Lift Off: Teaching about Refugee Experiences
Lift Off, developed by Amnesty International, provides teachers with an entire curriculum as well as single lesson plans on the topic of refugees, and is geared toward 8- to 10-year-old students. The curriculum focuses on how teachers can introduce refugee topics into all subject matter areas, as well as smaller, more focused lessons on different aspects of the experiences of refugees. Each lesson plan contains a breakdown of the learning objectives, items needed for the lesson, an introduction to the topic, and a development activity for students. Each lesson also includes the character Croc, who was created for this curriculum to help students understand the experiences of refugees and that human rights are to be valued. Croc is an alien from another planet who has been sent to Earth to find out about human lives. Students can also engage with Croc by asking questions and reflecting on Croc’s discoveries about human behavior. The overarching theme of the entire program is about providing students with skills to help them better embrace diversity, and engender greater empathy for others with whom they may not share a common history. Although the lessons are geared toward students in Ireland, the majority of the information could be generalized to students in other countries.