K-12 Tips for Teachers

Global Educators Working Together

October 2023

Global Books for Children   

“Helping our students become global-ready graduates can and should begin at an early age. Consider using the following books for ‘Read Aloud’ activities and adding them to your library at school or home. This list reflects stories from cultures around the world, and since it certainly does not cover all the books with this theme, keep looking for more to enjoy!”

Explore the Global Books for Children list.

September 2023

K-12 Global Education Award

It’s time to be recognized for the work your school does to promote global education! Learn more about the Global Education Award and see past winners.

March 2022

The Seal of Biliteracy is Now Official in PA! 

February 2022

• There are many, many places to choose from—most colleges and universities will have lots of choices for you to consider, from Sweden to Singapore, Poland to Peru, Kenya to New Zealand, Cuba to China.  

  
  Penn State University students go to Brazil for a month in the summer to study Global Health

  Slippery Rock University students studying Education can go to Ireland or Spain for a month to teach in schools

  Temple University students can spend a semester studying Asian Studies in Japan

  University of Pittsburgh can study the environment or healthcare in the Himalayas  during a semester in India
  

• You can choose to take classes in English or another language—many programs offer classes taught in English (so you don’t have to be fluent in another language), or you can study a language as part of your program. 

• You can study just about anything—courses can range from environment & sustainability, film & music, public health & medicine, history & politics, computer science & engineering, economics & business, etc. Most programs will let you choose from a few different areas, so you do not have to have all your classes focused in one academic area. 

• It can be expensive, but there are scholarships that pay for part of or all your study abroad program—ask about funding for study abroad early, save money from your summer job, and make a budget in advance to plan your spending. 

• Your college/program will make it as safe as possible—they care about your health and security when you study abroad and will work with you to make sure you have the right international insurance and medical precautions in place. 

• The academic credits you earn while studying abroad will probably count towards the credits you need to graduate—so what you study in Paris, Cairo, or Tokyo will transfer back to your college and help you graduate on time.  

• Programs are different lengths—some are just 1-2 weeks, 4-8 weeks during the summer, or for a full semester or academic year. It’s up to you if you want a shorter program or to study abroad for a longer amount of time. 
  

Scavenger Hunt:
Use the information from “7 Things to Know About Studying Abroad as a College Student” and do an internet search to answer the following questions. Some of the questions will have more than one correct answer.

1. What is the least amount of time for some study abroad programs?

2. If you study Education, which university in Pennsylvania has a study abroad program so you can practice teaching?

3. Do you have to speak the local language to study abroad in another country?

4. Which university in Pennsylvania has a summer study abroad program to study health care?

5. Find the name of a scholarship a student can apply for to help pay for their study abroad program.

6. Which university in Pennsylvania has a study abroad program in Iceland?

7. What are three countries where a student can study abroad and study Spanish?

8. Which university in Pennsylvania has a summer study abroad program in Switzerland?

9. Find a program offered by a university in Pennsylvania in which you can study abroad for an academic year (fall and spring semesters).

January 2022

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR FILMS FOR MIDDLE OR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT FOCUS ON GLOBAL THEMES such as  SOCIAL JUSTICE…HUMAN RIGHTS…THE HOLOCAUST…BLACK HISTORY…DIVERSITY OR INCLUSION?

 CHECK OUT THIS AMAZING RESOURCE!

 Teen Screen from Film Pittsburgh offers free, high-quality film resources to middle and high school teachers to help students explore issues of global, historical, cultural, and social significance.

 Teen Screen provides a free educational experience that facilitates exploration of important, often difficult, topics through film. By incorporating a variety of teaching approaches into an interactive cinematic experience, Teen Screen speaks to students of all backgrounds and learning styles. 

Teen Screen offers an iN-person, in-theater experience for middle school and high school students that includes study guides, preparatory in-school visits, and when possible, question and answer sessions with filmmakers or film subjects.

Teen Screen Virtual offers free film programs for Middle and High School students to supplement the classroom curriculum through secure internet connections. We are pleased to share engaging independent films along with supplemental teaching materials and speakers.

