Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
· Founding: Liberia was founded in 1822 as a place where freed slaves were returned
from America. It gained independence in 1847. It should be noted most of the freed
slaves were born in America and their heritage came from other parts of Africa. They
became known as Americo-Liberians.
· First Civil War: From 1989, Liberia began a civil war between government forces and
the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, headed by Charles Taylor. The war killed nearly
200,000 and caused millions of refugees to flee. This continued until 1996, when Taylor
was elected president.
· Second Civil War: Taylor won the presidential campaign largely due to terrorizing
people. He committed many human rights crimes against his people. And, he is said to
have supported forces in Sierra Leone, trading weapons for diamonds, and have used
child soldiers. Opposition to Taylor started almost immediately. The war restarted in
1997, lasting until 2003.
· Present: In 2003, Charles Taylor resigned his presidency, ending the war and fleeing
into Nigeria. He was eventually turned over to the International Criminal Court and is
currently being tried for war crimes. In 2005, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected President
of Liberia. She is the first elected female head of state for Africa.
Soccer in the Developing World
· Football (or soccer as we call it in North America) is the most popular sport across Africa.
· Most young people who live in poverty do not have money to buy a real ball. So, they
often play in bare feet with balls made of old plastic bags and twine.
· Each country’s football team is usually a great source of pride across the nation.
· Watch the following clip from “Shameless Idealists” to find out what K’naan has to say
about football in Africa. http://watch.ctv.ca/#clip358622
Key Terms
For more information on the history of Liberia view the interactive history at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,988886,00.html
Global Voices Secondary Educator Resources
Note to Educators:
The following activities are designed to stimulate a current events discussion. Generative in nature,
these questions can be a launching point for additional assignments or research projects.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt these activities to meet the contextual needs of their classroom.
In some cases, reading the article with students may be appropriate, coupled with reviewing the
information sheet to further explore the concepts and contexts being discussed. From here, teachers
can select from the questions provided below. Activities are structured to introduce students to the
issues, then allow them to explore and apply their learnings. Extension and conclusion activities are
included to challenge students and finally, encourage them to reflect on the issues at hand.
Since these activities are designed as discussions rather than formal lessons, assessment strategies
are not included.
Materials
Computers and internet
Chart paper or black board
Paper
Writing utensils
2
iv. If this boy did not have sports to turn to, what do you think would have
happened to him?
c. Bring the class back together for a larger discussion.
Thinking
1. Read the Global Voices Column independently (estimated time: 10 minutes)
a. Reflection:
i. Ask students to record point form notes in response to the article.
ii. Ask students to record five questions that they are unsure of from their
initial reading of the article.
iii. Make sure that students do not record a plot summary; instead, ask that
they address new things that they learned and questions that they have.
Communication
1. My Sport (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. This is an opportunity for the students to explore their interests and highlight their
talents by reflecting on their favourite sport.
b. Ask students to write a paragraph reflecting on their favourite sport listing its
benefits mentally, socially and physically, as well as the positive effect that this
particular sport has had on their life.
Application
1. What’s missing? (estimated time: 30 minutes)
a. Ask the students to list all of the sports that are offered in their school; write
answers on the board.
b. Tell the students to look at the list, ask:
i. Are there any sports missing from this list that should be brought into
their school? Why? Write suggestions on the board.
c. Ask each student to choose one sport that they want to see introduced into their
school and ask students who selected the same sport to join together in a group.
d. In their groups, have students work together to write a proposal stating why this
sport should be brought into their school. They should outline:
i. The mental, physical and social benefits this sport has.
ii. How this sport will contribute to school life.
iii. The facilities and resources required to run this sport.
e. When each group has finished their proposal, ask each group to present their
case to the class.
f. When this activity is complete, if there are any groups that have created a valid
argument, encourage them to present their argument to the principle of the
school in hopes to bring the sport to the school.
Additional Resources:
In addition to the above lesson plans, you may want to share some additional resources with your
students. Listed below are some links to useful online resources: