A Declaration of Self
Investigate the World
Global Competence framework provided by the Center for Global Education, Asia Society
Globally competent students are able to investigate the world in the following ways:
- Identify an issue, generate a question, and explain the significance of locally, regionally, and globally focused researchable questions.
- Use a variety of languages and domestic and international sources to identify and weigh relevant evidence in addressing a globally significant researchable question.
- Analyze, integrate, and synthesize evidence to construct coherent responses to globally significant researchable questions.
- Develop an argument based on compelling evidence that considers multiple perspectives and draws defensible conclusions.
Teacher's Guide for "Investigate the World"
This section of the resources is intended to support teachers in guiding their students to investigate the world on topics that relate to names, identities and cultures, and global awareness by addressing these sets of questions:
- What is the story behind my name? How would I describe myself? How would others describe me? What does identity mean? How does my name relate to my identity?
- What are naming traditions around the world? How do different cultures show respect when using each other's names and titles? How can I be sure I am pronouncing a person's name correctly?
- What are cultural practices for making eye contact, personal space, shaking hands versus bowing upon initial meeting? How can I increase the effectiveness of my interactions with others by understanding how one’s name relates to one’s identity? How can understanding the perspectives of other cultures lead to better global consideration?
- How do we celebrate who we are?
- How does addressing someone by their preferred name bring global awareness to our community? How do we become part of the global society?
The resources are grouped by their relevance to each set of questions. Some of the resources are relevant to multiple sets of questions and could address one or more aspects of global competence: Investigate the World (IW), Recognize Perspectives (RP), Communicate Ideas (CI) and Take Action (TA).
1. What is the story behind my name? How would I describe myself? How would others describe me? What does identity mean? How does my name relate to my identity?
ARTICLE
Names Do Matter, by Sara Wicht - Another perspective on names of individuals, schools, monuments and a perspective on naming them. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
BOOKS
Authors in the Classroom; a Transformative Education Process, by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Becoming Naomi Leon, by Pam Munoz Ryan – In her short life Naomi has survived in a trailer park in California with her grandmother. When her mother returns she leaves for Mexico to find her father and herself. (Grades 4-7) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Peace Corps. (2013). Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding. A classroom guide designed for teachers to create a more globally aware and globally competent classroom. Lessons for Grades 6-12 National Geographic Education Foundation. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Chrysanthemum, by Kevin Henkes – Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round. (Grades P–3) (IW, WP, CI, TA)
Marisol MacDonald, by Monica Brown – Marisol McDonald is a citizen of the United States and the world. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
My Name Is Maria Isabel/Me llamo Maria Isabel, by Alma Flor Ada – Maria is the new girl in third grade and because there are already two Marias her teacher decides her name should be Mary. Then the problems begin. (Grades 2-5) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
My Name is Sangoel, by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed – When Sangoel becomes a refugee from the war in Sudan he, his sister and his mother move to America. Everything is new and confusing, and especially hurtful since no one can correctly pronounce his name. (Grades 1 and up) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
My Name Is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits – A Korean girl struggles to learn how to write her name in English. She comes to realize that even though the characters are not the same, and the letters are different, her name still means the same in both languages. (Grades 1-3) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi – A student from Korea comes to school for the first time and struggles with the name she wants her classmates to call her. With their help she finds just the right name. (P-2 grades) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Tongue-Tied: The Lives of Multilingual Children in Public Education – This is a collection of accounts written to highlight the struggles of students and others as they navigate school and the world beyond unable to use their primary language. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
- Poem: "Name Giveaway" - Phil George
- Memoir: "Aria" - Richard Rodriguez
- Memoir: "from 36 Children" - Herbert Kohl
- Memoir: "Lakota Words" - Delphine Red Shirt
- Poem: "Immigrants" by Pat Mora
When My Name Was Keoko, by Linda Sue Park – Prior to World War II, a Korean family lives under the occupation of Japan and is forbidden to express the unique Korean identity. Danger comes to the family and Sun-hee with the beginning of the war. (IW, RP)
POEM
My Name Is Jorge on Both Sides of the River, by Jane Medina – Poems in English and Spanish, which express the difficulty of moving into a new culture, including the difficulty adjusting to a new "American" name. (Grades K-4) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
2. What are naming traditions around the world? How do different cultures show respect when using each other's names and titles? How can I be sure I am pronouncing a person's name correctly?
ARTICLES
Baby Naming Traditions Around the World, by Jeanine Cox. (IW)
Names Do Matter, by Sara Wicht – Another perspective on names of individuals, schools, monuments and a perspective on naming them. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
BOOKS
Authors in the Classroom; a Transformative Education Process, by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi – A student from Korea comes to school for the first time and struggles with the name she wants her classmates to call her. With their help she finds just the right name. (P-2 grades) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
3. What are cultural practices for making eye contact, personal space, shaking hands versus bowing upon initial meeting? How can I increase the effectiveness of my interactions with others by understanding how one's name relates to one's identity? How can understanding the perspectives of other cultures lead to better global consideration?
