Stephanie Lett PED3102 LB December 5, 2012

Lesson Title: Celebrities and International Development

Grade: Length:
12 75 minutes

Subject / strand(s): Teacher:

Canadian and World Issues: A Geographic Analysis, Grade 12, University Preparation (CGW4U) Stephanie Lett

Description
In this lesson, students will learn about the involvement of celebrities in international development initiatives. They will define what it means to be a celebrity and explore how various celebrities participate in and promote international development. They will then use this information to debate whether celebrity spokespeople benefit the cause of international development. Finally, students will complete a homework assignment that asks them to think critically about specific ways that celebrities and international development organizations can work together effectively. Students should have already discussed the concept of international development and the differences between developed and developing countries in prior lessons.

Expectations
Overall Expectations: evaluate the social, economic, and environmental impact of the strategies for sustainable development implemented by a variety of individuals, organizations, and institutions (Global Connections strand) evaluate the effectiveness of short-term and long-term solutions to geographic problems and issues at the local, national, and global level (Understanding and Managing Change strand) Specific Expectations: describe the contributions of individuals who have been influential in addressing global issues and evaluate the impact of their work (Global Connections strand) evaluate the perspectives and arguments of various stakeholders on a current issue (Understanding and Managing Change strand) draw conclusions or make judgments or predictions on the basis of reasoned analysis and supporting evidence (Methods of Geographic Inquiry and Communication strand)

Resources
Equipment and materials Smart Board, or a projector and computer with an internet connection Whiteboard or chalkboard, and writing implements Huffington Post Celebrity Activism website (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/n ews/celebrity-activism/) Angelina Jolie at the UNHCR video (http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=H2Kwc9SuLFA) Handouts - On the Trail of the Celebrity Activist article (enough copies for half of the class) - Stop Trying to Save Africa article (enough copies for half of the class) - Homework question handout

Strategies
(click all that apply) cooperative learning think-pair-share learning centers hands-on activity demonstration simulation other: debate

Student groupings
(click all that apply) whole class pairs small groups independent work

Timing 10 min. To begin the class, the teacher will ask students to name some people who are considered celebrities, writing the students answers on the board. The class will then discuss the following questions:

Specific Content

Motivation and Recap

hat do these celebrities have in common? re they celebrated because they help others? Or are they famous because of bad behaviour? o you know of any celebrities who have visited developing countries or helped promote international development? (e.g. Bono, Angelina Jolie, Bob Geldof)

W A D

Body

40 min. As a class, students will examine the home page of the Huffington Post Celebrity Activism website and discuss whether they can see any trends (i.e. what kind of causes are celebrities campaigning for?) and whether the charities or the celebrities are getting the most publicity. Students will then compare the Huffington Post headlines to a video of Angelina Jolie speaking at the United Nations Refugee Agency, discussing the cause that Jolie is supporting and whether she is using her celebrity status in a way that is different from or more effective than the celebrities featured in the Huffington Post. The teacher will split the class into two groups and explain to students that they will be debating the following statement: Celebrity activism is an effective way to promote development in developing countries. Students in the group arguing in favour of celebrity activism will read On the Trail of the Celebrity Activist by Richard Quest and use it to help form their arguments. Similarly, students in the group arguing against celebrity activism will read Stop Trying to Save Africa by Uzodinma Iweala and use it to help form their arguments. 20 min. Students will engage in a formal debate on the topic of celebrity activism. Each group will be allowed 3 minutes to state their opening arguments. Rebuttals will then be allowed. The teacher will act as the debate moderator.

Check for Understanding

5 min. The teacher will choose which side won the debate, but also note that celebrity activism is a controversial and multifaceted topic. For homework, students will be asked to write a brief paragraph (less than 250 words) answering the following question: If you were a celebrity who wanted to use your fame to promote international development, what steps would you take to ensure that you did not promote stereotypes of developing countries or gain more publicity for yourself than for the cause you are endorsing?

Closure

Assessment & Evaluation

Type (check all that apply)
informal discussion informal observation student conference performance task oral presentation written assignment journal/portfolio concept map test/quiz other: ______________

Student performance
Students will engage in a debate on the topic of celebrity activism and international development, with one group arguing that celebrity activism is an effective way to promote development in developing countries, and the other group arguing that celebrity activism hinders international development. This activity will allow the teacher to assess the following knowledge and skills through informal observation: nowledge and understanding of celebrity activism and its effects on international development, and ability to apply this knowledge to a debate task ritical thinking and reasoning skills eamwork skills ublic speaking skills Following the debate, students will complete a homework assignment that will require them to think critically about how celebrities can ensure that their efforts to promote international development are effective.

