Overview
This first lesson will bring students together to reflect on how the pandemic has affected them and they will create their collective definition of what ‘pandemic’ means. The lesson supports students in creating rules of engagement as they are introduced to issues surrounding the pandemic through a human rights lens.
Grade Level
8th-12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● What are the specific experiences and perceptions of teens in relation to a global crisis such as the pandemic?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Define the concept of pandemic, based on their own experiences.
● Recognize that “hot topics” around the pandemic need to be explored and discussed in ways that support their peers in a safe space.
Common Core State Standards
unMASKing Curriculum Glossary
● Pandemic: an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population.
Formative Assessment Strategies
The teacher can make note of:
● Class-wide collaboration around building the rules of engagement.
● Individual student participation in group work such as when the whole class defines “pandemic”.
● Individual student’s engagement in their journal writing.
Materials for Instructor
● unMASKing Curriculum Glossary Board (Physical or Virtual)
● Whiteboard / Blackboard and chalk / marker
Materials for Students
● unMASKing Journals
LESSON PLAN
I. Discussion (5 min.)
Note to Teacher: Depending on whether or not this is your first class since reopening during the pandemic or your class has already been in session, this is a time to bring the class together for a reflection of the current normal and introduce this new project.
Discussion
Share with the class that they are going to investigate through a human rights lens how their community, country, and different countries around the world have responded to the pandemic. Let them know that the program will challenge their critical thinking skills as well as inspire their creativity. Briefly share with them that the project is broken up into 4 stages:
● In the first stage, they will learn about human rights and internationals responses to the pandemic.
● In the second stage, they will explore their own experiences and identify an event where they felt their human rights were challenged or upheld and create an artistic piece around the event to be shared in a class exhibit.
● In the third stage, students will develop skills in identifying media bias and ‘fake news’.
● In the final stage, students will work in groups to design a service learning project in their community.
Note to Teacher: Adapt the discussion to the number of modules you have chosen to implement.
Let students know that human rights were created by the international community to help ensure that all people are treated with dignity and equality and that in the next class they will learn more about human rights, including the document that defines them.
II. Rules of Engagement and Methodology (10 min.)
Share with the class that because they will be talking about ‘hot topics,’ it is important that everyone will be able to speak and be listened to in ways the class deems are respectful and inclusive. Explain that hot topics are subjects that cover difficult issues that can potentially bring up strong emotions for people. Let students know that it is important to acknowledge that sometimes a subject is a “hot topic” for one person but not for everyone.
For example, if someone lost a relative or a friend to COVID 19, discussions about the pandemic may trigger emotions and it is important to be conscious of the language we are using in the discussion. If someone makes a statement such as, “Well, only 1,000 people died in that town” it may not be as supportive as a statement such as, “It is horrible that 1,000 people died in that town. Since it is a lower number than nearby towns, let’s investigate what different precautions they took to lower the virus spread.” It’s important to remember that every number represents a life that has been lost, and that each person had family and friends.
Explain to students that it is now time to set up a classroom environment that will support these complex conversations.
On a flipchart or poster board write ‘Rules of Engagement’ and ask students to create the actual rules. Ask them to consider how they would like to be ’heard’ by their classmates, and how they would like to be ‘spoken to.’ Start by writing several examples on the board and then invite students to add to the list.
Target Answers (student responses should include or be similar to):
● Be a respectful and attentive listener.
● Use respectful speech.
● Use equal time for “mic” sharing.
● Be honest and have honest intentions.
● Allow others to keep or change their perspectives.
● Have the intention to create trust and learn from each other, rather than discredit others.
Keep the Rules of Engagement posted and visually accessible throughout the program.
III. Introduce the unMASKing Curriculum Glossary Board (25 min.)
The unMASKing Curriculum Glossary Board supports students in creating a class glossary to facilitate their conversations as they navigate diverse topics exposed by the pandemic.
Use the following three steps while use using the Glossary Board:
Guide the class in a discussion to create a class definition of the glossary word and write it down for the class to view it.
Share the published version that is provided in the unMASKing Curriculum Glossary section of the lesson.
Guide students to compare and contrast the definitions and, if they choose, to make any final edits of their class definition.
‘Define the word’ unMASKingGlossary Board Activity
Explain to students that in order to support the rules of engagement and classroom communication they will be creating their own glossary of words and terms referred to during the pandemic that will come up in their class discussions.
Let students know that since the pandemic is a hot topic and also the first vocabulary word to be defined in the program, they will take the time to do a creative exercise before we getting serious.
Step One
Write the word ‘pandemic’ on the board.
Ask students to close their eyes for a moment (or put their heads on their desks) and think of the word pandemic.
Ask them to observe their personal thoughts or feelings that arise.
Let them know when they are ready, they can open up their eyes. Ask them to write one word or phrase that they feel on the board.
Once they have all added their word ask a student to read them all out loud and begin with, “A pandemic is…”
Congratulations- the class has created a Class Word Poem!
Step Two
Now it is time to create the class definition of ‘pandemic’. Depending on the size of the class the following instructions can be adapted.
Write the word ‘pandemic’ on the Glossary Board
Have students popcorn their personal definitions of pandemic
Write a class definition based on their statements.
Then read to the class the accepted published definition provided in the unMASKing Curriculum Project Glossary
Guide students to comparing the two definitions.
Ask them if they would like to make any adjustments to their class definition.
Have a student read the final class definition of pandemic out loud.
IV. Reflective Writing (10 min.)
Have students take out their unMASKing Journals. The journals can be digital or physical. They will not need them for every class. Let them know they have the remainder of class to do a free reflection writing. If needed, offer the following prompts:
● What would you like to learn and explore about the pandemic?
● Did the class discussion inspire you to have any new thoughts or ideas about the pandemic that surprised you?
● Do you feel, as a teenager, you can make a positive impact on your community during the pandemic?
V. Homework
Take a look through current news media (it can be print or digital) and identify one piece that covers the pandemic that you feel is positive and supports the well-being of people here in the United States or elsewhere and one piece that you feel is unsupportive of their well-being.