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Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
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I Had a Hero Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read "I Had a Hero" a memoir written by a Peace Corps volunteer serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They discuss the story, respond to it in writing, complete comprehension activities and relate the account to their own...
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How Cultures Differ "Two Different Perspectives on the Same Event

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read excerpts from Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze and discuss his difficulties in learning the language, cultural clashes and how cultural perceptions shape our understanding of the world.
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Capturing the Reader With Vivid Images

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the use of imagery to hold a reader's attention in an excerpt from John Deever's memoir "Mr. John and the Day of Knowledge". They are introduced to background information about the Ukraine and create original imagery.
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Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners read excerpts from Jim Toner's memoir Serendib which chronicles his experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sri Lanka. They work in small groups to analyze the excerpts and discuss how the author came to terms with Sri Lankan...
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Becoming Part of the Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read narratives by Peace Corps volunteers and examine how they succeeded in adapting to living in a new cultural environment. They identify attitudes and actions that promote having a positive experience in a foreign country.
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What's Mongolia Really Like?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students discover the people of Mongolia. In this social studies lesson, students look at the Mongolian nomadic culture by reading a letter written by a member of the Peace Corps. They describe the different types of communities found in...
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Making Service Count

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate the importance of community service by creating their own project ideas.  In this volunteering activity, students research stories of Peace Corps Volunteers and how they were able to have a positive effect in their...
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Peace Corps Challenge Game- Food from Other Countries

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students examine traditional foods from other cultures.  In this Peace Corps Challenge game, students research food preferences and delicacies in other countries and compare to the traditional American cuisine. Students create a menu of...
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Cross-Cultural Dialogue Lesson

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners read and analyze a personal narrative written about a Peace Corps Volunteer teaching English in Guinea-Bissau, Africa. They discuss the concept of crossing cultures, analyze maps, complete worksheets, and develop a writing...
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Becoming Part of the Community

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers identify how various cultures are similiar. As a class, they read an essay of a Peace Corps volunteer being integrated into their new community. In groups, they take the elements from the story and put them into different...
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Building Bridges for Young Learners -- Community

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners compare and contrast communities.They explore factors that influence how people live, the roles of adults and children, and the interaction of people who live and work within a community. The lesson focuses on the country of...
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What Sharing Really Means

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Students examine the meaning of generosity and how sharing can be a cultural trait. In this cultural trait lesson, students read a text about the culture of generosity in Africa. Students complete a discussion activity and journal activity.
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Service Projects in the Dominican Republic

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners examine the role of Peace Corps volunteers. In this service instructional activity, students investigate service projects that feature agriculture, small business, education, environmental education, and health concerns in the...
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How Cultures Differ - Two Different Perspectives on the Same Even

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the effects of culture through the story Running by Peter Hessler. In this geography and cultural lesson, students act as newspaper reporters covering the story of the race. Students write newspaper articles as reporters...
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Half Man, Half Limping Rabbit

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. In this literature and cultural lesson plan, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Students identify the ways...
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Examining What Sharing Really Means

For Teachers 6th - 12th
After reading "The Senegalese Miracle" about the degree of sharing the author encounters upon arrival in Africa, class members read Mike Tidwell’s “Sharing in Africa” and compare the two stories. This cultural diversity lesson concludes...
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Breaching the Gulf Between Cultures

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore the dynamics, the challenges, and the rewards of adjusting to a new culture through the reading of "Help! My Father is Coming" and "The Visit to Vijay's". In this social culture instructional activity, students carousel...
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A South African Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore racial prejudice in South Africa through the reading of "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard. In this cultural and geography lesson, students discuss ethnicity and prejudices and cite examples from the letter....
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Water Contamination Challenge

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Students play a game to analyze further the effects of water contamination. In this environmental concerns lesson, students play an online game about water contamination and may visit the additional links to further their studies on the...
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Soil Runoff Challenge

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Students find ways to decrease soil runoff for an African Village as a part of a Peace Corps project. In this soil runoff instructional activity, students play a soil runoff challenge online. Students complete online activities and view...
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One Step at a Time

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate the customs and habits of other cultures by reading letters from a Peace Corps Volunteer.  For this global customs lesson, students discuss how analyzing a culture is similar to analyzing art, no two people see...
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Taking Action! Educating as a Form of Service

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students read the story Happy Hearts in Manabí by Peace Corps Volunteer Kristen Mallory to consider how educating others can be a form of service. In this health education and service lesson, students read the book and then prioritize...
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Narrative Cartoons

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students create narrative cartoons based on the activities of the Peace Corps. In this narrative cartoons lesson plan, students create comic strips where they draw and write about various activities that the Peace Corps is involved in.