Webquest: Female Education in Developing Countries

Irene Pappas

PS/IS 122Q

ipappas4@schools.nyc.gov

 

 

Introduction:

You will be reading I Am Malala (Young Reader’s Edition) by Malala Yousafzai which explores the story of a teenage girl living in Pakistan under Taliban rule.  The Taliban prohibited girls from attending school (in addition to violating a number of other human rights); however, Malala defied this order and continued pursuing her studies.  As a result, she was shot in the head by the Taliban while she was going to school.  Reading this text will throw you into a world where basic freedoms do not exist and your life is constantly being threatened; people live in constant fear.  This is particularly true for girls and women who are stuck in a helpless cycle because they are often not allowed to go to school.  You will be taken on a ride highlighting how the lives of girls differ from their male counterparts by looking at differences in their education.  Did you know that often poor families can only afford to send one child to school and data shows that parents overwhelmingly choose to send their sons to school?

 

 

Task(s):

You will work with your group and investigate an approved developing country that limits girls’ education.  You will conduct research about why girls aren’t encouraged (sometimes they’re even outright forbidden) to attend school and what they do instead of pursuing their studies.  Your group will explore the culture, religion, and economy of the country and consider how these factors affect the likelihood that a girl will be allowed to receive an education.  This will all be done on Google Slides submitted on Google Classroom.

 

 

Process/Resources:

 

1)      Define the problem

2)    Gather the evidence

➔    Universal declaration of  human rights

➔    List of developing countries

➔    Taliban prohibits girls’ education

➔    Girls’ education plays a large part in global development

➔    Educating girls: they key to tackling global poverty

➔    Improving Girls’ Education in Developing Countries: Creating a Better Future, One Life at a Time

➔    Women’s education in developing countries: barriers, benefits, and policies

➔    Girls’ education: gender equality in education benefits every child

➔    Gender equality: The Global Partnership for Education is committed to gender equality and to ensure all girls and boys enjoy equal education opportunities

➔    55 incredible photos of girls going to school around the world

 

 

3)    Identify the causes

4)    Evaluate an existing policy

5)     Develop solutions

6)    Select the best solution

 

Evaluation:

 

Group Google Slides Rubric

 

Traits/

Criteria

3

Advanced

2

Proficient

1

Progressing

0

Below Standards

Content

All information is accurate and strongly supported. Students demonstrate a strong understanding of the content.

Most information is accurate and supported. Students demonstrate an understanding of content.

Some information is accurate. Students demonstrate some understanding of content.

Information is not accurate and does not fulfill a purpose. Students struggle to understand the content.

Task comple- tion

Mastered understanding of the misconceptions surrounding girls’ education (culture, religion, social norms, financial limitations etc.)

Has basic understanding of the misconceptions surrounding girls’ education (culture, religion, social norms, financial limitations etc.)

Has limited understanding of the misconceptions surrounding girls’ education (culture, religion, social norms, financial limitations etc.)

Has no understanding of the misconceptions surrounding girls’ education (culture, religion, social norms, financial limitations etc.)

Organi- zation

Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to anticipate the type of material that might be on the next slide. Information flows smoothly.

Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. Information flows somewhat smoothly.

Some information is logically sequenced. Information does not flow.

There is no clear plan for the organization of information. Information doesn’t connect to previous and future slides.

Job Comple-

tion

All slides are complete and easy to follow.

Missing one slide and somewhat easy to follow.

Missing two slides and hard to follow.

Missing more than two slides and difficult to navigate.

Back-

ground & graphics

Background or graphics do not distract from the information. Choice of background and graphics complement the topic.

Background and graphics do not distract from the information. Some choices of backgrounds and graphics are off-topic.

Background and graphics are distracting. Many choices of backgrounds and graphics are off-topic.

Backgrounds make it difficult to see text or they compete with other graphics on the page. Backgrounds and graphics are off-topic

Conven-

tions

Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors.

Presentation has a few minor errors but they do not distract from presentation.

Presentation has frequent spelling and grammar errors which begin to distract from presentation.

Presentation has many errors in spelling and grammar and they distract from presentation.

 

Conclusion:

By now, you’ve learned about the restrictions different countries, religions, and financial situations have imposed on girls’ education.  You’ve seen the data that shows uneducated women in developing countries tend to be in poorer health than their educated peers.  Statistics show that when girls and women are educated they can lead more productive lives and can help their families become financially independent. 

 

 

 

 

Standards:

 

 

Next Generation Reading & Writing Standards

➔   STANDARD 1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

➔    STANDARD 3: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

➔    STANDARD 7: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including across multiple texts.

➔    STANDARD 5: Conduct short as well as more sustained research based on focused questions to demonstrate understanding of the subject under investigation.

➔    STANDARD 6: Gather relevant information from multiple sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

➔    STANDARD 7: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

 

 

Gifted & Talented Standards

➔    1.2. Self-Understanding. Students with gifts and talents possess a developmentally appropriate understanding of how they learn and grow; they recognize the influences of their beliefs, traditions, and values on their learning and behavior.

➔    1.3. Self-Understanding. Students with gifts and talents demonstrate understanding of and respect for similarities and differences between themselves and their peer group and others in the general population.

➔    1.6. Cognitive and Affective Growth. Students with gifts and talents benefit from meaningful and challenging learning activities addressing their unique characteristics and needs.

➔    1.7. Cognitive and Affective Growth. Students with gifts and talents recognize their preferred approaches to learning and expand their repertoire.

➔    3.4. Instructional Strategies. Students with gifts and talents become independent investigators.