60-minute periods plus suggested extension
Materials: Coloured pencils, chart paper, notebooks/blank paper, handouts/worksheets (G18: The Local
Experience: Our Own “Environmental Report Card”; G19: The Reality Check; G20: Drought in Kenya
Threatens Food Supply; G21: Opening Paths of Creativity; G22: Strategies to Support Developing Countries)
Curriculum Connections: Secondary: Civics, English
Elementary: Language Arts, Mathematics
Rationale:
This introductory activity introduces the cycle of consumption and waste by exploring it within the context
of student’s lives. Students are likely familiar with the terms “reduce,”“reuse” and “recycle,” and are aware
of the political debates over issues like global warming and pollution. But they might not have examined
their own behaviours and the local statistics.
In order to make the connection to developing countries, students must understand that the issue is
far more complex than in North America alone and is interconnected with most other development
issues. Sustainability in this context requires access to basic amenities like water, sanitation and shelter.
Meeting these needs can have a positive effect on breaking cycles of poverty and improving health and
education. From here, we can develop a new cycle in which countries can explore alternatives for more
environmentally sustainable resource consumption.
Objectives:
Through discussions, written activities and stories, students will:
• understand patterns of consumption and waste disposal in their lives and how a change in daily
behaviours can affect the global environment
• be introduced to the local and global statistics related to pollution and sanitation
• understand the need for basic amenities in developing countries
• explore the ways in which developed countries can help through partnerships (in the extension
activity)
Steps:
Part One—Introduction to Sustainability
1. Distribute blank paper. Ask students to:
a. draw a picture of themselves (a stick version is adequate for this purpose). Alternatively, ask students
to write their name in the middle of a piece of blank paper. Using a blue pencil crayon, write down
the types of the things they need to survive (e.g., air, water, food, sleep, etc.) with arrows from the
words to their image.
b. draw their home around the picture of themselves indicating the resources needed to keep that
home functioning (e.g., water, fuel for heating/cooking, air conditioning, electricity, light bulbs, etc.).
Remind students that the home also needs a source to deliver amenities (e.g., wires coming out of
the house, pipes for water, etc.).
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c. draw their driveway and indicate the number of vehicles owned by their family. Again, make a list in
blue of the things needed to maintain these vehicles (e.g., gasoline, oil, etc.).
2. Using a red pencil crayon, ask students to indicate the waste products that are created by themselves,
their home and vehicles (e.g., human waste—food/water; waste from home—garbage, CFC’s from
air conditioners; vehicles—carbon dioxide, etc.). Then indicate on their drawing how this waste is
removed from all three—themselves, their home and their vehicles (e.g., garbage cans, pipes for water,
waste disposal to the street, etc.).
3. Ask students:
• What problem do you see with this pattern? (e.g., where does all the waste go after it leaves our
home?)
• Are there broader issues related to how much each person consumes? (e.g., pollution, waste,
limited fuel resources, environmental damage, etc.)
4. Introduce the term sustainable development, which means meeting basic needs in a way that protects
our environment for future generations to enjoy.
5. Ask students to return to their drawing and, using a green pencil crayon, write down ideas on how they
can live in a more environmentally-conscious way (e.g., water consumption strategies, choosing more
fuel-efficient vehicles or public transit, recycling or composting organic waste, using water-efficient
toilets, washing machines, energy-efficient appliances, etc.).
6. Distribute handout/worksheet G18: The Local Experience: Our Own “Environmental Report Card” (to
make a point about sustainable development, you may consider making photocopies on paper already
used on one side, or use one overhead instead of multiple photocopies). Discuss the ideas on the
worksheet.
7. Written activity: In a reflection, ask students to answer the following questions:
• Using your picture and the worksheet as a guide, what have you discovered about your
consumption and waste patterns? What changes can you make?
• How much responsibility do you have as a student to live in a sustainable, environmentallyresponsible way? What about your family as a group?
• What do you hope your generation will do differently in the future?
NOTE TO EDUCATORS
Elementary students may have a limited understanding of the term “greenhouse effect.” If so, a short
research activity would be valuable at this point.
Assessment:
Based on your district expectations and grading rubrics, consider the following assessment strategies to
evaluate depth of understanding:
• Participation during discussions
• Depth of understanding as indicated in the written assignment
Part Two—Living Conditions in Developing Countries
8. Distribute handout/worksheet G19: The Reality Check. Discuss responses to the statistics and keep a
list of any questions that arise from the discussion.
