The International Relations Council is pleased to offer supplemental global education resources covering a variety of international topics currently taught for the use of teachers and students.
It is important to keep in mind that the Global Education Resources should serve as a starting point for your global education. This is not an all-encompassing list of activities; instead, it provides you and other students with enough information and resource to begin learning about the world. As an apolitical, nonpartisan organization, the International Relations Council does not endorse any of the organizations, associations, universities, bodies, or websites cited in this guide.
This page contains resources for students in grades 6-8. Simply click the resource title to be linked to the source. If there’s a resource you don’t see here, or if you have additional resources you would like to share or request, please click here.
Key to Resource Standards
Standard 1: Choices and Consequences | Standard 2: Rights and Responsibilities
Standard 3: Culture, Values, & Diversity | Standard 4: Change and Continuity
Standard 5: Dynamic Relationships
Standard 1: Choices and Consequences
Borders Around the World: Lesson plan designed to be used in conjunction with the film 9 Star Hotel to help students examine and compare borders around the world and their related issues. (Focus on Israeli-Palestinian conflict but can be adapted to fit other border issues)
Objectives: Understand and interpret a video clip, analyze information on the history of a border, strategies being used to secure that border, and how people on both sides of the border view those strategies.
The Debate Over Globalization: Students research, analyze, and debate the effects of globalization.
Objectives: Students will define, conduct research about globalization, identify pros and cons of globalization, and choose and support one side of the debate.
Human Interaction with the Environment: Creating Video Documentaries: In this environment lesson plan, students use BrainPOP resources to develop an understanding of how people impact the natural environment of different regions, as well as how the cultural make-up of a region affects how the people interact with the natural environment.
Objectives: To understand the human impact on the environment and how this affects the cultural make-up of a region.
Trash: Students role-play as Bayview City Council members to consider the costs and benefits to both sellers and buyers of trash. Then they will transfer understanding of trash exchange to the environmental issues of trade between developed and developing countries.
Objectives: Understand and analyze the context under which choices are made and their consequences, understand the economic role of the government.
Mission US – City of Immigrants: Students will use BrainPOP resources to explore the lives of the immigrants in early 20th century America.
Objectives: Explore the story of America and the ways Americans struggled to realize the ideals of liberty and equality by develop historical thinking skills that increase historical understanding and critical perception through analysis of cultural values.
Standard 2: Rights and Responsibilities
Standard 3: Culture, Values, and Diversity
The Trading Game: Students simulate the trading of goods between countries and reflect on challenges.
Objectives: simulate trade between countries, adjust to new world situations as they arise, reflect on what they learned about trade between countries.
The Changing Face of America: Two activities where students interpret tables and census data to understand the implications of changing patterns in immigration at national, state, and local levels.
Objectives: understand historical and contemporary patterns of immigration to the United States, observe immigration markers in cultural landscapes, and identify trends in population changes in the state and community.
European Borders Through History: Students will compare maps of European borders at three points in history – after WWI and WWII and current borders of European Union countries – and look at how they have changed or remained the same and compare them to their own state or area.
Objectives: Make generalizations about what they have learned about changes in Europe, identify similar patterns of change in their local area or state, identify how political borders have changed over the past 100 years, compare changes in political borders to physical and cultural features of Europe.
Menancing Microbes: In this unit of activities, students can learn about how governments, communities, organizations, and individuals prevent and contain outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Objectives: Students will analyze a historical case study to learn about how epidemiologists use maps to locate the source of a disease, create action plans for how a community would respond to an outbreak, and take on the roles of epidemiologists and public health officials in a simulation to mobilize each other’s action plans.
Interdependence and You: Students explore the ways in which they are globally connected by identifying and mapping where the products they use come from, and then analyzing the import and export patterns.
Objectives: Students will identify the countries of origin of clothing and other products, map the countries of origin, and describe patterns of import and export on the map.
Standard 4: Change and Continuity
Standard 5: Dynamic Relationships
iCivics: International Affairs: In these six lessons or activities, students learn about the complex interactions that exist in our globalized world. They examine the evolution of diplomacy and international interdependence by looking at recent and historical global events.
Objectives: Students will be able to define key terms and concepts related to a globalized world, analyze the conditions, actions, and motivations of past and current international events, and identify the purpose and functions of international organizations.
Our Stories are Stronger Than Hate (Virtual Field Trip & Lesson Plan): Students will enter an interactive dynamic learning experience to hear first-hand testimonies from powerful voices to learn that stories have potential to change the future and the world.
Objectives: Analyze the value of testimonies and how they help shape how we understand the world, our place in it, and recognize our ability to change it.
The Trading Game: Students simulate the trading of goods between countries and reflect on the challenges of trade between countries.
Objectives: Students will simulate trade between countries, adjust to new world situations as they arise, and reflect on what they learned about trade between countries.