Creative Teaching & Learning

A River Child: The life of a young Muslim child in Africa

The River Child cross curriculum project consists of a set of activities that are related to learning outcomes in Geography, Science, Design and Technology, English, Drama, ICT and RE for children aged 9-12.

The River Child cross-curriculum project consists of a set of activities that are related to learning outcomes in Geography, Science, Design and Technology, English, Drama and ICT for children aged 9-12. It also provides the opportunity for teachers to introduce Religious Education through the study of Islam as practised by Mohamed, the boy whose story is the focus for the project.

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      string(301) "Exploring Africa: Activity 8. Students carry out a role-play to gain a better understanding of conservation and the threats facing the animals, land and people involved. The activity culminates in the students creating a news item for the children’s show, Newsround. (Activity by Sue Lyle)."
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      string(379) "... to be uploaded to the Newsround website. NB: This activity is written by Sue Lyle. It has been adapted from the Cross Curriculum Project, ‘A River Child: The Life of a Young Muslim Child in Africa’, available in full with subscription to Imaginative Minds’ Project-Based Learning Resources.What is ..."
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      string(5676) "Activity 8 instructionsExploring AfricaActivity 8: Gashaka-Gumti National Park Key words: geography, Africa, national parks, game reserves, conservation, role play, drama, interviews, hot seating, citizenship, stewardship, United Kingdom, Gashaka-Gumti, Nigeria, media, film, scriptwriting, maps  Key stages 2-4Description Students carry out a role-play to gain a better understanding of conservation and the threats and difficulties facing the animals, land and people involved.The activity includes a brief card-sort starter activity and culminates in the students using the knowledge gained from their role play to create a news item for the children’s news show, Newsround. Curriculum FocusGeography, drama, literacy (speaking and listening, writing), thinking skills, citizenship, media Materials Included in this resource pack:Activity sheet 8a – What is a national park? (starter)Activity sheet 8b – Card sort cut outs (starter)Activity sheet 8c – Newsround reportActivity sheet 8d – Role-play cardsActivity sheet 8e – Interview sheetActivity sheet 8f – Gashaka-Gumti National Park maps Groupings Groups of seven or eight (there are eight roles, but the role of the journalist does not have to be a separate role) ProcedureStarter activity – Introducing national parks (optional)This is a card-sort activity to help students gain a greater understanding of national parks and their purpose. Cut out the cards before the lesson (these can be found in Activity sheet 8b) – make sure there are enough for pupils to work in groups of four.Hand out the cards to the groups. Students follow the instructions in Activity sheet 8a to match the question cards with their answers. The activity focuses on national parks in the UK, but makes mention of the Gashaka-Gumti Reserve in Nigeria, Africa. Discuss the answers to the questions as a class.Main activity – Newsround reportRead out or choose a student to read out the Newsround news report in Activity sheet 8c about Gashaka-Gumti Game Reserve in East Nigeria. The report highlights some of the threats to the success of the reserve.In this activity, students take on the role of a journalist sent by Newsround to Nigeria to find out what can be done to save this precious game reserve. Their job is to interview a number of key people involved in protecting the park and to create a report on their findings to be shown on Newsround.The children will be playing the roles of these interviewees. Distribute the role cards (cut these out beforehand from Activity sheet 8d) and ask all of the children in the class who are playing the same role to come together to discuss their roles (if you have a class of 28, there will be four people playing each of the roles, excluding the journalist). Ask them to read their role cards and together discuss how to fill in the section of Activity sheet 8e for the character they are playing.Once they have completed this section, ask them to form new groups so that each group has one of each of the roles in the group. Extra children can take on the role of the journalist – for example, if you have 30 children in the class, have two groups of seven and two groups of eight (the extra person is the journalist). In the other groups of seven, the children can share the role of journalist.Tell the children to follow the order of interviews on the sheets and ensure everyone is interviewed. All of the children should fill in the rest of their activity sheet using information from the remaining interviews with the other roles.Students will now use their findings to create a Newsround report. This should be filmed and put together using video editing software. The children can use photos, videos, audio, maps (Activity sheet 8f provides a few) and narration to tell their story. Alternatively, simply have them script the piece or write a news story to be uploaded to the Newsround website. NB: This activity is written by Sue Lyle. It has been adapted from the Cross Curriculum Project, ‘A River Child: The Life of a Young Muslim Child in Africa’, available in full with subscription to Imaginative Minds’ Project-Based Learning Resources.What is a National Park?There are hundreds of national parks all over the world, including here in the UK. But what are national parks, and why do we have them?Your taskWork in groups of four. You will be given a set of cards about national parks in the United Kingdom.1. One person in the group should shuffle the cards and deal them out.2. Half the cards are question cards and half the cards are the answers to the questions. Each person in the group should sort out their cards into two piles in front of them:3. Each person should take turns reading out their question cards to the group one at a time. Everyone look at their answer cards to see if they have the answer to the question.Whoever has the answer (it may be the person who read out the question card) gives it to the person with the question card.The question and answer cards should be laid out on the desk beside each other for everyone to see.Continue asking the questions and matching them to the answers until all of the questions have been matched to an answer.Why do we have national parks?To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of an areaWhat are the names of the national parks in England?Peak District, Lake District, Dartmoor, North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales, Exmoor, Northumberland, the Broads, New Forest, South DownsWhat is a national park?National parks are"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Activity 8 Resource Pack: Gashaka-Gumti National Park

