- Research Activity leading to Research Project
- Exploring curated sites
- Think critically in groups about both camps (welcoming and unwelcoming of refugees)
- Explore credibility of each site
As part of the Unit of Work on the topic of Refugees, students will have to research, write and give a speech about refugees.
Because the scope of the topic is so huge, some students (especially EAL/D students) may find it difficult to source for information on their own. For Gifted and Talented students, they may be stretched further by curating a couple more websites and adding to teacher's list of Refugee resources.
Using a curating website such as Scoop.it allows me to curate websites specially on a specific topic and have them all in a single page. All the students need to do is click on the link I've given, and they'll be able to read through all the sites that are on there. This acts as a sort of scaffold to help guide their thoughts and thinking.
Students will be able to log on to the computer, click on the link and access those websites and articles easily. Click on the image above and it'll take you to the curated topic on Refugees.
This activity incorporates the use of ICT and because the sites have been carefully curated, students would not accidentally chance on to a site (especially when doing a sensitive topic such as Refugees) that might show gory images or talk about issues that would be beyond the understanding of this grade level or even sites that are unsuited to be viewed in a classroom environment.
This activity incorporates the use of ICT and because the sites have been carefully curated, students would not accidentally chance on to a site (especially when doing a sensitive topic such as Refugees) that might show gory images or talk about issues that would be beyond the understanding of this grade level or even sites that are unsuited to be viewed in a classroom environment.
That said, while sites have been carefully curated by teacher, varied viewpoints for welcoming and against welcoming refugees would be included. This is because there is the "need to include a rich assortment of viewpoints and details-not the stripped and safe stuff of recent textbooks nor the artificially sweetened stuff of materials designed to be merely politically correct" (Holtrop, 1996, p. 10).
Molnar (1987) also calls for critical thinking that is applied to real problems (p. vii) like the refugee crisis that the world today is currently facing. It is just as relevant as it was those many years ago. A crisis that has re-surged and that the world has been tackling since the start of the war is Iraq and the fall of Syria to ISIS.
Credibility of Sources:
Another good thing about having websites curated is to ensure that information is credible.In researching controversial topics like refugees requires one has to have a strong focus on whether their information is credible and whether their source is reliable. Teachers can talk to students about the credibility of websites from the ones on Scoop.it. It is a good springboard to teaching students research skills.
The video is a great example to show students, in a very simple yet elaborate way of a system they can use to evaluate if the source is credible and reliable.
NSW English Syllabus:
EN4-3B uses and describes language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of purposes, audiences and contexts
EN4-6C identifies and explains connections between and among texts
References:
Holtrop, S. (1996). Teaching Christianly in Public and Christian schools: A Responsibility Model. Azuza: Azuza Pacific University.
Molnar, A. (Ed.) (1987). Social issues and education: Challenge and responsibility. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.