Working Together for Success
What examples of citizenship education do you remember from your K-12 schooling? Explore what this curriculum made (im)possible in regards to citizenship.
One thing I remember doing in Elementary School was playing the game called Free Rice on the internet with the class. It is free to play, and there are math games and other types of school related games on there where if you answer a question and you get it correct, it donates/raises 10 grains of rice to end world hunger through the World Food Program. The link to try it for yourself is here: www.freerice.com. I feel that by telling your students about this website they can have fun while playing it either in the classroom or on their own time and realize that they are playing for a good cause and making a difference in our world, no matter how small.
During assemblies in school, like Remembrance Day, we always discussed in class all the way through my Elementary years and High School years what the meaning of Remembrance Day was. We wore poppies on our left side, we were asked to dress formally and if we had any formal red or black clothing we were asked to wear that to the assembly. We were told that it is respectful to remain quiet during the assembly and to have proper manners. We were told that this showed respect for those that fought to keep us safe in our Country and to honor the soldiers who have lost their life while battling for our Country. I feel that it is important for students to be aware of this and to be proud of living in Canada as a Canadian citizen.
Directly in the curriculum, though, I remember discussing anti-bullying and we even had Anti-Bullying Day where we wore pink clothing (this is very Universal). In health class in Grade 5, I remember my teacher going over the harmful causes of bullying that bullying has on people and I remember her telling us ways that we can end bullying in our schools. It is important for students to know the harmful effects of bullying and: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Bullying is not okay, and there shouldn't have to be only one day a year where bullying is recognized and brought to attention in schools, it should be every single day! Throughout my school, though, we had tons of Anti-Bullying posters displayed on the walls.
What my Elementary School's motto was: Working Together for Success!
