The resources in this section are curated to encourage the development of globally competent students. Some sites and resources I have used through the years, others I'm incorporating into my lessons in the current school year, and the remaining sites are sources that inspire greater exposure to global events and ideas. Like any research endeavor, I hope the sources here lead you to ideas and lessons that fit the needs of your students and their development as globally competent citizens.

International Project-Based Learning Opportunities
PBL Overview & Resources & PBL Innovations

The ideas & links here are not exhaustive, but hopefully you can find global lessons and additional resources that fit the needs of your students and inspire other learning opportunities.

The curated list below provides sources I regularly visit and incorporate into my curriculum. Many are filled with ready-made lesson plans that can be adapted to meet the needs of your classroom and students.

• Global Literature: Award-Winning Resources

A rich database of award-winning writing and global literature including publishers, book lists, and sources for evaluating literature.

• Facing History and Ourselves: Coming of Age in a Complex World

A toolkit that integrates culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, and civic education to provide students with engaging lessons. Grades 7-10 but adaptable for younger or older students.

• Smithsonian Learning Lab

A rich collection of digital resources for every subject and grade level. My newest source for dynamic, engaging lesson ideas.

• World Press Photo

For global images and stories, World Press Photo is my first go-to source. Their sources for educators - See The Story- provides a history of images and asks the question: Why is a free press important?

• Art Institute of Chicago

I use the AIC collection and their educator resources often and, when offered, take their professional development courses, which have proven to be some of the most beneficial classes for enriching my own visual literacy skills. 

• New York Times Learning Network

A treasure trove of classroom activities, lesson plans, and images to augment your literacy curriculum. For specific writing prompts, be sure to visit their recent post entitled, "445 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing" found here. 

• Emergence Magazine

Stories, essays, and photos via print, digital, or podcasts that speak to the global issues of our time environmentally, socially, and politically.

• Global Oneness Project 

When the pandemic hit, I needed to augment my global online source material so that students could make sense of the reverberating effects of one event - in this case, Covid-19. The Global Oneness Project has become the first place I now turn to for stories, ideas, images, videos, and podcasts that help students investigate the world, recognize perspectives, communicate ideas, and take action to help each other and the wider global community. Below is one such example I've used for several years to explore the concept of Time as a cultural value while also addressing the topic of child labor from the perspective of Amar. I've also had students analyze the rhetorical situation presented in the documentary. 

Amar, by Andrew Hinton, set in Jamshedpur, India

•  Art as a Cultural Medium for the Public Good  - TGC Unit Plan

For further information on my unit plan, access the Unit Plan page under the “Teach" section of this website.

• “Raising Her Voice" is a cross-curricular project on the role of music in social change. Focusing on West Africa, learners will explore the culture, history, and experiences of people in Benin, Mali, Gambia and Senegal, and how music can be used to express people's voices. 

• UN SDGs World's Largest Lesson: What's On My Plate?  In conjunction with the UN SDGs, Unicef, & Unesco, these lesson plans and accompanying materials aim to help students investigate the development and impact of the food we consume.

• Unit Plan: Comparing Education Around the World  In this lesson plan, students learn about Ken and Joab, two boys who are starting first grade. Ken attends school in Japan, while Joab lives in Kenya. Students compare and contrast the circumstances surrounding the two boys’ experiences at school. They create a venn diagram demonstrating what they have learned.

• Unit Plan: Sounds of the World You probably use photographs, images and film every day, to strengthen student understanding of topics – but what about sound? You could get students to listen first. What do they think they can hear? Where in the world has it been recorded? What can they find out about a place from the sounds they hear? Sounds are not just a great tool for discovering about other parts of the world but can also help build up an important skill....listening.

• Lesson Plan: Hats of Faith Hats of Faith is a beautifully illustrated children’s board book introducing readers to the shared custom of head covering. Using accurate terminology, phonetic pronunciations and bright, beautiful imagery, Hats of Faith helps educate and prepare young children and their parents for our culturally diverse modern world.

• Unit Plan: Festivals of Light Around the World To promote tolerance of other cultures and religions. Through this unit, students will learn that there are distinct religions, but that many cultures and holidays incorporate light into their celebrations.

• Unit Plan: Solar Seekers  Students will research alternative energy sources with a focus on solar energy, looking at the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7; and then design, construct and test a solar cooker as an example of alternative energy use and compare their results with other schools. (You will need to create an account with iEarn, but they have a rich collection of ideas and lesson plans.)

• Unicef Kid Power

• 7 Inspiring Children's Books to Motivate Your Young Activist

• One Global Kids: Exploring the World with New Friends

• Tiny Owl: Global Children's Literature Publisher

• Schools Around the World

• The Wonderment 

• 6 Tips to Teach Global Citizenship to Kids

• Summer Reading for the Globally Conscious Kid

• 17 Books to Inspire Kids to Change the World

• Voices of Youth

• Heifer International: Reed to Feed Program

• iEarn

• World Children's Prize

• Global Youth Service Day

• Global Literature: Award-Winning Resources

• World Water Day

• Perbi Cubs Reading Program - an example