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App
John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

JFK Challenge

For Students 4th - 11th Standards
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. And so begins your invigorating, innovative learning experience in the JFK Challenge app! Learners choose from two "missions" and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Had a Hero Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read "I Had a Hero" a memoir written by a Peace Corps volunteer serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They discuss the story, respond to it in writing, complete comprehension activities and relate the account to their own...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Cultures Differ "Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read excerpts from Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze and discuss his difficulties in learning the language, cultural clashes and how cultural perceptions shape our understanding of the world.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capturing the Reader With Vivid Images

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the use of imagery to hold a reader's attention in an excerpt from John Deever's memoir "Mr. John and the Day of Knowledge". They are introduced to background information about the Ukraine and create original imagery.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read excerpts from Jim Toner's memoir Serendib which chronicles his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sri Lanka. They work in small groups to analyze the excerpts and discuss how the author came to terms with Sri Lankan...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Becoming Part of the Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read narratives by Peace Corps volunteers and examine how they succeeded in adapting to living in a new cultural environment. They identify attitudes and actions that promote having a positive experience in a foreign country.
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Cultural Diplomacy and the Smith-Mundt Act

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
During the Cold War, the United States used everything from bookmobiles to radio stations to improve its image globally. Using documents from the programs, including photographs and official memos, individuals consider how the United...
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Lesson Plan
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US Institute of Peace

Perspectives on Peace

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Much like a garden, once the seeds of peace are planted, they need to be tended! How can humankind make and keep peace? The second installment in a series of 15 peacebuilding activities focuses on different perceptions of peace. The...
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Lesson Plan
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US Institute of Peace

Organizations Working for Peace

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
We're all in this together! Show young scholars that peace is a process and having the support of like-minded people can make it happen. 13th in a series of 15 peace building activities, groups conduct research on a peace organization,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's Mongolia Really Like?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Young scholars discover the people of Mongolia. In this social studies lesson plan, students look at the Mongolian nomadic culture by reading a letter written by a member of the Peace Corps. They describe the different types of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making Service Count

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate the importance of community service by creating their own project ideas.  In this volunteering lesson plan, students research stories of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they were able to have a positive effect in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peace Corps Challenge Game- Food from Other Countries

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students examine traditional foods from other cultures.  In this Peace Corps Challenge game, students research food preferences and delicacies in other countries and compare to the traditional American cuisine. Students create a menu of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cross-Cultural Dialogue Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and analyze a personal narrative written about a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in Guinea-Bissau, Africa. They discuss the concept of crossing cultures, analyze maps, complete worksheets, and develop a writing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Becoming Part of the Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify how various cultures are similiar. As a class, they read an essay of a Peace Corps volunteer being integrated into their new community. In groups, they take the elements from the story and put them into different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Bridges for Young Learners -- Community

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners compare and contrast communities.They explore factors that influence how people live, the roles of adults and children, and the interaction of people who live and work within a community. The lesson plan focuses on the country...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Sharing Really Means

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students examine the meaning of generosity and how sharing can be a cultural trait. In this cultural trait instructional activity, students read a text about the culture of generosity in Africa. Students complete a discussion activity...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Service Projects in the Dominican Republic

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the role of Peace Corps volunteers. In this service instructional activity, students investigate service projects that feature agriculture, small business, education, environmental education, and health concerns in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Cultures Differ - Two Different Perspectives on the Same Even

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore the effects of culture through the story Running by Peter Hessler. In this geography and cultural lesson plan, students act as newspaper reporters covering the story of the race. Young scholars write newspaper...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. In this literature and cultural instructional activity, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examining What Sharing Really Means

For Teachers 6th - 12th
After reading "The Senegalese Miracle" about the degree of sharing the author encounters upon arrival in Africa, class members read Mike Tidwell’s “Sharing in Africa” and compare the two stories. This cultural diversity instructional...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners explore the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture through the reading of "Help! My Father is Coming" and "The Visit to Vijay's". In this social culture lesson, students carousel brainstorm about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A South African Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore racial prejudice in South Africa through the reading of "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard. In this cultural and geography lesson, students discuss ethnicity and prejudices and cite examples from the letter....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Contamination Challenge

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Students play a game to analyze further the effects of water contamination. In this environmental concerns lesson, students play an online game about water contamination and may visit the additional links to further their studies on the...