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NOTE TO EDUCATORS
Please note that these statistics may be difficult for some students to understand. Please review the list
prior to distributing and, if appropriate, reduce the number shared with students.
9. Use the following questions to guide the discussion:
• Looking back to our own consumption pattern picture, how do the statistics make you feel?
• What shocked you most about conditions in developing countries?
• Compare your basic survival needs with needs of people in developing countries—what survival
needs are not being met? Why does this situation exist?
10.Individual written activity: Ask students to write a reflection on the description of slums that address
the following questions:
• Describe your reaction to the slum description?
• Based on what you learned about these children, how would their future look different from your
own?
• What is the most important question you want to ask about this description of poverty?
Assessment:
Based on your district expectations and grading rubrics, consider the following assessment strategies to
evaluate depth of understanding:
• Participation in both large and small group discussions
• Depth of understanding as demonstrated in the written activity
Part Three—Putting a Face on the Issue
11.Distribute handouts/worksheets G20: Drought in Kenya Threatens Food Supply and G21: Opening
Paths of Creativity. (Note: To model conservation, be sure the worksheet is photocopied on both sides
of paper or ask students to share worksheets between them.)
12.Discussion questions:
a. How do environmental conditions affect the lives of children in Kenya? What about Ecuador?
b. What parts of these stories affected you most?
c. Did anything about the behaviour of the Grade 8 students at Emorijoi School surprise you?
d. How did the drought affect the children at Enelerai Primary School?
e. What have we learned about the water source that serves the village?
f. How do the women in Ecuador make a sustainable income? Would this way work in North America?
g. Are there any voices not represented in these stories that could add a different perspective?
Closure:
13.In small groups, ask students to brainstorm answers to the following two questions and write their
ideas on chart paper.
• What do these children need? (e.g., food, access to clean water, sanitation, shelter, etc.)
• Incorporating what you have learned so far about education, health and poverty, how can
meeting basic needs create a different future? Students can make a flow chart to present their
ideas.
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NOTE TO EDUCATORS
During discussions, some assumptions may be made that nomadic lifestyles are no longer desirable
or that families in developing countries should resemble more “Western” roles and practices. During a
decade of work in developing countries, Free The Children has witnessed the devastating effects of land
privatization and drought on traditional lifestyles. Nomadic populations, like the Maasai who once thrived
by travelling with herds, are no longer able to find land to freely move through to graze. Drought has
reduced access to water sources, forcing people to travel further distances. As a result, parents in these
communities indicate that they desperately want an education for their children to provide alternatives for
their future.
Written activity:
Option A: Ask students to write a story that explains what could happen to the Grade 8 students at
Emorijoi School if all basic needs were consistently provided. The story can incorporate suggestions made
during the small group presentations but should also incorporate how they imagine these children would
feel and act.
Option B: Write a story about a slum that received a new water system. Writing from the point of view of
a child your age, describe in detail how their daily lives would be different and how their future may be
impacted.
NOTE TO EDUCATORS
Depending on the interests and skill level, these stories could be presented as a dramatic play or used as
the basis for writing lyrics for a song. Alternatively, students can present their ideas visually.
Assessment:
Based on your district expectations and grading rubrics, consider the following assessment strategies to
evaluate depth of understanding:
• Participation in both large and small group discussions
• Depth of understanding as demonstrated in the written activity
Extension Activities:
Sustainable Development—Planning a new cycle to change the world
Distribute handout/worksheet G22: Strategies to Support Developing Countries). Briefly explain each
strategy, then assign one strategy to each group and ask students to:
1. Discuss the advantages (e.g., what do they think it will accomplish)
2. Make a chart to explain what it could mean for a village in a developing country
In each case, students should consider positive implications for education, poverty, health and
environmental issues (e.g., how can the money received change the cycles).
Sustainable Development—Micro loans
Muhammad Yunus, the Founder of the Grameen Bank, is the 2006 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Ask
students to visit www.nobelprize.org to research his background and how the Grameen Bank micro loan
program is helping break the cycle of poverty in developing countries.
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Handout/worksheet G18
THE LOCAL EXPERIENCE: OUR OWN
“ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT CARD”
The world has a limited amount of natural resources, like clean water and fuel. It can only give us so much.
North Americans use many more resources than people in the developing world. This is not sustainable
and leads to big problems for the environment. This chart lists different countries and the number of
earths we would need to if everyone in the world used resources the way the average person in that
country does.