BOOKS
Peace Corps. (2013). Building Bridges: A Peace Corps Classroom Guide to Cross-Cultural Understanding. A classroom guide designed for teachers to create a more globally aware and globally competent classroom. Lessons for Grades 6-12 National Geographic Education Foundation. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
ONLINE RESOURCE
The first step in addressing microaggressions is to recognize when a microaggression has occurred and what message it may be sending. This document identifies common themes of microaggression. Recognizing Microaggression (IW, RP)
WEBSITE
Use this guide to find virtual field trips that include Asian Art, National Geographic, and the Holocaust Memorial. Graphite Virtual Field Trip Guide (IW, RP, CI)
4. How do we celebrate who we are?
ARTICLE
Imagining Equity Literacy is a teacher's journey to address the skills and dispositions that enable us to recognize, respond to and redress conditions that deny some students access to the educational opportunities enjoyed by their peers. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
BOOKS
Authors in the Classroom; a Transformative Education Process, by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Marisol MacDonald, by Monica Brown – Marisol McDonald is a citizen of the United States and the world. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
My Name Is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits – A Korean girl struggles to learn how to write her name in English. She comes to realize that even though the characters are not the same, and the letters are different, her name still means the same in both languages. (Grades 1-3) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
POEM
My Name Is Jorge on Both Sides of the River, by Jane Medina – Poems in English and Spanish, which express the difficulty of moving into a new culture, including the difficulty adjusting to a new "American" name. (Grades K-4) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
5. How does addressing someone by their preferred name bring global awareness to our community? How do we become part of the global society?
ARTICLES
Education for Global Citizenship, Oxfam's guide to building a global citizenship curriculum that includes knowledge and understanding, skills, values and attitudes. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Names Do Matter, by Sara Wicht - Another perspective on names of individuals, schools, monuments and a perspective on naming them. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
BOOKS
Becoming Naomi Leon, by Pam Munoz Ryan – In her short life Naomi has survived in a trailer park in California with her grandmother. When her mother returns she leaves for Mexico to find her father and herself. (Grades 4-7) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Marisol MacDonald, by Monica Brown – Marisol McDonald is a citizen of the United States and the world. (IW, RP, CI, TA)
My Name Is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits – A Korean girl struggles to learn how to write her name in English. She comes to realize that even though the characters are not the same, and the letters are different, her name still means the same in both languages. (Grades 1-3) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
The Name Jar, by Yangsook Choi – A student from Korea comes to school for the first time and struggles with the name she wants her classmates to call her. With their help she finds just the right name. (P-2 grades) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
POEM
My Name Is Jorge on Both Sides of the River, by Jane Medina – Poems in English and Spanish, which express the difficulty of moving into a new culture, including the difficulty adjusting to a new "American" name. (Grades K-4) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
VIDEOS
Deeper Learning Through a Global Lens, Asia Society's video that suggests students investigate the world, weigh perspectives and communicate ideas. (video, 14:00) (IW, RP, CI)
Global Citizenship in the Classroom, Jenny Buccos shares her passion about educating primary and secondary school students about global cultures and histories by the use of multimedia. (video, 11:25) (IW, RP, CI)
Global Education and Global Citizenship, Education is becoming more and more present in the educational systems around the globe. Do young people, who were born into the globalized world, consider themselves global citizens? (video, 12:00) (IW)
Language Matters! UNESCO (January 18, 2011) A video that discusses the value of respecting and preserving the world's languages in order to create a more globally aware and culturally competent society - Correctly pronouncing a student's name can re-enforce the idea that their language matters. A classroom that honors cultural identities can foster interest in becoming multilingual and culturally sensitive. (video, 5:58) (IW, RP, CI, TA)
ONLINE RESOURCES
An online social network that enables users to build connections by exchanging short messages. Twitter (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Online tool that allows users to upload media and comment through a variety of methods and creates a global audience for student work in a safe environment. VoiceThread (IW, RP, CI, TA)
WEBSITES
A site where educators who care about diversity, equity and justice can find news, suggestions, conversation and support Teaching Tolerance (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Discover exhibits and collections from museums and archives all around the world. Explore cultural treasures in extraordinary detail, from hidden gems to masterpieces. Google Cultural Institute (IW)
Expeditions is a virtual reality platform built for the classroom. More than 100 engaging journeys, making it easy to immerse students in entirely new experiences Google Expeditions (IW, RP, CI)
Help students think about their place in the world and their responsibility to society with this range of free teaching resources focusing on global citizenship. Global Citizenship Teaching Resources (IW, RP, CI)
Learn with the world, not just about it. Join interactive curriculum-based groups in which students are creating, researching, sharing opinions, and becoming global citizens. iEARN Collaboration Center (IW, RP, CI, TA)
Primary Source promotes global learning by providing training and resources through their collaborative communities. (IW, RP, CI)
Site designed to help better understand global issues facing the world and the work that is being carried out by the United Nations to deal with them. Resources for Speakers on Global Issues (IW)
The global guessing game that gets kids learning about geography, culture, and the similarities and differences of how children live all over the world. Watch a video to see how it works. Mystery Skype (IW, RP, CI)
ORGANIZATION WEBSITES
Asia Society provides many resources to enhance global competence in the classroom. From its about page: "Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context."
The National Geographic Society is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, and the promotion of environmental and historical conservation. National Geographic
As a steward and ambassador of cultural connections, the Smithsonian's work helps to build bridges of mutual respect and understanding of the diversity of American and world cultures. Smithsonian Institute
ProjectExplorer.org's mission is to bring the world into the classroom with free multimedia content and lesson plans that improve students' global awareness and cross cultural understanding. Project Explore