Curated OER
Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
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...
Curated OER
I Had a Hero Lesson
Learners 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...
Curated OER
How Cultures Differ "Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event
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.
Curated OER
Capturing the Reader With Vivid Images
Students 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.
Curated OER
Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
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...
Curated OER
Becoming Part of the Community
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.
Curated OER
What's Mongolia Really Like?
Students discover the people of Mongolia. In this social studies lesson, 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 communities found in...
Curated OER
Making Service Count
Students investigate the importance of community service by creating their own project ideas. In this volunteering lesson, students research stories of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they were able to have a positive effect in their...
Curated OER
Peace Corps Challenge Game- Food from Other Countries
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...
Curated OER
Cross-Cultural Dialogue Lesson
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...
Curated OER
Becoming Part of the Community
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...
Curated OER
Building Bridges for Young Learners -- Community
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 focuses on the country of...
Curated OER
What Sharing Really Means
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...
Curated OER
Service Projects in the Dominican Republic
Students 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 the...
Curated OER
How Cultures Differ - Two Different Perspectives on the Same Even
Students explore the effects of culture through the story Running by Peter Hessler. In this geography and cultural lesson, students act as newspaper reporters covering the story of the race. Students write newspaper articles as reporters...
Curated OER
Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit
Young scholars explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. In this literature and cultural lesson, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Young scholars identify...
Curated OER
Examining What Sharing Really Means
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...
Curated OER
Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures
Students 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 plan, students carousel brainstorm...
Curated OER
A South African Storm
Young scholars 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....
Curated OER
Water Contamination Challenge
Students play a game to analyze further the effects of water contamination. In this environmental concerns lesson plan, students play an online game about water contamination and may visit the additional links to further their studies on...
Curated OER
Soil Runoff Challenge
Students find ways to decrease soil runoff for an African Village as a part of a Peace Corps project. In this soil runoff lesson, students play a soil runoff challenge online. Students complete online activities and view a slide show to...
Curated OER
One Step at a Time
Young scholars investigate the customs and habits of other cultures by reading letters from a Peace Corps Volunteer. For this global customs lesson, students discuss how analyzing a culture is similar to analyzing art, no two people see...
Curated OER
Taking Action! Educating as a Form of Service
Learners read the story Happy Hearts in Manabí by Peace Corps Volunteer Kristen Mallory to consider how educating others can be a form of service. In this health education and service lesson, students read the book and then prioritize...
Curated OER
Narrative Cartoons
Students create narrative cartoons based on the activities of the Peace Corps. In this narrative cartoons lesson plan, students create comic strips where they draw and write about various activities that the Peace Corps is involved in.