Country
Number of Earths Needed:
United States
5.3
Canada
4.8
Peru
0.7
Kenya
0.6
India
0.4
Source: Ecological Footprint Quiz, www.myfootprint.org.
We only have one earth. Let’s explore what will happen if we continue to use resources the way we do now
in North America.
Global warming: Most of the energy we use—like electricity and heat in our homes and fuel for our
cars—comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which are refined from oil that comes from the earth. When
these fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide into the air. This carbon dioxide builds up in the
earth’s atmosphere and creates a greenhouse effect, trapping heat from the sun within the atmosphere
and slowly warming the earth, creating climate change. Scientists predict that if we don’t change the way
we live, temperatures could increase by 4.5˚C by 2100. This change might seem small, but in fact will have
a devastating impact on our earth. Here are a few examples:
Water: Warmer temperatures melt the polar ice caps, causing ocean levels to rise. This leads to droughts
and floods, which cause chaos and make it difficult or impossible for people in the developing world to
grow food to eat. They also make water unsafe to drink, which is already a problem in the developing
world but may also become a problem in North America.ix
Health: It is easier for infectious diseases to spread at higher temperatures. This is a big problem in the
developing world, where diseases like malaria kill many people.x In North America, warmer temperatures
and poor air quality will affect the health of people with heart disease and asthma and those people, like
the elderly, who are sensitive to heat.
Plants and animals: The risk of extinction for some plants and animals will be much higher because their
environments will change.
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Handout/worksheet G19
THE REALITY CHECK
In developing countries, the morning routine has looked different from ours for decades. If you were one
of the billion people who lives in a slum, your basic shelter is a tin shed and any water you have was
carried home across a long distance. If there is food, cooking a morning meal required a long walk in
search of some fuel to burn. As food was prepared, smoke from an open fire dispersed toxic fumes into the
lungs of your family members who unknowingly are developing diseases. You share a public toilet—with
no running water and sanitation—with hundreds of other families. Since you don’t have a formal address
or enough money, you are not leaving for school this morning, working instead as a child labourer.
The Global Experience
• 2 million children die each year from infections spread by dirty water or the lack of toilets.
• 1.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people lack access to proper
sanitation facilities.
• The United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT) estimates that there were
924 million slum dwellers worldwide in 2001. The largest percentage of slum dwellers is in
sub-Saharan Africa, where almost three-quarters of the urban population (71.9 per cent) live in
slums. Southern Asia hosts the largest population of slum dwellers—over 250 million in 2001.
• Additional annual investment needed to achieve clean drinking water for all: $10 billion US
• Annual expenditure on ocean cruises: $14 billion US
• Annual expenditure on ice cream in Europe: $ 11 billion US
• According to the United Nations, “Slum dwellers lack one or more of the following: adequate
water, sanitation, durable housing, adequate living space indoors and security of tenure. In an
urban setting, the lack of adequate water and sanitation often results from overcrowding, rather
than having to travel long distances. Public toilets shared by up to 250 households, as in Nairobi
[the capital of Kenya] slums, no doubt pose a health hazard. The less obvious, though equally
severe consequence is the toll such conditions take on women. In slum settlements, it can be
a grave loss of dignity for women to use the outdoors as a toilet. Worse, they risk being raped if
they use the outdoors or public toilets at night.”
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Handout/worksheet G20
DROUGHT IN KENYA THREATENS FOOD
SUPPLY
By Robin Wiszowaty, Kenya Program Director, Free The Children
In a Kenyan village where scarce resources are already stretched thin, a drought can mean the difference
between survival and starvation.
Drought occurs when an area does not have any rainfall for a long period of time. When an area is
affected by severe drought, crops dry out and die, and there is no longer food available to buy in the local
markets. The small amount of food that remains for sale is so scarce that prices are far too high for most
families to afford.
In the Maasai Mara, the long drought forced people to use food without any new crops to replace
what they were eating. Eventually food became so scarce that Emorijoi Primary School, built by Free The
Children, became the only place in one Maasai Mara village where kids could get food.
Providing food in schools is an important way of making sure that kids stay in school, and receive the
education they need to help end the cycle of poverty. When children have no food at school and no food at
home, their families often send them to areas less affected by drought to take care of their cattle instead
of studying at school. Joseph Muriet, headmaster of Emorijoi, says, “If there is food within the schools, the
classrooms will fill. But if the food is empty, so will the classrooms.”
