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The United Nations
This unit should take 3-6 hours, depending on time and interest. It is designed for intermediate level students age 12 and above. Objectives Students will: Materials to Print
Activities Activity I: Brainstorming (10 minutes) Write THE UNITED NATIONS on the board and ask students what they know about it: what it does (see below), when it was started (October 24, 1945), how many countries are members (189), who is the head of the UN (Secretary-General Kofi Annan). Write their responses on the board. Here are some things the UN does: promotes respect for human rights, protects the environment, defines standards for safe and efficient air and sea transport, assists refugees, makes loans to developing countries, helps stabilize financial markets, leads international campaigns against terrorism and drug trafficking. A few interesting facts about the UN: this month, October 2000, is its 55th anniversary; it has its own flag, post office, and postage stamps; it has no army; the annual budget for the UN's core functions is $1.25 billion, which is about 4% of New York City's yearly budget and almost a billion dollars less than the annual cost of Tokyo's fire department. Activity II: Reading (20-25 minutes) Hand out Printout I. Have students do the reading and answer the questions. After they have finished, discuss the reading and their answers. Activity III: Vocabulary (10 minutes) Distribute Printout II and go over it with students. Elicit explanations from students where possible. Activity IV: Reading (20-30 minutes) Give students Printout III and have them read it first individually, then discuss what it means as a whole class. Divide students into small groups, and have them come up with at least three practical ways that the UN can support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and three ways that individuals, families and other small groups can support the UDHR. Some suggestions for how the UN can follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: publish an issues-oriented magazine to educate kids about international current events; provide training and low-interest loans to individuals in developing countries to support small business growth (which, in turn, supports the community and the local economy); start an intercultural pen-pal program; sponsor "peace camps" for kids, especially those from historically war-torn areas; enlist the star-power of celebrity spokespeople to raise awareness of key issues and current events. Activity V: UN Tour and Scavenger Hunt (20-30 minutes) Pair students up at computers. Direct them to United Nations Virtual Tour for the virtual tour. As they finish with the tour, give them one copy of Printout IV per pair, tell them to go to United Nations and explain that they need to find the answers to the scavenger hunt questionnaire by exploring the site. You might want to offer a small prize for the pair that completes the hunt first with the most accurate and thorough answers. (Do the scavenger hunt first yourself so that you have the answers and can help students navigate the site.) Activity VI: Debate (20-30 minutes) Bring news articles about current events in which the UN has been involved. Discuss the UN's role in these events. |