Overview:

Through the use of a few powerful photographs students will begin an inquiry into six issues that focus on the plight of children. Working in small cooperative groups the students will use the results of their research to construct bulletin board displays, which they will present to their class and parents.

Objectives/Outcomes:

Students will learn:

• to interpret a photograph for maximum value and information in a process called "reading a picture";
• to research using the Internet for relevant information;
• to create a display that illustrates a specific issue about th™!Pwight of children;
• how to work cooperatively with classmates;
• to present orally their display and discuss what they have learned from their research and work.
• about the plight of children around the world.
• about the six issues that have brought great pain and suffering to children.

Equipment needed:

• computers with Internet capabilities and a colour printer;
• display boards approximatÝ;âj100 by 150 centimetres. Bulletin and chalk boards can also be used;
• scissors, paste, outline map of the world etc. for the construction of the display;
• picture of Indian Children Weaving.
• six pictures of children that illustrate the 6 issues;
• magazines and newspapers with stories and pictures of children that can be cut-up by the students.

Process:

1. Explain to your students that they are going to investigate 6 very serious problems that affect the lives of many children around the world. Show them six pictures (one for each issue) that illustrate or is an example of this specific issue.

The six issues are:

• Exploitation of children through child labour.
• Victimization of children through armed conflict.
• The plight of child soldiers.
• The tragedy of homeless children living on the streets.
• The search of refugee children for safe haven.
• The cruel prospects of children with disabilities including HIV/Aids infection.

2. Demonstrate to the students how to "read a picture" or in other words how to get as much information from a picture as possible. Use as an example the picture of the Indian Children Weaving. Explain the difference between factual information and inferences.

Here are 5 factual observations:

• All the people in the picture are children, mostly girls.
• The children weaving are sitting on a wooden board without padding of any kind.
• While 6 of the children weave 2 girls are baby-sitting 2 younger children.
• The children are either barefooted or wearing flip-flops.
• It is daytime.

Now work with the students to make at least 3 inferences about what they see in this picture. Here are 3 examples:

• Working conditions are very poor and uncomfortable. The board is uncomfortable. That is why the one girl is balancing on her foot.
• The age of the working children is between 10 and 14.
• This is a poor country. Perhaps India or another South East Asian country.

Discuss as a class what they have learned by reading a picture.

3. Divide the students into 6 cooperative small groups. Now hand out one photograph representing each of the six issues to each group. Ask each group to "read their picture" with 3 to 5 factual observations and 2 or 3 inference statements.

4. Developing good inquiry questions is an important aspect of research. To teach your students how to develop inquiry questions again use the sample photo of the Indian Children Weaving. Ask your students to come up with 5 "w" (who, what, where, when and why) questions related to this photo.

Here are some sample questions:

• Who are these children working for?
• What other types of work do children in this village do?
• Where do these children live?
• Why are these children not in school?
• When do these children play?

5. Now explain the rest of the lesson. Each group is responsible to create a display of their issue based on information they have researched. Here are some guidelines:

• The photo should be a central piece in their display but your students should include other pictures from many countries identifying different aspects of the issue.
• They should develop a set of inquiry questions for their photo and use them to thoroughly investigate their issue.
• Include a map and/or chart with statistics that illustrate where their issue is most prevalent. Examples of maps and charts are available on quite a few Websites. http://www.gmfc.org/en/protectchildren/learnmore.html.Click on the map at the bottom of the page. Also UNICEF is excellent for statistics in chart form.http://www.unicef.org/statis/index.html
• What can and is being done to help with this issue? In this section the can focus on some of the more encouraging stories and developments. Many agencies are trying to help children. Have your students identify some of the projects and initiatives they like best. They should discuss what these agencies are doing within their group and then see if they can agree on what they believe are some of the more effective programmes.

Here are some better known agencies working on behalf of children:
CIDA, World Vision, Save the Children, Global Movement For Children, UNICEF, Free The Children.

6. Once the displays are completed ask each group to present their display to the class. You could also invite in parents, other classes etc. for the presentation.

Assessment and Evaluation:

Assess students individually for their:

• cooperation and contribution to the group;
• research skills;
• presentation of the display;
• contribution to group and class discussions;
• knowledge of the issues.

Assessment instruments may include:

• checklist of their cooperative learning skills;
• anecdotal feedback;
• observation of research and discussion skills;
• reflection paper about what and how they learned;
• test based on common learning from the lesson.

As a group the display could also be assessed for:

• completeness
• visual qualities
• organization
• thoroughness of research
• effectiveness of presentation.