This was true at Emorijoi. Attendance was going down as parents sent their children away to tend to
the cattle. In response, Free The Children decided to implement a food assistance program because of the
drought in the area. Massive sacks of maize and beans were brought in from the vibrant open-air market.
The food arrived in the schoolyard at 9:30 a.m., and word quickly spread to all of the students that
today there would be a meal for lunch. Whispers of excitement filled the air and smiles spread wildly on
children’s faces.
Over the next two days, the school began to fill.
Although seasonal rains have finally arrived, the effects of the drought are still felt and water is still
scarce and precious. Locals rely on a nearby river which is still recovering from the shortage for water for
cattle and donkeys, washing clothes, watering plants, cooking and drinking.
While Free The Children helped to alleviate the children’s hunger at Emorijoi, drought is a chronic
problem in Kenya that needs sustainable long-term solutions to protect the Maasai people from future
shortages.
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Handout/worksheet G21
OPENING PATHS OF CREATIVITY
By Alem Tedeneke, Quebec Programming Director, Free The Children
I just returned from a trip to Ecuador, where I spent six days volunteering with 10 students and two
teachers at a local community in the Chimboraso province.
Chimboraso is one of the poorest provinces in Ecuador. In the small community of Pulingi San Pablo
where we volunteered, families struggle with things like poverty, access to education and finding the
means to live sustainable lives.
We were there to work together to support solutions to some of these issues.
We started by painting two schools and repairing a guinea pig house. Guinea pigs are a delicacy in
Ecuador, and the community members raise them to sell at the market. This provides a good source of
sustainable income, especially for the women of the community.
The women in Pulingi San Pablo are incredible. Not only do they work at the eco-lodge where we
stayed, but they also take care of their land, raise their kids and work together at a women’s cooperative
they have created with start-up help from international volunteers.
Every Wednesday, the women get together at their cooperative to knit and crochet. They sit in a circle
and spend the whole day making scarves, gloves, hats and sweaters to sell to tourists. Each week one
woman brings tea and another brings cookies. Then they all share stories.
The cooperative is made up of generations of women: grandmothers, mothers and daughters. The
money made from the sales is divided equally between them all. This not only helps by adding another
source of income, but it also allows them to buy wool from the community which provides a market for
the wool produced in the area.
The women of Pulingi San Pablo are working together, which each other and with friends like us
from around the world, to create sustainable lives for themselves and their community. The income they
generate from the cooperatives means they can care for their families and send their children to school.
The cooperative in Ecuador also provides the women with a creative outlet. Not following a pattern,
they are able to let their imaginations go free and to have fun with one another.
At the end of our stay, I was honoured to be given one of these beautiful sweaters. Now, back in
Montréal, I wear it often and remember these amazing women.
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Handout/worksheet G22
STRATEGIES TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES
1. Donate money. Increase aid to developing countries.
Question: How could more money improve education, health care and poverty?
Note: Compare the idea of a parent giving you money when you need something versus you earning
money by doing household or yard chores—how does this change your life?
2. Increase trade. People can earn more money by selling their goods to the international markets.
Question: How could this improve education, health care and poverty?
3. Reduce debt. Advise students that, just to keep going, many developing countries borrow huge sums of
money with large interest payments. The idea in this suggestion is to reduce the payments or “forgive”
some of the loans.
Challenge: How could a reduction of loan payments help people living in developing countries?
4. Buy “fair trade” products. People in developed countries can choose to buy products—at a fair price—
that are harvested or produced in developing countries. The money from international sales goes
directly back to the community and individuals who created them.
Question: What is the advantage of money going directly back to the community where the product was
made?
5. Create sustainable sources of income. Give people (especially women) milking animals like goats and
cows and equipment like sewing machines that would help them become self-sufficient.
Question: How can we help women who need ways to earn a living? Introduce the idea of microloans
(research companies who do this) and alternative income projects like Adopt a Village. Discuss why this is
better than simply giving them money?
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Activity #S7:
FINDING ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY
ALTERNATIVES
Sustainable Development (
Secondary)
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL #7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Activity Snapshot:
Students will split into five separate groups, which will each be responsible for understanding how one
aspect of their lives contributes to climate change. Each group will share their results through a skit in
the form of a commercial, demonstrating how youth can reduce their consumption and carbon emissions
through a change in that particular aspect of their lives.
