ERIC Number: EJ1002603
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-0300
EISSN: N/A
Little by Little: Global Citizenship through Local Action Inspired by Wangari Maathai
Christie, Erica M.; Montgomery, Sarah E.; Staudt, Jessica
Social Studies and the Young Learner, v25 n2 p8-11 Nov-Dec 2012
Dr. Wangari Maathai--"environmentalist, human rights advocate, global peace worker, and community builder"--passed away in 2011. The first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Maathai left a legacy even greater than the 47 million trees that her organization, the Greenbelt Movement, has planted across Kenya since 1977. As the Nobel Prize committee lauded in 2004, "She has taken a holistic approach to sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights and women's rights in particular. She thinks globally and acts locally." Like Dr. Maathai, Iowa teacher Jessica Staudt seeks to encourage global thinking and local action in her fourth-grade classroom. To honor and share Dr. Maathai's legacy, Jessica developed a service-learning project that integrates critical literacy and social studies themes to promote an active, global vision of citizenship. Service learning, an educational strategy that purposefully connects academic curriculum with community service and student reflection, is an apt vehicle to encourage global thinking and empower students to take action. Dr. Maathai serves as a fitting and unique role model for a service-learning project, providing a compelling example of global citizenship at work. (Contains 5 online resources and 8 notes.)
Descriptors: Critical Literacy, Foreign Countries, Reflection, Sustainable Development, Service Learning, Citizenship, Democracy, Blacks, Females, Holistic Approach, Grade 4, Elementary School Students, Community Services, Role Models, Vandalism, School Vandalism, Visual Arts, Popular Culture, Art Activities, Art Expression, Citizenship Education, School Community Programs, School Community Relationship, Advocacy, Civil Rights, Social Studies, Global Approach, Global Education
National Council for the Social Studies. 8555 Sixteenth Street #500, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Tel: 800-683-0812; Tel: 301-588-1800: Fax: 301-588-2049; e-mail: membership@ncss.org; Web site: http://www.socialstudies.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iowa; Kenya
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A