21 Nov 2014

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      string(4855) "occupied territories.Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope by Shirin EbadiIf you want to understand modern Iran through a personal memoir and the colonial legacy this is a good place to start.On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe Tells the story of the African women who are modern-day sex slaves trafficked between Nigeria and Belgium, another legacy of colonialism.Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif The story is set in Egypt, a British colony in 1901 and in America in 2001. It unravels a love story from the past and I learnt so much about British and French involvement in Egypt.The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk/Palace of Desire/Sugar Street by Naguib Mahfouz A family saga set in colonial Egypt and spans the 20th Century until after the second world war.Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Set in Nigeria, this is the story of Biafra’s struggle to establish an independent republic shortly after independence from Britain through the eyes of a house boy, his mistress Ugwu and English Richard, her sister’s lover.The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka This book about the Japanese internment during the second world war in the US is relevant reading as xenophobia reaches new heights among White Europeans across the world.A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry Set in India, an historically accurate novel of four characters struggling to live on our broken planet.Honor by Elif Shafak A must if you want to understand the migrant experience. It exposes all the challenges of living in a globalised, intercultural world and the lives of women.A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Set in Afghanistan’s last thirty years from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban through the tales of 2 generations of family and friends.What is the What by Dave Eggers Based on the true story of Valentina Achek Deng who was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of 7 (along with 1000s of other children) and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers and wild animals.A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Ishmael lost his entire family in the war in Sierra Leone and becomes a boy soldier, one of 300,000 child soldiers currently fighting across the world.Brixton Beach by Roma TearneSet in Sri Lanka and Brixton – insight into the migrant experience.The Help by Kathryn StockettNow a film, the book exposes the depth of inequality between black and white in the USA in the 1950/60s.Small Island by Andrea LevyThe post-war experience of Jamaicans in London from 1948. It encapsulates the immigrant’s life.The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara KingsolverThe story of the missionary to Belgian Congo in 1959 told through the eyes of 5 women with very different views of the world around them.Anil’s Ghost by Micheal OndaatjeSet in Sri Lanka it provides insight into this ancient civilisation and the civil war that tore it apart.All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya AngelouAnything by Maya should be read. This is my particular favourite in her biographical series. It tells how she joins a ‘colony’ of Black American expatriates in Ghana – only to discover no one ever goes home again.Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong’oOn the surface a murder mystery it paints a devastating picture of independent Kenya that led to the author’s imprisonment. I first learned about the Gikuyu Not in this book and realised the Welsh Not had been imposed across the Empire.Brick Lane by Monica AliThe novel brings the immigrant milieu of East London to life through the eyes of two Bangladeshi sisters.Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi AliA powerful biography of an amazing women who began life in the Sudan and became an MP in Holland and is an academic in the US today.Anita and Me by Meera SyalBiographical account of her childhood growing up as the daughter of the only Punjabi family in a British Village in the 1960s. Funny and informative.Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim ButcherA journalists’s account of his journey through the Congo in 2000. If you want to see what colonial misrule and abuse looks like once the Belgian colonists have gone this is the book.Dr Sue Lyle is a part-time PhD supervisor at the University of Wales, Trinity St David and Director of Dialogue Exchange Ltd. Sue Lyle’s new pack: Understanding Racism Through Literature includes a teaching manual and a booklet of poems and excerpts from novels, and is being published by TeachingTimes in the coming months. To register your interest please click here. Sue Lyle’s popular teaching pack ‘A River Child’ is about the life of a Nigerian Muslim child and is available now through TeachingTimes Classroom Resources or a complete resource via TeachingTimes Bookshop"
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Blogs

Can White People Ever Emotionally Understand The Impact of Racism?