Rationale:
Complex environmental issues can seem like problems without easy solutions. Ultimately, the solutions
to these issues lie in the decisions of regular people. The average American produces 20 tonnes of carbon
emissions each year. This number could easily be reduced if we all made environmentally friendly choices,
which would help to slow or eliminate climate change.
Objectives:
• Students will understand how individual actions contribute to environmental degradation.
• Students will generate strategies for reducing their impact on the environment in different
aspects of their lives.
Time: Two 60-minute periods
Materials: blackboard and access to Internet or library to conduct research
Steps:
1. Provide a brief recap of global warming and climate change. See handout/worksheet G18: The Local
Experience: Our Own “Environmental Report Card.” (Note: Students may have seen the popular
documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, created by former US vice-president Al Gore.)
2. Write these five categories as headings on the board: Household Activities, School Activities,
Transportation, Food and Drink, Entertainment and Fashion.
3. In a large discussion, identify two to three activities or products for each of these categories that
consume resources, create emissions and/or contribute to climate change. Provide the following
examples if students are slow to provide answers:
• Household Activities: heating, cooling, lighting
• School Activities: paper use, lighting, heating (can also be specific to your school)
• Transportation: Idling engines in cars or buses, traveling via airplanes vs. cars vs. carpooling vs.
buses vs. cycling or walking, paving and maintaining roads
• Food or Drink: heavily processed food, food with lots of packaging, food that is shipped from far
away vs. locally grown, organic foods
• Entertainment and Fashion: Buying new clothes all the time vs. buying vintage or used clothes,
buying clothes that are heavily processed vs. buying organic clothes
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Transition:
4. Split the class into five groups and assign one of the five categories to each group.
5. Provide each group with resources for research—either access to the Internet or the library. Research
can also be completed as homework if necessary. Each group will choose one to two aspects of their
category as a focus for their research. They will choose a specific problem—like consumption of energy
through heating—and then use their research time to learn about more environmentally friendly
alternatives (i.e., solar or wind power).
6. Each group will prepare a skit in the form of a commercial about their alternative, environmentally
friendly practice. The purpose of the skit is to educate the rest of the class about a small change they
can make in one aspect of their life to reduce their consumption.
Closure:
Debrief the activity by asking each group to share the most surprising thing they learned during their
research. Why did it surprise them? What will they do differently in the future based on what they have
learned?
Assessment Suggestions:
• Depending on the experience level of your students, establish assessment criteria that students
can work from while creating their skits (required length, use of visual aids/technology, amount
of factual detail required etc.).
Extension activities:
a. Create a list for the classroom wall with five to 10 actions that students will take to reduce
their consumption. Each student can sign the bottom of the list demonstrating their personal
commitment to their action.
b. Students can perform the most effective skit at the next school assembly, with the goal of raising
awareness amongst the student body.
Useful Links:
Climate Action Network: http://www.climatenetwork.org/
Energy Saving Trust: http://www.est.org.uk/
Renew-Reuse-Recycle: http://www.renew-reuse-recycle.com/
United Nations Environmental Program: http://www.unep.org/
International Institute for Sustainable Development: http://www.iisd.org/climate/
US Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/
To measure your own ecological footprint, visit www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp.
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Activity #S8:
G8 SUMMIT AT GLENEAGLES—ROLE PLAY
Sustainable Development (
Secondary)
MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL #8: Develop a global partnership for development
Activity Snapshot:
Working in groups, students will re-enact/simulate elements of the 2005 G8 Summit. They will present the
promises that were made to reduce or cancel debt. They will also address reasons why more debts were
not cancelled. Finally, students will present arguments that explain or justify why G8 governments have
not yet met their obligation of giving 0.7 per cent of their gross national income (GNI) toward foreign aid
(also known as Official Development Assistance).
Rationale:
The success of the first seven Millennium Development Goals is dependent on a concrete commitment to
uphold this eighth MDG, which calls for global partnerships to support development. A good place to start
is with developed nations living up to the internationally agreed-upon promise of devoting 0.7 per cent
of GNI to foreign aid. Another place for such a partnership to flourish is the annual G8 Summit. At these
meetings, the governments of the eight largest economies in the world—Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia, United Kingdom and United States—meet to discuss international economic, political and
social issues. It is one of the best opportunities for developed nations to take a leadership role in global
development. While the G8 Summits usually receive a lot of media attention and international interest,
the Live 8 concerts and Make Poverty History movement shifted the 2005 G8 Summit at Gleneagles into
the spotlight for the average citizen.
