Education Connections/Lessons/Giving
From Kivapedia
UNIT TITLE: How can kids change the world?
Designer: Evelyn Yvonne Theriault
Target Ages: 11 to 16 years old
Subjects: English Language Arts, ICT, Media, Personal Development
Highlights: Students collect information from the KIVA.org Lender Profiles and write an essay
Subjects: ELA, Media Literacy, Personal Development
Understandings: Students will understand that many people share an underlying urge to give to others, but their specific reasons for doing so may differ according to their personal or cultural backgrounds.
Essential Questions: Why should we give? What motivates people to give/share their money with strangers? What kinds of help might people need? How can we help people? What motivates people to help by making microloans as opposed to other forms of giving? What factors might help/hinder people from sharing their resources with others? How can modern communication technologies (e.g. World Wide Web, cell phones) change peoples’ lives?
Knowledge: Students will know that though the notion of giving is universal, people give for reasons, and in ways, that vary in different cultures and from individual to individual within a culture.
Skills: Students will begin to elaborate a personal but reasoned rationale for giving, based on a synthesis of prior and newly acquired knowledge.
1. Personal Reflection (individual)
Materials: Blackboard, chart paper, Student KIVA Logs–individual.
Students are given about thirty minutes to jot down their understanding and experience of giving. Blackboard starter ideas: Have you ever been involved in fundraising or volunteer work? Do you belong to clubs or organizations that have carried out volunteer work or fundraising activities? Has our school been involved in fundraising or volunteer activities? Have you seen anything in the media about fundraising or volunteering? Do you think it’s important to give? Why? If you had funds available, which cause would you most like to help? (Note 1: To avoid possible embarrassment, I don’t ask directly whether their own families give or volunteer).
2. Pair-share/discussion (whole class)
Materials: Blackboard/chart paper, Student KIVA Logs–individual.
After students share their thoughts with immediate neighbours, a brief classroom discussion brings together everyone’s ideas and highlights that there are different ways of giving and that the notion of giving is already woven into the fabric of most of our lives. (Note: Students are encouraged to make additional notes in their KIVA logs.) This activity further extends students' ideas and provides basic vocabulary for second-language students.
3. Website visit (small group)
Materials: Computers, Group Note-taking Sheets
Students visit the KIVA.org Lender profile pages, to collect a minimum of ten ‘’I loan because” quotes together with some information about each lender (e.g. gender age, employment) that might help answer the question: “Why do people lend money through KIVA?” (Note: Students self-organize into small groups. Letting friends work together can raise the excitement levels, but it’s worth the challenge to keep the experience authentic!) Through this activity, students learn how to log on to, and navigate, the KIVA site and Lender Profile pages and begin to realize how many different types of information – and genres – can be found on the site. In addition, the teacher can determine who is not “computer-savvy” and might need support for activity 6.
KIVA's home page can be reached through the kiva links in the left hand margin.
4. Discussion & Note-Taking (small group)
Materials: Large chart paper, Group Note-taking Sheets
Students summarize their conclusions on chart paper in preparation for presenting their findings to the whole class. Students are also asked to try and detect any lending patterns they’ve noticed. This activity provides a "safe space" to develop their abilities to synthesize information.
5. Presentation & Discussion (small group, whole class)
Materials: Completed group reports, Blackboard
As groups present their findings, some patterns emerge about why people invest through KIVA. Examples include: the entrepreneurial aspect (often stressed by people who are themselves entrepreneurs), the fact that loans can be for as little as 25 dollars, the idea that people know exactly where their money is going or the fact that it feels good etc. To conclude, the teacher and class create a synthesis of the information on the blackboard. (Note: Important point to make: when examining a question such as this, as more and more data is added, patterns usually emerge – but that our interpretation of the data is just that – our personal interpretation.
6. Website visit (small group, individual)
Materials: Computers, Student KIVA Video Logs
Students will visit the KIVA Press Center at Kiva.org to do strategic viewing of at least three videos from a selection of five that are described in the KIVA Video Log booklet. Each page of the booklet contains a glossary of key terms, and space to jot down some notes. From each video, students must gather least three ideas that will help them answer the question: What is unique about KIVA's form of helping? Why has KIVA attracted so much attention? Students will view each video at least twice: first in small groups (organized heterogeneously by ELA ability)and then individually. This activity raises student awareness of the influence of mass media on people's behaviour and exposes them to different forms of communication.
Kiva's home page can be reached through the Kiva link in the left hand margin or you may go directly to the following:
Link to Kiva Press Center
http://www.kiva.org/about/press/
7. Final Production - Essay (individual)
Materials: Student KIVA logs and KIVA Video logs
Using the essential questions listed above, students are asked to write a standard 5-part essay on the topic of giving. This activity serves to consolidate student learning.
Descriptors:
English Instruction - Citizenship Education - Computer Literacy - Humanistic Education - Character Education - Civics - Critical Thinking - Critical Viewing - Global Education | elementary - intermediate - secondary | KIVA lesson plan - KIVA in the classroom - microcredit - microloan - microfinance - social entrepreneurship
Established Goals:
Standards: Quebec Education Program
English Language Arts: To construct his/her own identity through reading and listening to literary, popular and information-based texts.
Media Literacy: To construct his/her own view of the world through the media.
Personal Development: To take an enlightened position on situations involving a moral issue.
Cross-Curricular Competency: To exercise critical judgment
Broad Area of Learning: Personal and Career Planning - Familiarity with the world of work, social roles, and trades and occupations
ICT: Skills: Internet
This unit follows the philosophy of Understanding by Design, but is still under-construction and has not been peer-reviewed.
Link to Understanding by Design:
http://www.grantwiggins.org/ubd.html
See also: Genre Lesson