18 Jun 2020

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      string(360) "... promoting literacyacross the curriculum.The cross-curricular learning activities in this pack engagechildren with a true story guaranteed to fire their imaginations.This journey into the life of A River Child is perfect forcreating a class of Global Citizens. It utilises a ‘common needs’approach – by asking children to compare ..."
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      string(3652) "caninteract with their child and thereforetheir child’s learning has beenextremely positive.”Grays Infant & Nursery Schooland Southdown Junior School arepart of  the authority-wide schemeof  schools moving to UniServity’sLife Learning Cloud later this year.Christine forecasts the future:“The online learning solutionis a vital tool for any classroomand strongly supports assessmentand parental engagement. We arelooking forward to moving to theLife Learning Cloud to developnew online skills with our children,increase our learning resourcesand maintain the high standard ofachievement.” Order Hotline: 0121 224 7599 or Fax 0121 224 7598 www.thinkingonlinecatalogue.co.ukA River ChildBy Dr. Sue LyleTeaching about adistance placeA River Child offers an exciting way forward for schools byusing a Geography-led, thematic approach to promoting literacyacross the curriculum.The cross-curricular learning activities in this pack engagechildren with a true story guaranteed to fire their imaginations.This journey into the life of A River Child is perfect forcreating a class of Global Citizens. It utilises a ‘common needs’approach – by asking children to compare and contrast theirown lives with the lives of the children in the village of Gashaka.A River Child is full of exciting and original learning activitiesfor children, including: filming their own ‘NEWSROUND’report, writing their own storybook, designing their own game,map work, studying rivers and water cycles, studying Africananimals, and designing their own brochure.Tried and tested!Research shows that the pack demonstrates its power to motivateand inspire pupils as well as having a very positive impact onliteracy, geographical understanding and student motivation.Children find out about the life of Mohamed and his family.They discover how his family’s lives depend on the natural world.Pupils discover the threats made to Gashaka in 1993and how people from all over Nigeria worked togetherto prevent disaster. From this children can learn ecologicallessons about threats to the natural systems of Africa, whichcan be applied globally to other at-risk areas.Pupils find out about ‘Gashaka-Gumti National Park’as an example of turning a potential environmental disasterinto a success story.•••“At a time when stories of environmental degradationand destruction are the stuff of everyday news forchildren, it is important they hear ‘good news’ stories andrealise that things can get better if we all work together.”Dr. Sue LyleCross-Curricular links: Geography, Science, Designand Technology, English, Drama, ICT and Religion.What’s included in the packThe pack includes:Teacher’s Handbook with detailedguidance notes.Set of photocopiable masters to supportthe activities.Six copies of a full colour culturegramdepicting life in Gashaka Village.Five copies of the storybook Mohamed of Gashaka.CD with Powerpoint  presentations, templates  and resources.Four copies of brochures  from National Parks.••••••PhotocopymastersOFC A River Child-Activity sheet1   1MohamedofGashakaMohamed of Gashaka A5 book 4.ind1  11/3/11   16:06:29ARiverChildBy Dr SueLyleTeachers’ HandbookA thematic approachtopromoting literacyacross the curriculum forchildren age 9-12OFC A RiverChild-Handbook .indd1   14/2/11   12:10:46Price:£60.00http://www.teachingtimes.comButton 10: Page 1: OffPage 2: Page 3: Page 4: Page 5: Button 11: Page 1: OffPage 2: Page 3: Page 4: Page 5: Button 13: Page 1: OffPage 2: Page 3: Page 4: Page 5:"
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Digital Learning