FILMS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH – AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 2022

HOW IT WORKS:

• Teachers choose a film from Teen Screen’s diverse lineup and schedule their screening date. There are different offerings for Teen Screen vs. Teen Screen Virtual, but both programs contain films that focus on The Holocaust, Genocide, and Social Justice/Human Rights themes.

• Teen Screen provides a study guide for the film and an optional in-classroom or virtual lesson, guided by an experienced educator, that prepares students to see the film.

• School groups meet at a movie theater to watch the film. Alternatively, Teen Screen Virtual allows teachers and students to watch films at school or at home via internet connection.

• In-theater screenings are followed by guided discussions in which students articulate their impressions and viewpoints. For virtual programs, teachers can invite experienced educators to visit their school, via their online platform, to conduct these follow-up conversations.

• All students are encouraged to write a response to the program that highlights what they have taken away from the Teen Screen experience.

• When possible, Teen Screen welcomes special guests with a connection to the topic, such as Holocaust survivors or human rights advocates, who participate in person, virtually, or in recorded sessions.

For more information and links to register, visit their website: FilmPittsburgh.org

Check out their Facebook page! Search for: FILM PITTSBURGH’S TEEN SCREEN

December 2021

Global Competence Recognition Form

It’s time to be recognized for the work your school does to promote global education! Fill out the Global Competence Recognition Form today and let us know how your school celebrates global education! The form will take about 45 minutes and qualified school communities will earn special Global Competence Recognition from PACIE as well as a mention on our website for your excellent work! See a sample form here. If you have any questions, please email the PACIE Education/Policy Committee at pacie@pacie.org 

Submissions are due by June 1, 2022.

November 2021

PACIE is happy to share opportunities for high school students related to global education. Our higher ed colleagues are providing information about some important up-coming opportunities for our high school colleagues. Please click the link below to learn about Starttalk (applications due May 2022) and the summer Pennsylvania Governor's School (applications due January 19, 2022). These are great programs for high school students to learn about global issues. Plan ahead now!

October 2021

TEACHING BEYOND SEPTEMBER 11TH

Has the 20th anniversary made you reflect upon the aftermath of 9/11?  The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education is currently publishing 20 modules (one for each year 2001-2021) on various themes relating to the aftermath of 9/11 and its influence on us.

This could not be more timely!  Lessons come from U Penn and other universities and organizations across the country.

The link below will allow you to sign up to receive these modules.  They can be used as stand-alone lessons, or you can focus on one of the following 6 specific themes:

            Democracy and Rights

            Domestic Policy

            Foreign Policy

Media and Representation

Solidarity and Social Justice

Public Opinion, Perception and Anti-Muslim Sentiment

The objectives for students are to understand the issues that have arisen in the aftermath of 9/11 and to be motivated to make change.  The newest module within these 6 themes is “The Origins of U.S. Interventions in Afghanistan.”

 https://www.gse.upenn.edu/academics/research/september-11-curriculum

GLOBAL LEARNING LIBRARY:  CONNECTING PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

The Global Learning Library has just launched a FREE Educator Membership for educators which will provide access to an online library of amazing human beings from around the world.  Which options appeal to you?

1.      Recorded video lectures and conversations with people such as Maasai warriors in Tanzania, a sustainable entrepreneur in Vietnam, a photography curator in Paris, an HIV/AIDS doctor and foundation director in Ghana, and many, many more.

2.     New videos on a particular topic or from a particular country/region.

3.     A live, virtual speaker in your classroom on any topic, from just about any country.

4.     Free virtual events with colleagues in your field.

 To access these amazing resources, visit

www.globallearninglibrary.com/educator-registration .You will be asked to register your interest(s) and initial recommendations will be made.

September 2021

Peace Day Challenge

September 21st is the International Day of Peace - a day we focus on peacebuilding!  Reaching 148 countries and all 50 states, this day provides an opportunity to learn, act, and share goals and concepts promoting peace.

Check out the resources from the US Institute of Peace for ideas and suggestions

Are you up for the challenge? PACIE would love to hear how your school and district participate in the Peace Day Challenge!  Share your ideas with us today!
This tip for teachers comes from Dr. Barbara S. Weikert, an educator in the Norristown Area School District.

