Refugees Unit

Humanities study at year 7

An 8 week unit- but only 4 weeks to teach it

Lets redesign!

PPSL Civics & Citizenship Level 5-end of Year 8

Community engagement

Physical, Personal & Social Learning Standards: Students present points of view on contemporary issues and events using appropriate supporting evidence.

They explain the different perspectives on some contemporary issues and propose possible solutions to problems.

They use democratic processes when working in groups on class and community projects.

Step 1 Audit the unit

Check standards Review unit elements, higher order

competencies Review focus Check our context

Unit Enduring Understandings

Unit There are many reasons

why people become displaced

There are a number responses and a variety of resources to assist with the problems of refugees

There are problems associated with being a refugee, both for the refugee and the country in which they take refuge.

Revised Unit People become displaced

due to war, natural disasters, and political oppression.

The world community responds to refugees by organising shelter, systems and processes to provide new homes for them

To assimilate refugees into new countries is challenging for all parties involved.

Unit Essential QuestionsUnit

What forces people to move?

What challenges are faced by people who become displaced?

Why Australia? What factors affect the directions that refugees move?

Why are some countries more generous in accepting refugees whilst others are more reluctant?

In what ways do refugees contribute to their new society?

Revised Unit

How is fleeing from your home (refugee) different to leaving for a better life (immigrant)?

Why are do some countries accept refugees whilst others don’t?

Are some refugees more deserving than others?

Content /Skills

Know (content) Definitions: refugee, internally

displaced person, asylum seeker, migrant

Why people may become displaced

A variety of reasons for past and current refugee crises; environmental, economic, political, religious

A variety of responses by host nations

Factors that attract refugees to host nations

The role of the UN and charity organisations such as NGOs

Historical examples: The Jews, Vietnam War, Cambodia

Case Study: Australia 2003 – Baby Overboard, detention centres such as the Wimmera, Sudanese, Congo

Do (skills) Empathise with the

difficulties they face Acknowledge that they are

refugees through no fault of their own

Describe the movement of refugees

Describe problems and responses of host nations

Analyse arguments before and against refugees

Content /skills revised

Know Definitions: refugee, internally

displaced person, asylum seeker, migrant

People may become displaced through no fault of their own.

Recent scenarios of asylum seekers in the Asian region, and the middle East

A couple of case studies of how host nations determine which refugees they will accept

The role of the UN and charity organisations such as Care Australia in assisting refugees to find interim shelter and countries to settle

Skills Empathise with the difficulties

refugees face Explain the reasons for

displacement Analyse the various responses by

host countries for fairness, compassion and commitment to the needs of others

Evaluate and compare the relative urgency to assist refugees from different world crisis points/hot spots.

Correlate a host countries response to refugees with its commitment to freedom of speech, movement, religious beliefs and political views.

Explain and correlate causes and effects – political, religious, social and economic causality on the lives of people

Content

Students will know Definitions: refugee, internally

displaced person, asylum seeker, migrant

Why people may become displaced

A variety of reasons for past and current refugee crises; environmental, economic, political, religious

A variety of responses by host nations

Factors that attract refugees to host nations

The role of the UN and charity organisations such as NGOs

Historical examples: The Jews, Vietnam War, Cambodia

Case Study: Australia 2003 – Baby Overboard, detention centres such as the Wimmera, Sudanese, Congo

RevisedStudents will know

Definitions: refugee, internally displaced person, asylum seeker, migrant

People may become displaced through no fault of their own.

Recent scenarios of asylum seekers in the Asian region, and the middle East

A couple of case studies of how host nations determine which refugees they will accept

The role of the UN and charity organisations such as Care Australia in assisting refugees to find interim shelter and countries to settle

Skills

Skills Empathise with the

difficulties they face

Acknowledge that they are refugees through no fault of their own

Describe the movement of refugees

Describe problems and responses of host nations

Analyse arguments before and against refugees

Skills Revised Empathise with the difficulties

refugees face Explain the reasons for

displacement

Analyse the various responses by host countries for fairness, compassion and commitment to the needs of others

Evaluate and compare the relative urgency to assist refugees from different world crisis points/hot spots.

Correlate a host countries response to refugees with its commitment to freedom of speech, movement, religious beliefs and political views.

Explain and correlate causes and effects – political, religious, social and economic causality on the lives of people

Step 2 Students Perspective

Your thoughts? Where are cognitively and emotionally

in this topic?

Step 2 Stand in your students shoes

Step 3 Revised FocusHow to create a journey?1. Create an opportunity to stand in the refugees

shoes2. Create learning tasks that require deep

reflection (diaries and thinking routines)3. Research a real story of a refugee4. Research the country of origin- what were the

conditions causing flight?5. Create a concept map identifying the complex

factors and consequences- correlate/analyse6. Develop perspective- simulation exercise7. Meta- reflection- thinking routines8. Final writing task in class- performance task

Step 3 Which tools may help shape the journey? Create it online- sense of personalisation Deep engagement with an online game-

bring experiential learning to the surface Opportunity to investigate a real story Investigate and research the context-

provide tools to help organise information Use tools to assist concept development Combine with personal engagement be

prepared to work with hidden assumptions- skillfull teaching

6 Facets of Understanding

Explanation Application Interpretation

Perspective Self-knowledge

Empathy

Using the Weebly

http://wkk.weebly.com

Step 4 Check – are tools and goals all aligned? Consider if the outcomes of the learning

task and tools will produce the desired results?

In my unit student work will involve Concept maps Diaries Simulation exercise – be a UNHCR panel Reports “performance task- writing in class”

Step 5 Begin to evaluate student work Assessment

Formative Summative

Dear Dairy For the last couple of days I have been

through a lot I had to think about my every action, my next move, doing to right thing, thinking fast. I have had to sign lots of papers making me say yes or else I will die and the cops will also hit me if I say no. I. ….If I made one false move I would not be able to write this dairy. If only I was the lucky people with everything they want and not having to flee their country because of persecution.

Dear Diary

Something terrible has happened. I have given up the right to think differently.

I have been taken into questioning, by the secret police. My whole 13 years of life is being determined by a whip. Every question I read, my mind goes insane as I succumb to the idiotic views of this restless government that everyone is overpowered by.

http://www.unhcr.org.au/pdfs/SahrKofe.pdf

Intelligent tool- “Inspiration”

Helps to organise and arrange thoughts Helps to link ideas together Helps to verbalise ideas Can help organised writing work when

the concept map is reverted to headings

When student describes the concept map, searches for words to describe complexity

I used to think…. Now I think I used to think that

refuges and asylum seekers were just people running away from their country because all of the bad things that has happen and they just want a new life and a new beginning

Now I think that refuges and asylums seekers are people running away from their country because of war, persecution and government so if they go to a new country they can have a new life

Step 5 Evaluate students’ performanceStudents work – our reflections Diaries varied in authenticity, empathy

Thinking routines helped to focus

Concept maps showed sophistication and higher order thinking (blooms)

Writing tasks did not express the same complexity as the concept maps- if we want to assess for understanding, visual and screen based tools can help students with thinking and expressing understanding.

Some students required the entire process to arrive at understanding- end pieces were more indicative than material in the formative assessment.

During the simulation game and open debate students distanced themselves from the subject matter- but when challenged, more genuine responses emerged. (the issue of racism)