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About
Chains
Chains
in the curriculum
Chains
is a unique Resource Pack for Secondary Citizenship and Dance.
The video in the pack consists of six dances that can be used
to introduce units in the Teacher's Handbook, another element
of the pack. The activities in it are designed to help meet
the requirements of the Key Stage 3 (England) Citizenship
curriculum, and help students to learn about and understand:
•
'the legal and human rights and responsibilities underpinning
society'; (1a)
•
'the need for mutual respect and understanding'; (1b)
•
'the world as a global community'; (1i)
•
'topical political, spiritual, moral, social and cultural
issues, problems and events'; (2a)
•
'the need for them to be thoughtful citizens, to use their
imagination to consider other people's experiences and be
able to think about, express and explain views that are not
their own; (3a)
and
to reflect on the process of participating, and be prepared
to actively participate in the community and the world (3c).
Ideas
around Chains
• Commodity chains - how our everyday goods are brought
to us;
•
Chains of poverty, oppression and slavery - still suffered
by millions;
•
Chains of support - what all of us depend on from family,
friends and the community;
•
The domino effect - a chain reaction, unfortunately usually
bad, but there is no reason why it cannot be good;
•
Chains of children around the world - interlinked so that
together they make a force that can be stronger than the powers
of commerce and politics.
Using
Chains in the classroom
The
dramatic thrust of Chains is of global interdependence and
the need for all peoples to have their rights met for freedom
to work, practice their language, religion and culture, and
to live a decent life, in peace, with their families. The
pedagogic thrust of the Handbook is to interest young people
in local/global issues and to encourage them to take action.
Chains
has a dramatic 'storyline' and the issues are taken up in
the work units, which each correspond to the six dances on
the video.
1.
Dollar a Day introduces global interdependence,
showing how the labour of children provides commodity and
luxury items. The action cuts from young people in fashionable
garments at a disco, to scenes of hard labour and the sweatshop
conditions in which their fashionable outfits are produced
by their peers in other countries. Activities include looking
at how the price of a sports shoe is divided between all those
involved in producing it, and whether your students are also
among the exploited.
2.
Freedom illustrates the need for protest. It depicts
the plight of the world's poorest peoples, who are often oppressed,
unheard and brutally punished for speaking out, yet who persistently
demonstrate to try to achieve their basic rights: food for
their children etc. Activities use photographs to look at
protest around the world, and continues the theme of globalisation
with a role play activity looking at the views of different
participants at a meeting of the World Trade Organisation.
A case study and activity from Colombia shows how young people
can affect national opinion.
3.
The Leaving takes up the plight of refugees.
Every year millions of people, mainly women and children,
are forced to leave their homes because of extreme poverty
or conflict. This unit tries to break down the often negative
response to refugees held by many by using first a quiz about
the situation of refugees worldwide, then a series of activities
examining why people move and the UK's reception of refugees/
asylum seekers, and finally a role play suggesting that young
people can be 'rights defenders' for each other,
4.
Carnival takes up issues of sustainable development.
While the'rich' world is partying they are consuming the environment
at an alarming rate, and the poorest scratch a living from
their droppings. Activities introduce the concepts and vocabulary
of sustainability with activities directly related to students'
own practice.
5.
Origins of their culture are important for everyone,
and the international language of dance and music does much
to unite the world. Many people fail to realise how much their
'traditional' culture and language may have originated elsewhere.
Activities use music to explore students' concepts of nationality,
then to explore the roots of the English language.
6.
One Fine Day expresses the optimism of
a future in which we care for each other and our planet -
the future is what we make it, and we all must play a part.
An activity guides students into considering their 'Goals
for a better world'.
Throughout
the book is the suggestion that students run a campaign around
an issue about which they feel strongly. Running a campaign
provides check lists and guidelines to help students take
action locally.
Copyright
2002 UK Committee for UNICEF
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