May 2021

Using #bitesizeSDGs to Bring the UN Sustainable Development Goals to a Busy Classroom

As an elementary teacher in a public school, I often want to bring in more global education content and discussion to my classroom but can feel limited by constraints of time and resources. In looking for quick and easy ways to infuse global and geographic thinking into our daily classroom lessons and routines, I discovered the #bitesizeSDGs community. By using their daily provocations, I’ve found a seamless and powerful way to prompt globally-focused discussions, learning, and thinking in my fifth-grade classroom. The #bitesizeSDGs center on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), seventeen global goals that unite the world around a vision for a more just, equitable, and environmentally sustainable future. 

I first met the #bitesizeSDGs through the National Geographic Educator community. The creators, Nichola de Montaigne and Tim Black collaborate with professionals and agencies around the world to share vetted information relevant to the SDGs. The result is a daily provocation, shared through Twitter, that encourages reflection, dialogue, and agency around one of the SDGs. 

My favorite way to use the #bitesizeSDGs is through a student journal prompt. As part of their daily brain warm-up, I put the day’s provocation on the board and encourage students to think it through in a written response, drawing, mini-poster, comic, or any other reflective activity. The student responses that I’ve received have been incredible. My fifth graders not only create amazing artifacts of their thinking through the provocation, but we have had terrific and thoughtful conversations about how the SDGs are realized in some parts of the world and not in others. While we often limit our response time to 15-20 minutes, an educator could easily extend each lesson or build an entire unit off of a provocation.

I’ve also used bitesizeSDGs as a QFocus for the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) process. Students can use a provocation statement about the SDGs to generate questions about our learning topic for the day. This helps students frame the day’s learning within the context of the SDGs, but it also develops geographic thinking as we make connections between what we know in our community and what might be happening in the world around us. 

To connect with the #bitesizeSDGs, follow @bitesizeSDGs on Twitter and use the hashtag #bitesizeSDGs to engage with their community.

Submitted by Katherine Harnish, Grade 5 Educator, Hambright Elementary School, Penn Manor SD

April 2021

At the PACIE Spring Board retreat, members of the United States Institute of Peace discussed ways we can connect their excellent outreach with schools across the Commonwealth.

With the help of the USIP your school can:

• Participate in the International Day of Peace (Peace Challenge) on September 21st

• Attend Virtual Tours of the Peace Trail on the National Mall  in Washington, DC

• Collaborate and discuss issues of justice and peace

Contests for Students include:  https://www.usip.org/public-education/contests-students

Teacher resources:  https://www.usip.org/public-education/educators/classroom-resources

The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to build local capacities to manage conflict peacefully. The Institute pursues its mission by linking research, policy, training, analysis, and direct action to support those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world.

Source: https://www.usip.org/about

PACIE would love to hear how your school and district have connected with the US Institute of Peace.  Share your ideas with us today!

This tip for teachers comes from Dr. Barbara S. Weikert, an educator in the Norristown Area School District.  Her students and school regularly collaborate with the USIP to the benefit of the school and community.

March 2021

As schools incorporate project-based learning ideas into the classroom, it can be a challenge to create a focus that is both specific enough to accomplish the goals of the project and broad enough to offer resources for differentiation.  The United National Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an excellent resource to educate students about important global issues while creating opportunities for students to take action to improve the world. 

The 17 goals are a call to action to help improve the lives of everyone around the world and were adopted by all members of the United Nations.  We are called “to end poverty, protect the planet, and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.” 

The United Nations offers ideas and strategies for students of all ages to learn and incorporate the SDGs into their lives including books, video games, board games, and even stickers of awareness!  https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/student-resources/

PACIE would love to hear how your school and district utilize the Sustainable Development Goals to enhance educational practice.  Share your ideas with us today!

This tip for teachers comes from Dr. Barbara S. Weikert, an educator in the Norristown Area School District.

February 2021

Building a Global Community

Many of us may feel isolated in this era of social unrest and pandemic.

How do teachers bring the world to students when they may not be able to go out into the world? How can children learn about equity and justice in a time of social upheaval? How do teachers connect to globally-minded peers when that connection must be virtual? Here are a few resources to help teachers and students build global communities even when physically separated.

