Sharing the planet

                                                  

GLOBAL ISSUES: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH?

 

Global Issues refer to current matters and future scenarios that have an impact at a regional, national and/or international level, bearing in mind that they need to be addressed from the perspective of the target language’s culture(s). Some aspects closely related to this are:

• drugs
• energy reserves
• food and water
• global warming, climate change, natural disasters
• globalisation
• international economy
• migration (rural-urban, or international)
• poverty and famine
• racism, prejudice, discrimination
• the effect of men on nature
• the environment and sustainability

1. POVERTY

      “It’s things that you want you can’t have, places you want to live and can’t. We all have needs;           

       being poor, those needs can’t be met.”

      " Being poor means not getting the same chances and needing to fight for everything"

      " It´s being almos invisible to almost everyone"

KEY WORDS

Have a look at the following concepts and  make sure you understand them. If there are words you don’t know, look them up in a dictionary .

• POVERTY 
• FAIR TRADE
• MICROCREDIT
• NUTRITION
• EXPLOIT
• LOAN
• AID
• DEVELOPING
• ALLEVIATION
• SUSTAINABLE
• MARGINALISED
• CAPITAL
• WAGES
• CORRUPTION
• PLAGUE                                                                    

                    

KWL stands for the guiding questions used to organize thinking and learning about a specific topic

K- What do we know?

W- What do we want to know?

L – What  have we learnt?

What Do We KNOW about World Poverty?	What Do We WANT to Know about World Poverty?	What Have We LEARNED about World Poverty?
Who are the poor? How do we decide who is “poor”? How is poverty in Spain the same as / different from world poverty? Where do the poor live? Why are people poor? How do people get out of poverty?	Unit Questions: What is poverty and who are the poor? What is capitalism? How do capitalist institutions affect the poor Your questions:	Is capitalism good for the poor ? Why do you think so?

Watch this video. How is your life different from his life?

                    http://www.teachertube.com/video/himal039s-story-poverty-and-children-171624

•  Watch this video about microcredits

• 
  

Paper 2  Section B   - Stimulus ( 150- 250 words)

We are always encouraged to donate money to the poor. Yet, Mother Teresa said: "Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody [...] is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat".

2. STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICE

Glossary of important terms

alienation (n) to be alienated (v)	a feeling of being separate, a feeling of not belonging
Assume Assumption
attitude of superiority (n) To feel superior (v)	belief that one is better than others are
discrimination (n) to discriminate against (v)	special treatment (good or bad) based on race, religion, physical appearance, age, social class
Ethnicity ethnocentrism (n) ethnocentric (adj)	belief that one's own group (culture, race, country) is better than   others are
generalization (n) To generalize (v)	a statement that does not include details or important differences
harm (n) harmful (adj) To harm (v)	physical or emotional pain causing physical or emotional pain
hostility (n) hostile (adj)	anger, hatred, strong opposition
intolerance (n) To be intolerant (v)	lack of kindness or understanding toward people who are different
Preconceived
prejudice (n) to be prejudiced against (v) to feel prejudice against (v)	a negative, unfair opinion about a person or group of people, usually based on limited information or limited experience
racism (n)	belief that an ethnic group is superior or inferior to other groups
scapegoat (n)	A person or group who is given the blame for the mistakes or failures of others, promoted through the use of propaganda.
stereotype (n)	a very simple, often mistaken, generalization about a group of people
traits (n)	characteristics, features
xenophobia (n) xenophobic (adj)	fear or dislike of foreigners and strangers

 

A stereotype is an over generalized belief about a particular group of people.  There are many kinds of stereotypes but the most common ones are those to do with nationality, religion, age and gender. 

 Using stereotypes is a way to simplify our social world and they can help us to respond quickly to situations because we may have had a similar experience before. But one disadvantage is that it makes us ignore differences between individuals and we may judge a person without even knowing anything about them.

Nationality Stereotypes

How accurate do you think these stereotypes are?

• Italian people eat pasta ever day
• The best machines come from Germany
• British people are very serious
• The French are the most romantic people
• Americans like eating hamburgers
• Australians see kangaroos every day

Conversation Questions

• What do people think of when they think of your country?
• Do you think the stereotypes about your country are true or false?
• What comes to mind when you think about America?
• Do you know of any stereotypes about British people?
• What are some stereotypes you know of about women?
• What are some stereotypes about men?
• Where do we learn these gender stereotypes?
• What stereotypes exist about people who are blonde?
• Do you think some stereotypes are true?
• What are the advantages of making a stereotype?
• What are the disadvantages of making stereotypes?
• What are stereotypes and how do they affect people’s lives?
• What stereotypes exist about religion?
• Can you think of any events in history that were influenced by stereotypes and biases?
• How do people learn to make stereotypes? How might they unlearn them?
• How can the media (newspapers, television, movies) help to reduce stereotyping?
• What do you think an individual can do to help reduce bias and stereotyping?

ACTIVITIES

1.   Think about a situation when someone made a biased judgement about you or acted unfairly towards you because of your age, skin colour, clothes you were wearing, gender, the way you speak, where you live, how much money your family has, or some other reason.

          Describe this situation in no more than 75 words.

2.   Consider the following questions before you begin to write:

• How did you know that you were being unfairly judged?
• What words or actions were directed at you because of assumptions or stereotypes?
• Why do you think those assumptions were made about you?
• How did the experience make you feel?
• How do you think you should have been treated in that situation?

3.   Create a collage about the written personal experiences, and pictures and artwork that present how assumptions and stereotypes make you feel.

4.   Identify stereotypes in the Media. What stereotypes do you notice in television shows, commercials, or movies? Record the name of the show, movie, or product advertised; the group stereotyped; the stereotype portrayed; and any thoughts or feelings you experienced while watching the programme. (This exercise might not be as easy as it seems; many of you are so accustomed to seeing certain stereotypes that you don't even notice them).

5. Have a look at this video.

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHZGRIJ2q8I