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Secondary: Land mines - The Canadian connection
The teacher's notes provide suggestions for having students use the
information presented in each section of the web site. The main topics
covered are: concerns about land mines; land mine detection,
removal, and disposal; anti-land mine initiatives; societal
impact; and Canadians who are playing a major role in land mine removal.
These topics link naturally with social science subjects including geography,
history, and global studies and with other disciplines such
as mathematics, science, and English. The suggestions
can be adapted to fit a wide range of student abilities and interests.
Section 1
What on Earth Would You Do?
The Geneva Conventions [social studies/history - research]
Explain that the Geneva Conventions is a treaty that provides
for the humane treatment of civilians, prisoners, and wounded people during
wartime. Suggest that students find out more about Protocols I and II of
the Geneva Conventions, and then research the history of this treaty:
-
who initiated the treaty, and why
-
what the original provisions were
-
what provisions, besides Protocols I and II, have been added over
time
-
The students could report their findings on a timeline.
Living with Land Mines [geography - mapping; mathematics
- measurement]
To help students picture what it would be like to live in a country
with land mines, describe a scenario such as the following: "In a community
in Cambodia that is the same size as the one in which you live now, there
are 143 land mines deployed each square mile. How many land mines are in
this community?" Have students
-
draw or copy a scale map of their community
-
divide the map into square miles
-
determine the number of mines that would be in this Cambodian community
As an extra challenge, students could show areas on the map where
there might be greater concentrations of land mines.
Students could work in small groups and use the land mine statistics
for other countries to complete this activity.
Land Mine Debate [English - debating]
Students can organize a debate about land mines, with one side
arguing against land mines and the other side arguing for them. Each team
can explore other web sites to find information to support their argument.
Some interesting sites to visit include:
After the debate, ask the class to evaluate which side put forth
a more forceful argument.
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Section 2
Trail Blazers
A Convincing Argument [English - oral communication, persuading]
Invite students to imagine that they are volunteers with a group
that is taking a stand against land mines. Ask them to think about the
audience they might target in an anti-land mine campaign, for example,
governments, manufacturers of land mines, or companies who may be interested
in donating money to help land mine survivors. Students work in their groups
to plan their argument and then a representative from each group can present
the argument to the class.
Some groups might extend the activity to include the types of
media they could use to promote their message - posters, newspaper articles,
flyers, television and radio ads, etc.
As an alternative, some students could report on the worldwide
anti-land mine campaign that Canada led that resulted in more than ninety
countries signing a special treaty in December, 1997.
Supporting organizations [global studies - research,
English - writing]
Have students find out more about an organization that is advocating
a ban against land mines or that is working to help land mine survivors,
for example, the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red
Cross, Handicap International, or Mines Action Canada. Suggest that they
research
-
who founded the organization, and when
-
what the organization's mandate is
-
in which countries they work
-
what progress they've made in the fight against land mines
Students could write a letter of support to this organization and
ask how they might help.
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Section 3
Cambodia, Angola, and Bosnia
Find Out About Another Country with Land Mines [geography/global
studies, research]
Have students find out about another country that has land mines,
using the "At a Glance" section for Cambodia, Angola, or Bosnia as a model
to guide their research and as a way to present the information. They might
post their information beside a world map, linking it to the country that
they researched.
The Politics of War [history / social studies - research]
After they have visited the Global Heroes web site, review with
students the recent histories of Cambodia, Angola, and Bosnia they found
there. Have them find out about the political situations in countries that
have been affected by war in the past. These students can compare their
findings with classmates who researched the histories of different countries,
and draw parallels between the political situations in them.
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Section 4
Land Mines
Clearing Land Mines [English - public speaking]
Remind students that part of John MacInnis's role is to train
civilians who live in developing countries how to remove land mines. Suggest
that students prepare a presentation similar to one he might give. They
might gather additional information from the web sites that describe developments
in detecting and removing land mines, or they could contact the Canadian
Forces to find out about a field engineer's work.
As an alternative, students could invite a field engineer to speak
to the class.
Cause and Effect [global studies - classifying]
Working in pairs, have the students prepare a flow diagram to
show the many aspects of life that are affected in a country with land
mines. Begin by brainstorming the different aspects they might consider
- the human, agricultural, medical, and social impacts. Each pair can include
point form information under the headings they select. For example, under
agricultural impacts they might list: use of the land, destruction of crops,
etc.
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