Overview
This lesson provides a lens for students to view and read their peers’ pandemic experiences from around the world. The unMASKed Pandemic Stories: Reflections from Youth Around the World StoryMap will serve as the springboard for the discussions and activities throughout the lesson. The StoryMap will guide students to different places on the planet where they will be able to read stories and view photos by their peers. Students will then work in small groups to discuss the stories and connect them to the human rights themes from module one.
Grade Level
8th-12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● Which concerns do teens from across the globe share over the pandemic?
● What kind of new practices are teens undertaking as a result of the pandemic?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Recognize and articulate commonalities and differences of the pandemic experiences shared by their peers around the world.
● Identify human rights that they ascertain their peers are experiencing, as well as human rights not being supported for their peers.
Common Core State Standards
unMASKing Curriculum Glossary
Note to Teachers: If possible, look over the StoryMap ahead of time and identify any vocabulary words you think your students may be unfamiliar with and add them to the unMASKing glossary.
Formative Assessment Strategies
The teacher can make note of:
● The whole class discussion on what students have learned from Module One to the present moment.
● Class participation during the exploration of the StoryMap.
● Individual student participation in group work during their breakout sessions while they are working on the StoryMap Handout.
Materials for Instructor
● The unMASKed Pandemic Stories: Reflections from Youth Around the World StoryMap to be projected digitally in the classroom
● Handout: Sample StoryMap Worksheet Filled In
Materials for Students
● UnMasking Journals
● Handout: UDHR (Can be the same handouts used in the first class.)
LESSON PLAN
I. Discussion (5 min.)
Begin with a discussion connecting what students have learned from Module One to the present moment.
Entry point questions include:
● Do all human beings have the same rights?
● What is the name of the document that describes the fundamental human rights for all human beings?
● Can you describe two health-related practices that different countries have implemented to protect citizens from COVID19?
● Can you describe two challenges that vulnerable youth and children face in terms of access to quality education during the pandemic?
● Can you describe one strategy that can be used to ensure citizens have access to nutritious food and clean water?
II. unMASKed Pandemic Stories: Reflections from Youth Around the World StoryMap (15 min.)
Guide students through the unMASKed Pandemic Stories: Reflections from Youth Around the World StoryMap The StoryMap includes discussion questions inspired by the student reflections as well as Bigger Picture Text Boxes that offer information about the country the student is living in.
III. StoryMap Handout (15 min.)
Break students into groups of three or four. Each group will assign one scribe to fill in the worksheet.
The worksheet prompts will guide students to connect themes of their peers’ personal stories from the StoryMap to the main subjects they learned about in Module One as well as new subjects they will identify. For example, the personal stories may reveal challenges/positive experiences in relation to continuing their schooling through distance learning, access to health care and access to food and water.
Students will also identify new subjects to include on the handout.
IV. Reflection & Sharing (10 min.)
End with a class reflection sharing. Have one member from each group share the three questions the group wrote.
V. Homework
Have students investigate one question their group wrote on their StoryMap handout. Ask them to come to class prepared to discuss if they have found any relevant information pertaining to the question and if their investigation raised more questions.