Many promises were made, but the eight nations that account for a big part of the world’s economy (and
only 13 per cent of the population) still fell far short of the commitments needed to pull almost half of the
global population—that’s close to three billion people—out of poverty.
Objectives:
Students will:
• be introduced to the purpose and practices of G8 Summits.
• understand the concept of debt reduction and cancellation.
• see the difficulty when G8 nations make promises that are not followed through upon.
Time: Two or three 60-minute periods
Materials: Internet, handout/worksheet S23: G8 Summit at Gleneagles – Student Handout
Steps:
Introduction:
8. Divide your students into seven groups (information for Russia’s ODA contribution is unavailable).
Each group will represent one of the following G8 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
United Kingdom and United States. Conduct a large group introductory discussion to assess the
knowledge levels of the terms “trade,”“aid” and “debt.”
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9. Ask students to do Internet research in their groups to learn more about trade, aid and debt. They
should find some basic information on how fair trade, sufficient aid and the cancellation of debt will
help billions of people in the developing world.
Transition:
10.Each group should prepare a five to eight-minute presentation as representatives from the G8 country
they have been assigned.
11.As representatives from the countries they have been assigned, students’ presentations should include
the following elements:
a. Promises made at the 2005 G8 Summit with an explanation of intended outcomes of these
promises
b. Explanation of why the G8 leaders felt these were sufficient results for the summit (and why more
was not promised)
c. A rationale on why more was not done
d. Valid reasons why their government does not contribute 0.7 per cent of their gross national income
to foreign aid
Extension:
Encourage some of the students to take on the role of some of the other people who played an
instrumental role in raising awareness in 2005. Some examples can include: a representative from the
Make Poverty History movement, musicians Bono or Bob Geldof, representatives from the developing
world, etc. These people can make up a panel that questions the “leaders” of the G8 governments on their
performance at the summit (i.e. during their presentations). They can ask questions like:
a. Why don’t countries always follow through on their promises?
b. What kinds of measures can you take to ensure that national governments will stay the course with
their promises even when political agendas change (especially through elections, special interest
groups, etc.)?
Closure:
Based on what your students have learned, create five “We believe” or “We know” or “We recognize”
statements that students create as a group. Ask all students to sign the document and post it in a visible
place in your school. Share the statements with the rest of the school at an assembly or over the morning
announcements.
Assessment Suggestions:
• Student discussion and debate
• Presentations
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Handout/worksheet S23
G8 SUMMIT AT GLENEAGLES – STUDENT
HANDOUT
Your presentation will include the following elements for the country you are representing:
1. Promises made at the 2005 G8 Summit with an explanation of intended outcomes of these promises
2. Explanation of why the G8 leaders felt these were sufficient results for the summit (and why more was
not promised)
3. A rationale on why more was not done
4. Valid reasons why their government does not contribute 0.7 per cent of their gross national income to
foreign aid
Something to consider: Many nations count their contributions to war or peacekeeping efforts as part of
their foreign aid (for example, Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan is included in the dollar amount of
Canada’s ODA).
Preliminary list of research sources:
•
•
•
•
G8 Gleneagles: www.g8.gov.uk
Perthshire G8 2005: www.perthshireg8.com
University of Toronto G8 Information Centre: www.g7.utoronto.ca
Aid Statistics, Donor AID Charts: www.oecd.org/countrylist/0,2578,en_2649_34447_1783495_1_1_
1_1,00.html
• Make Poverty History: www.makepovertyhistory.org (Make Poverty History
response to G8 communiqué: www.makepovertyhistory.org/docs/8-07MAKEPOVERTYHISTORYresponsetoG8communique.doc)
• Data: www.data.org
G8 Country
Net ODA in 2004
(US $ billion)*
Net ODA in 2004 as
percentage of GNI
(%)*
GNI in 2004
(US $ billion)**
Canada
2.6
0.27
905
France
8.47
0.41
1,900
Germany
7.53
0.28
2,500
Italy
2.46
0.15
1,500
Japan
8.91
0.19
4,700
Russia
Info not available
Info not available
491
United Kingdom
7.88
0.36
2,000
United States
19.7
0.17
12,200
Sources:
*Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
**World Bank.
www.freethechildren.com
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CULMINATING ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
After completing the lesson plans and learning activities in the Millennium Development Goals—Teaching
Tools section, students can apply their new knowledge and understanding in engaging and fun ways.