Best practice – the use of online learning

1 Sep 2011

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      string(307) "... foods, try and fill in the other columns on the sheet.These cards tell you about the foodpeople grow and eat in GashakaActivity Sheet 2A  Life in Gashaka (1)A River Child�TASK 3You will need another DIET sheet. This time, in your group, take it in turns tobrainstorm all ..."
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      string(5725) "activity is card-sorting.  Card-sorting activities are tightly structured and require children to readaloud, talk and sometimes record their findings.  They therefore incorporate thefour language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.  I recommendthe children are put in mixed ability groups so they get the maximum supportand stimulation.  More able readers can support the less able.Card Sorting ActivitiesCard-sorting activities are designed to help children sort or classify informationto some given criteria.  Such activities can improve children’s social andcommunication skills as well as provide focused tasks for literacy development.The activities are designed to promote independentlearning.  All the information the children need tocomplete the tasks is contained in the instructionsheets.  The content information is written on smallcards which are shared out between the children.The instructions make it very clear what the childrenare expected to do.  The procedure resembles acard game: children are asked to shuffle the cards,deal them out, and take it in turns to read them.The purpose of reading the cards is to sort theminto two piles according to given criteria.  Some ofthe information on the cards is problematic in someway, i.e. it is not immediately obvious on which pilea card should be placed.  The activity requires thechildren to discuss the cards and, through discussion,solve the ‘problem’.Information on the cards will be read and re-read for a number of differentpurposes.  A problematic card may be read a number of times to help thechildren solve the problem of where to place the card.  Subsequently the samecards may be read for a different purpose; for example, to sort according tonew criteria, to extract information of a particular kind, or to form an opinionabout an issue raised. The fact that the cards are shuffled and dealt outand children take it in turns to read them ensures that the discussion that isgenerated involves all the children in the group.  It is important that the childrencan give reasons why they have placed the cards on one pile or another.  Werecommend that as the children are working the teacher or learning assistantmoves around the groups and asks them to justify some of their choices.   A River Child 2�ProcedureChildren follow the instructions on the sheet.Teacher notesIt is important that children do learn how to follow instructions rather thanalways rely on the teacher to explain tasks to them.  These kinds of activitiescan promote independent and autonomous learners and help children learnhow to learn. But they do need training and practice!Extension work ISLAMThe card-sorting activity provides more information about the religion of thepeople.  Mohamed is a Muslim.  Children are often unaware that many of thepeople in Africa are Muslims. Unfortunately we know that children’s perceptionsof Islam can be very negative. Cultural racism in the form of Islamaphobia hasincreased since 9/11 and it is important that teachers are able to challengethese negative stereotypes.  By learning about the lives of Muslim families inAfrica the children can form different views to those presented by the mediaabout Islamic ideas and practices.If there are Muslim children in the class,they can provide an important source ofinformation about Islam if they feel confidentthat their beliefs are being respected andtaken seriously.  Bear in mind that someMuslim children may not want to talk abouttheir own backgrounds; so don’t press themfor information or personal viewpoints if theyare evidently shy to give them.  However, byfocusing on a child in Gashaka they can talk about their shared religion in away which doesn’t focus on them personally.  If they feel happy to talk abouthow their celebrations of Eid are similar to or different from Mohamed’s thatwill add to the richness of the experience for all the children.Drama workThe next set of activities provides an opportunity for children to consolidate theirunderstanding of life in Gashaka through drama.  Drama plays an importantrole in building the children’s speaking and listening skills and helps to getlearning ‘in the muscle’, ensuring kinaesthetic learning styles are supported.Children work collaboratively in groups, where they are encouraged to takeresponsibility for their own learning and that of others.A River Child �Gashaka Gumti ParkThese cards tell you about all theother things people in Gashaka doin the year.PILE	1 PILE	2INTRODUCTIONThere are about 60 families living in Gashaka.  In this activity you will learnmore about the people and how they live.TASK 1Work in groups of four.You will be given a set of cards.One person shuffle the cards and deal them (everyone will get a turn).Take it in turns to read the cards to each other and sort them into two pileslike this:TASK 2Take the cards from Pile 1, shuffle them and deal them out between you.Ask for Activity Sheet 2C: DIET.Take it in turns to read the cards and make a list of all the food that is eatenin Gashaka on the activity sheet. Take it in turns to write the list.After you have listed the foods, try and fill in the other columns on the sheet.These cards tell you about the foodpeople grow and eat in GashakaActivity Sheet 2A  Life in Gashaka (1)A River Child�TASK 3You will need another DIET sheet. This time, in your group, take it in turns tobrainstorm all the food you have eaten in the last 24 hours and write it on theDIET sheet. Now fill in the other columns.TASK 4Work individually or in pairs and write a paragraph which begins:When"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Part 1: Life in Gashaka

1 Jun 2012