Adaptations
This lesson plan includes opportunities for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning, and will therefore appeal to students with diverse learning styles and interests. Because it also includes group activities, this lesson also allows students to learn cooperatively and benefit from each others strengths. During the debate activity, for example, the teacher could set the groups so that there are students with a variety of strengths and learning needs in each group, and students experiencing difficulties can ask for assistance from their peers. The teacher should circulate throughout the class during this activity to assess the students understanding of the material and ensure that he or she is aware of the contributions students are making to their group. Some specific accommodations that may be necessary for the other activities include providing a laptop or detailed oral descriptions of the online content for students with visual impairments, or a transcript of the video for hearing impaired students. Also, students with written language learning disabilities may require extra time for the homework assignment, or the opportunity to complete it orally. As indicated on the assignment sheet, students can choose whether they complete the homework on a computer or write it by hand.

Lesson review (how did it go? changes?)

Note: this lesson was adapted from a unit created by the Media Awareness Network, retrieved from www.mediasmarts.ca

Name: ____________________

Celebrities and International Development Answer the following question in an essay format (250 words maximum). You may type your answer or write it by hand. If you were a celebrity who wanted to use your fame to promote international development, what steps would you take to ensure that you did not promote stereotypes of developing countries or gain more publicity for yourself than for the cause you are endorsing?

Stop Trying To 'Save' Africa

By Uzodinma Iweala Sunday, July 15, 2007
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301714.html

Last fall, shortly after I returned from Nigeria, I was accosted by a perky blond college student whose blue eyes seemed to match the "African" beads around her wrists. "Save Darfur!" she shouted from behind a table covered with pamphlets urging students to TAKE ACTION NOW! STOP GENOCIDE IN DARFUR! My aversion to college kids jumping onto fashionable social causes nearly caused me to walk on, but her next shout stopped me. "Don't you want to help us save Africa?" she yelled. It seems that these days, wracked by guilt at the humanitarian crisis it has created in the Middle East, the West has turned to Africa for redemption. Idealistic college students, celebrities such as Bob Geldof and politicians such as Tony Blair have all made bringing light to the dark continent their mission. They fly in for internships and fact-finding missions or to pick out children to adopt in much the same way my friends and I in New York take the subway to the pound to adopt stray dogs. This is the West's new image of itself: a sexy, politically active generation whose preferred means of spreading the word are magazine spreads with celebrities pictured in the foreground, forlorn Africans in the back. Never mind that the stars sent to bring succor to the natives often are, willingly, as emaciated as those they want to help. Perhaps most interesting is the language used to describe the Africa being saved. For example, the Keep a Child Alive/" I am African" ad campaign features portraits of primarily white, Western celebrities with painted "tribal markings" on their faces above "I AM AFRICAN" in bold letters. Below, smaller print says, "help us stop the dying." Such campaigns, however well intentioned, promote the stereotype of Africa as a black hole of disease and death. News reports constantly focus on the continent's corrupt leaders, warlords, "tribal" conflicts, child laborers, and women disfigured by abuse and genital mutilation. These descriptions run under headlines like "Can Bono Save Africa?" or "Will Brangelina Save Africa?" The relationship between the West and Africa is no longer based on openly racist beliefs, but such articles are reminiscent of reports from the heyday of European colonialism, when missionaries were sent to Africa to introduce us to education, Jesus Christ and "civilization." There is no African, myself included, who does not appreciate the help of the wider world, but we do question whether aid is genuine or given in the spirit of affirming one's cultural

superiority. My mood is dampened every time I attend a benefit whose host runs through a litany of African disasters before presenting a (usually) wealthy, white person, who often proceeds to list the things he or she has done for the poor, starving Africans. Every time a wellmeaning college student speaks of villagers dancing because they were so grateful for her help, I cringe. Every time a Hollywood director shoots a film about Africa that features a Western protagonist, I shake my head -- because Africans, real people though we may be, are used as props in the West's fantasy of itself. And not only do such depictions tend to ignore the West's prominent role in creating many of the unfortunate situations on the continent, they also ignore the incredible work Africans have done and continue to do to fix those problems. Why do the media frequently refer to African countries as having been "granted independence from their colonial masters," as opposed to having fought and shed blood for their freedom? Why do Angelina Jolie and Bono receive overwhelming attention for their work in Africa while Nwankwo Kanu or Dikembe Mutombo, Africans both, are hardly ever mentioned? How is it that a former mid-level U.S. diplomat receives more attention for his cowboy antics in Sudan than do the numerous African Union countries that have sent food and troops and spent countless hours trying to negotiate a settlement among all parties in that crisis? Two years ago I worked in a camp for internally displaced people in Nigeria, survivors of an uprising that killed about 1,000 people and displaced 200,000. True to form, the Western media reported on the violence but not on the humanitarian work the state and local governments -- without much international help -- did for the survivors. Social workers spent their time and in many cases their own salaries to care for their compatriots. These are the people saving Africa, and others like them across the continent get no credit for their work. Last month the Group of Eight industrialized nations and a host of celebrities met in Germany to discuss, among other things, how to save Africa. Before the next such summit, I hope people will realize Africa doesn't want to be saved. Africa wants the world to acknowledge that through fair partnerships with other members of the global community, we ourselves are capable of unprecedented growth. Uzodinma Iweala is the author of "Beasts of No Nation," a novel about child soldiers.