Teacher connections – social media

A search for Global Education on any social media site will lead you to hundreds of individuals, organizations, and websites that can provide followers and members with multiple opportunities to build a global community. The following links offer examples of what is available on Twitter and Facebook for global educators. Please note that PACIE is not recommending or endorsing any particular site (other than PACIE’s own site) and users will need to have an account to access resources on any social media site. Our goal is to provide teachers with a starting point for exploration.

Twitter:

These Twitter sites have chats, information, and links to a wide variety of resources for global education:

• #GlobalEd

• #globaledchat

• #educatorexplorer

• #AsiaSociety – global nonprofit forging closer ties between Asia and the west through arts, education, policy, and business

• #PACIEglobal – also check out the resources including the Global Educator Toolkit found at www.pacie.org

• #NatGeo- National Geographic provides content and connection to further our understanding and awareness of the world.

  • Also find resources at www.nationalgeographic.com

• #GlobalEdCluster (co-led by @UNICEF and @save_children) Open forum for coordination and collaboration on education in humanitarian crises

• #USIP – U.S. Institute for Peace - a national, nonpartisan institute dedicated to creating a world without violent conflict

• #teachSDGs – an all-nation, all-volunteer network of educators working to connect classrooms to global goals (@TheGlobalGoals)

Facebook:

• Global Educator Collective – connects educator groups for support during Covid-19 school closures.

• Global Education Network – a meeting place for educators, students, and businesses related to education.

• PACIE – Pennsylvania Council for International Education

Pinterest

• Search for: global education, global education activities, global communities

Student connections:

• Out of Eden Learning- On Out of Eden Learn’s custom-built, social media platform, students of similar ages from diverse geographical and socioeconomic settings come together for collective learning experiences.

•  Empatico- Empatico connects classrooms around the world through live interactions, photos, and supplementary video resources.

•  National Geographic Explorer Classroom - National Geographic's Explorer Classroom connects students with explorers, scientists, and storytellers from around the world

• Discovery Education Virtual Field Trips - live or on-demand video field trips to places around the world.

•  Pen Pal Schools -  Pen pals from 150 different countries collaborate and create projects on 50 different topics

These are just a few of the thousands of resources available online and on social media to support global education connections. We hope that some of these resources will start you thinking about ways to build global connection and community for you and your students in virtual or traditional classrooms.

 “The internet has made the world a small town again.” Ana White

January 2021

New Year’s Traditions around the World

This Tip for Teachers comes from Ulrike Sauer-Voigt of Norwin High School, who has been working with Digital Story-Telling. See the link for more information about this technique and about the multiple tools you could use.

Ulrike’s New Year’s activity uses the Story Map JS tool. This activity allows students to have reinforcement of their world geography skills, and it lets them have some fun with traditions around the world. It might help you on the day before or after winter break!! Check out the link!

New Year’s Traditions Around The World

This activity is not Digital Storytelling per se (in that it is not personal and it does not have the typical elements of storytelling), but it helps to visualize how this tool could be used for different classes, such as following the adventures of Flat Stanley, the expansion of the British Empire, or the globalization strategy of an international company, to name just a few. Each of the “stations” on the map could include questions for students to answer, so a similar presentation could also easily be changed to an assessment tool.

The following are additional ideas across a wide range of subjects:

1. Foreign Languages: ask students for the name of each country in the target language.

2. Social Studies: ask students for the name of the capital of each country.

3. Math: have students calculate the distance traveled in the order the countries are visited and maybe convert from miles to kilometers.

4. Art: choose one country, research a famous artist from that country and create one slide with a little blurb about that artist and a pic from one of his works. Then do a gallery walk in the classroom.

5. Music: have students choose a country, listen to the national anthem of the country, and find out about its music style and key.

6. ELA: write a short poem about one country’s New Year’s tradition

The possibilities are endless depending on the subject and curriculum!

December 2020

Traditions, Celebrations, and Holidays Around the World

Encourage your students to expand their perspectives on the traditions, celebrations, and holidays that people observe around the world.   

