Cultivating Peace – Taking Action

This 66-page pdf is a curriculum packet developed for use in Canadian classrooms. “This resource encourages students to examine their own beliefs regarding the need for change in our world and their personal responsibility in taking action. The preconditions necessary for a culture of peace are explored through the examination of global issues in sustainable development, economic disparity, fair trade, human rights and consumerism. Students are given opportunities to explore the range of actions possible, the ways in which change occurs, the barriers to participation and the factors that support youth involvement. The resource includes a teacher’s guide, a video, a poster series and a student guide to taking action. It is designed for use in grades 10-12.”

Learn Peace : How students can rid the world of nuclear weapons

Produced by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, this colorfully illustrated 43-page pdf provides a collection of 18 disarmament education activities for use by young people. It is written in a voice that speaks directly to youth, encouraging them to learn more and take action to call for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The activity titles are as follows: Have a classroom debate; Organize a writing competition; Write a letter to the editor; Make up your mind; Design a peace symbol; Role-play a nuclear crisis; Transform a nuclear bomb ; Honour the victims; Run a United Nations debate; Fold paper cranes for peace; Celebrate the victories; Write to your leaders; Promote abolition online; Hold a trivia night; Describe a nuclear blast; Conduct an opinion poll; Meet with your mayor; Plant sunflowers for peace.

Conflict Resolution and U.S. History – Sample Lesson – War Between Mexico and U.S.

This 111-page pdf provides a full kit for a classroom activity focused on learning U.S. history within a conflict resolution framework. The activity, focused around the war between the United States and Mexico in the 1840s, sets up a negotiation and mediation between two historical figures from the period. The activity comes from Volume One: The Colonial Period through Reconstruction, the first of two volumes available from the NJ Center for Civic and Law-Related Education for teaching conflict resolution and U.S. history. The two volume set was created with supportive funding from the Ford Foundation. More than 25 leading historians helped to provide a rich historical background as the materials were developed and presented. More than 200 teachers from 15 states participated in the institutes and piloted the materials in their classrooms. More information available at http://civiced.rutgers.edu/

Cultivating Peace in the 21st Century: Ready to Use Student Activities

This 60-page pdf is a lesson pack developed for use in Canadian classrooms. It consists of 7 distinct lessons “designed to actively engage secondary school students in the search for a deep understanding of the forces that can bring about tragedies such as the attack on the World Trade Center, and the means by which they can personally contribute to the ongoing search for peaceful coexistence. It provides teachers and administrators with concrete mechanisms for integrating peace education into the curriculum and the school environment.”