Social Studies - 6th Grade
Standard 4 Objective 3
1 class periods of 30 minutes each
Small Groups
The current world today is wrought with issues that affect our students daily. This lesson is designed to introduce some of these issues.
Enduring Understanding:
Students will understand what some current issues are and how their lives are affected by these issues.
Essential Questions:
What are the pressing issues facing the world today?
Teachers will need to have a basic understanding of the current issues and be able to help students understand these issues on a personal level.
Students will first need to understand the difference between a problem and an issue. Examples of issues are environmental, pollution, hunger etc. Examples of problems would be a car using oil vs. natural gas.
Possible Vocabulary:
Students will investigate some of the pressing issues facing the world today.
Before class:
Prepare 5-6 packets containing information on the following issues using current newspapers, magazines and picture books (possible suggestions are found in materials list)
Possible topics to introduce:
Pre-assessment:
Give students 2 minutes to brainstorm as many global issues that they can think of. As a class, generate a list of current issues. This is where you can clarify the difference between a problem and an issue and also see where student knowledge lies.
As a class decide an issue that your class can focus on and create a service learning project that your class can complete together.