I teach 7th and 9th Graders in Language Arts class and they are such social beings. In their social and emotional development right now, they need to collaborate, converse, and verbally communicate. Being from a rural school, these kids took a hard hit when Covid kept them out of school. They are already isolated on farms and by great distances, so school is the one place they can be together in their own cohorts. When they couldn't learn together, there was a lot of depression and isolation. We are still coming back from that. I can see quite a big gap now in their conflict-resolution skills. They are having a hard time talking with each other face-to-face rather than just on social media, and it has gotten worse since Covid. I want to give these kids the ultimate chance to collaborate again, to work together and problem solve. I have been dreaming of doing a Model UN for a while now, but never had the money or supplies to make it happen.
The idea is that they will work in groups and research a country, its form of government, its resources, and culture. They will be able to pretend to be this country and then use all the skills that we have been working on through the year to make this project happen, like writing proposals, negotiating, and collaborating in a UN-like situation. The goal is to get as many resources, like pencils, stress balls, colors, etc., from other countries while also gaining as many allies as they can. They have to stay true to their own country's values and system of government, but they will explore how to get what they need and make global friends. I want them to learn skills but have fun again in person.
About my class
I teach 7th and 9th Graders in Language Arts class and they are such social beings. In their social and emotional development right now, they need to collaborate, converse, and verbally communicate. Being from a rural school, these kids took a hard hit when Covid kept them out of school. They are already isolated on farms and by great distances, so school is the one place they can be together in their own cohorts. When they couldn't learn together, there was a lot of depression and isolation. We are still coming back from that. I can see quite a big gap now in their conflict-resolution skills. They are having a hard time talking with each other face-to-face rather than just on social media, and it has gotten worse since Covid. I want to give these kids the ultimate chance to collaborate again, to work together and problem solve. I have been dreaming of doing a Model UN for a while now, but never had the money or supplies to make it happen.
The idea is that they will work in groups and research a country, its form of government, its resources, and culture. They will be able to pretend to be this country and then use all the skills that we have been working on through the year to make this project happen, like writing proposals, negotiating, and collaborating in a UN-like situation. The goal is to get as many resources, like pencils, stress balls, colors, etc., from other countries while also gaining as many allies as they can. They have to stay true to their own country's values and system of government, but they will explore how to get what they need and make global friends. I want them to learn skills but have fun again in person.
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