Activity: Researching a country

Activity summary
Students select a country in the developing world that has featured heavily in recent news or is one that has recently been studied in humanities subjects. They explore the reasons why the country has been in the news and research to find out some important new facts and information about the country; information that provides social, environmental, economic or political contexts to the news.

Aims of the activity

• To help students gain a deeper understand of the social, environmental, economic or political details of a developing country featuring in the news

For details of how Global News activities meet the requirements of the national curriculum, in particular the citizenship curriculum, click here

Resources
Access to computers/internet – at least one computer for every 2-4 students.

Activity details

Raising an issue
Ask students to name developing countries that have recently featured in the news and to briefly give reasons for why they feel the countries have been featured. Reach a consensus on one country to find out further information on.

Questioning/Discussion
Find out how much students already know about the selected country and why it has been in the news. List on a board etc the main points raised by students. It will be useful to return to this list later to see how understanding of the issues has deepened.

Researching/Group work
Following the discussion, students should be set the task of using links from the Global News website to research information about the country and the issue[s] that have led to it being featured in the news. Working in pairs or small groups they should note some key points which reveal important facts and information they have found out about the country/issue. These may for example be historical, geographical, political or cultural contexts to the issue/country which rarely get mentioned in news stories.

Note on researching
Students may need some guidance/prompting on countries that have been in the news, particularly developing countries; they may need to be made aware of what constitutes a developing country or country of the South. The country selected should be one that is highly topical and/or links with countries being studied in humanities subjects. Teachers may wish to guide students to particular sites/links for this activity. See right hand box for suggested links for selected developing countries currently in the news and a more detailed set of links for Rwanda.

Disseminating
Following the research, facts and information about the country, including the sources of the information, can be shared with the whole group. Try to encourage students to reflect on how their views, knowledge, and understanding of the country and the issue[s] associated with it have changed as a result of the activity.

Positive action
Increased knowledge and understanding of the issues behind global news stories, particularly in relation to the countries of the South, can help challenge pre-conceived views and combat prejudice and stereotyping. This can help students better understand how they can take action that will result in positive change. Ask students to consider what actions they feel they can take as a result of the activity. The ideas on the students in action page may provide some ideas. Encourage students to contact Global News with their ideas.

Expectations:

By the end of this activity students will:

• have a more in depth knowledge and understanding of a developing country featured in the news
• have a clearer insight into the social, environmental, economic and political contexts behind an international issue
• be encouraged to take action personally and in their community on the issue/country in question

Reaseraching a country activity in PDF format

 

...globalnews.org.uk...

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