Teacher Toolkit

Why Teach About Economic Disparity in Education to Young Learners? 

Without knowing it, the course of a child's life can be dramatically changed by the fundemental education they recieve. All children deserve every opportunity to achieve their full potential in primary education and beyond. 

We believe that it is absolutely vital to present this information to learners at a young age, and give them the power to speak out and inspire change within their own community. 

While some of these subjects may be sensitive, we encourage you to create a safe environment for students to speak up and expand their knowledge about education. Hope you enjoy!

Expand Your Own Knowledge About Economic Desparity in Education:

A Deeper Look at the Final Project

Introduction to Final Project (15-20 minutes)

1. Revisit the board discussion on advocacy (from the prior activity). Highlight key points about what advocacy is, who can be advocated to, and how advocacy can be performed.

2. Distribute a handout (or display a slide) outlining the components of the final project:

   1. The Issue: What problem are you addressing?

   2. The Solution: What are you proposing to improve the issue?

   3. Advocacy Plan: Who will you advocate to? How will you advocate (e.g., speech, letter, poster, art, etc.)? Why is this important?

3. Discuss some examples:

   1. Example 1: Advocating for more art and music classes to the school board via a letter.

   2. Example 2: Creating a poster campaign to promote nutritious lunch.

   3. Example 3: Writing a speech to request funding for updated technology.

Brainstorming and Idea Development (20-30 minutes)

4. Students work individually or in pairs to brainstorm and outline their projects.

5. Encourage them to revisit their homework or previous classroom activities for inspiration (e.g., school lunch video, advocacy discussions, etc.).

6. Provide a graphic organizer or worksheet with sections for:

   1. The problem they want to solve.

   2. A brief description of their solution.

   3. A step-by-step advocacy plan.

7. Walk around to offer feedback and ensure students have a clear, actionable plan.

Drafting the Advocacy Proposal (30-40 minutes)

8. Students draft their advocacy proposal. Depending on the project type, this might be:

   1. A written speech.

   2. A letter or email draft.

   3. A poster or visual campaign outline.

9. Emphasize including reasons and evidence to support their proposal (e.g., ideas from the video, personal experiences, or class discussions).

Gallery walk

10. Split the class into 2 groups, A and B, Group A will present as Group B walks around and then they will switch roles. Presentations can vary based on the type of advocacy chosen:

    1. Speeches can be delivered.

    2. Posters can be displayed and explained.

    3. Letters can be read aloud or summarized.

Reflection (15-20 minutes)

11. After all presentations, lead a class discussion or provide a short reflection worksheet:

    1. What did you learn about advocacy?

    2. What were some of the most convincing arguments you heard? Why?

    3. How can you use advocacy skills in the future?

    4. Encourage students to use their project to advocate in the real world!

Example Project Click Here!!!