Allow students to choose (or assign them) a country.  Aim for regional diversity so you have a few countries from different continents/ regions of the world.  Have students research the various holidays celebrated in that country and decide on 2-3 they want to focus on. 

Decide if you want students to do a poster presentation, a slide presentation, or a verbal presentation on selected celebrations from their selected country.  Give guidance on how you will assess presentations.  Note if a written paper is expected as well.  Allow students time to do the research and piece together their presentations. 

 Schedule a couple afternoons for students to share their presentations with the class so everyone can learn about traditions, celebrations, and holidays around the world.  Encourage students to look for music, images, and perhaps short videos that they can share.  Establish a firm time limit for the presentations. 

 If you are able, invite a few personal contacts from other countries to share celebrations their family observes.  This option could be done in addition to or in place of assigning students to research and share.  Guest speakers can join virtually and share artifacts they may have that pertain to the annual events.  Easy recipes with clear directions could be shared as well if students want to try making special dishes. 

November 2020

ONE MORE MINI-GRANT LEFT!!  APPLY NOW!!

Have you ever had a great idea that would give your unit(s) a global spin?  Have you ever found some materials that would help you add a global component to your lessons?

PACIE’s mini-grant can help!

Have you just wished someone would hire a sub for a day or two so you could get the above ideas accomplished, but the district cannot fund that for you?  Is your book/AV budget out of money for global materials?

PACIE’s mini-grant can help!

Please check out the PACIE K12 Mini Grant page

To help you brainstorm ideas a bit, here is a list of items that PACIE has recently funded.

• Revision of the components of a  4-year social studies curriculum in order to add more global components

• Inclusion of global musical instruments into a middle school music curriculum

• Project to work with/learn from local migrant workers (elementary)

• Development of a H.S. international studies course

• Addition of global components in a H. S. business course

• Curriculum writing and books for an English department that wanted to expand its  “coming of age” theme to incorporate books and experiences of teens from other countries

PACIE’s Ed Committee has been flexible with the timelines of this year’s projects due to the uncertainties of COVID.  For example, what normally would have been presented at our conference in the fall of 2021 will be presented at our in-person conference in the fall of 2022.  The deadline for this last grant, though, is January 31, 2021!  The policy is “First-come, first-serve.”  Questions?  Please contact Deanna Baird at fraubaird@gmail.com.

October 2020

Feeling the heat from a tough COVID year? Needing something new and international to look forward to yet?? 

Check out the link below from the Global Educator Toolkit to find opportunities  and scholarships to study and/or travel abroad for any time from 10 days to one year. https://www.fulbrightteacherexchanges.org

These Fulbright opportunities are for teachers and administrators k-12.  Explore these opportunities and plan ahead now for next year when international travel and learning are again possible.  The Global Educator Toolkit also has categories relating to global curricula, action projects, classroom-to-classroom projects, international organizations, etc.  Check out these links!

September 2020

The World Needs Us: A Global Start to the School Year

Don't give up on global education during this global pandemic!  Here is a simple, do-able, yet effective idea from Barbara Weikert of Norristown School District. 

This Google Slides link has a calendar of important dates and of monthly themes based on continents that can be incorporated into the curriculum of any discipline.  The goal is for various teachers throughout middle school to incorporate the focus of the monthly continent to whatever they are teaching.  Examples might be the following:

1. a Mexican painting or artist in October to illustrate North America (art)

2. a song or instrument from South America during November (music)

3. an Asian historical event in January that can be compared to the U.S. topic being studied (history)

4. Australia's research on scientific topic being studied in March (science)

5. a European short story or poem in April that fits the unit theme (English)

Some colleagues will do this once; some, several times.  Some teachers will let students find examples to share in class or online.  No matter what---In the life of a student this is influential!  Simple, do-able, effective!  Give this a shot yourself first or share this with colleagues now!

With in the slides is a rationale for global competence, a schedule of monthly continents (slide 11), and important dates (slide 12).

August 2020

Global Business Etiquette Webquest

Need some online activities for students? Let your students do the searching and then Zoom/discuss the results. The activity above was designed by Erica Shafran of Hempfield Area School District as part of her school’s PACIE Mini-Grant award.