Try these activities with your students.
1. Present school-wide assemblies. Students can write and act out plays, perform songs or write short
speeches to inform their peers on what they are learning.
2. Film social issue documentaries. Students can use video cameras to create a documentary television
show. It could be done in a newscast format or with skits written by students to depict the social issue
conditions in developing countries.
3. Create board games. Using the facts they have learned about social issues, students can design
games for other students to play. If needed, students can use popular board games or television game
shows as models, but should generate their own ideas for visuals, props and challenging questions.
4. Publish a newspaper on social issues. Assign various roles—editor, reporter, photographer, etc.—to
your students and have them create a newspaper they can share with others.
5. Design a poster campaign. This information campaign can provide information on social issues that
will be displayed in the hallways and classrooms or in the community.
6. Plan a social issues information fair. Students can work in teams and concentrate on one of the
four key themes of the Millennium Development Goals—poverty, education, health or sustainable
development. They can set up information stations in a school gymnasium and invite students to visit.
As an option, students can design an information scavenger hunt sheet that visitors could use as a
guide for the event. Don’t forget to invite parents and visitors.
7. Create picture books. Encourage students to create picture books, on their own or in groups. One
approach could be through making caricatures of themselves as world-changing superheroes and
visiting developing countries to help.
8. Invite guest speakers. Based on the local experience with social issues, students can research
leaders from their community to come in and talk about their programs (e.g., food bank director or
environmental scientist).
9. Construct a “before” and “after” village. Ask students to create a three-dimensional model based on
what they have learned about the conditions of schools, access to water, sanitation or medical services.
The scale of the project can reflect the materials available and amount of space for a display.
10.Create a large mural about active global citizens. The mural can incorporate pictures, letters to the
earth, poems or songs and suggestions for how kids can change the world. This can be done as puzzle
pieces where each student has his or her own “piece of the puzzle” or as pieces of a quilt where each
student does needlepoint or uses fabric paint to create their message.
Ideas can also be generated by your students—encourage them to be creative!
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WORLD MAP
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CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN
THROUGH EDUCATION
About Free The Children
Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more
than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries.
Our Mission
Free The Children was founded in 1995 by a group of 12-year-olds, led by international child rights activist
Craig Kielburger, who dreamed of changing the world. Since then, it has grown into a youth movement that
spans the globe. The primary goals of the organization are to free children from poverty and exploitation
and free young people from the notion that they are powerless to affect positive change in the world.
Youth Empowerment and International Development Programs
Through youth empowerment programs, Free The Children educates, engages and empowers young
people to develop as socially conscious global citizens and become agents of change for their peers
around the world. The immediate impact of our programs is significant. We can tally the hours youth
log as volunteers, and count the dollars they fundraise to support overseas development. But the longterm impact is immeasurable: lifelong global citizens who put their global family at the forefront of their
choices.
Our international development model, called Adopt a Village, is designed to meet the basic needs of
developing communities and eliminates the obstacles preventing children from accessing education. Both
holistic and sustainable, Adopt a Village is made up of four pillars crucial to lifting communities from
poverty: education, alternative income, health care, and water and sanitation.
Educational Partners
Free The Children works closely with a broad network of educators and school boards around the world as
partners in education on global citizenship, character education and service learning. Our programming
provides educators and students with lesson plans, learning tools, innovative engagement opportunities
and fundraising and awareness campaigns that create tangible connections for students with the world
around them.
Our programs:
• Improve student engagement and success
• Increase levels of student achievement
• Close the achievement gap
• Improve school visibility and reputation
Partner with
Free The Children
Our goal and passion is to create a generation of active global
citizens, students who are:
• Educated about the world and inspired to care about the issues
• Engaged in action to create positive social change
• Empowered to lead social action
Track Record of Success
Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The
organization has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights
of the child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize), the Human
Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental
Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships on youth
empowerment programs with leading school boards, Oprah’s Angel
Network and Virgin Atlantic.
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If you are interested in engaging
your school or classroom in our
educational and empowerment
programs, please call
1.416.925.5894 to speak
with a youth programming
coordinator, e-mail
youth@freethechildren.com or
visit us online at
www.freethechildren.com to
learn more about our programs,
resources and youth-driven
campaigns.
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