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14 One Third of the World’s Population

David J Smith
British Columbia
Janet Willen
United States
David J Smith,  British Columbia

David J. Smith, a teacher with more than 25 years of experience, is the author of three inspirational books for children, If the World Were a Village, If America Were a Village and This Child, Every Child. Smith believes that helping children become "world-minded" is vital to the well-being of our planet, and all of his books create a realistic picture of the world that is understandable and accessible to young people. Smith has won the U.S. Read more

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Janet Willen,  United States

Janet Willen has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years, working on publications ranging from remedial writing curriculum to articles on health and safety. She holds a master’s degree in political philosophy from the New School for Social Research. With Marjorie Gann, she has created an excellent resource for students in Five Thousand Years of Slavery. Willen lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with her husband. Read more

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Host: David J Smith
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 10:00am - 11:30am
Waterfront Theatre
$17/ $8.50 for student groups

About a third of the world’s population are children, and the experience of childhood throughout the globe differs as much as languages and cultures differ. While you might know what it’s like to be a child in your neighbourhood, what’s it like in Niger or Pakistan or Liberia? Spurred by his reading of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, David Smith portrays children finding ways to be children in spite of war and poverty. Janet Willen exposes the history of slavery around the world and in our time, and through these stories, the possibility of hope, courage, determination and kindness. Any child who shouts, “That’s not fair!” will be moved and changed by this morning.

Suitable for grades 4–6

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View the study guide for this event.

One Third of the World’s Population

About a third of the world’s population are children, and the experience of childhood throughout the globe differs as much as languages and cultures differ. While you might know what it’s like to be a child in your neighbourhood, what’s it like in Niger or Pakistan or Liberia? Spurred by his reading of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, David Smith portrays children finding ways to be children in spite of war and poverty. Janet Willen exposes the history of slavery around the world and in our time, and through these stories, the possibility of hope, courage, determination and kindness. Any child who shouts, “That’s not fair!” will be moved and changed by this morning.

Curriculum Connection:

  • Social Studies
  • History
  • Child Labour
  • Human Rights
  • Expressing opinions based on research

Activities:

1. Historical Letter

Until very recently, people wrote letters as a means of communicating with one another, and often kept them as a permanent record of events. Today, historians use these letters to learn about the past. Step back to an earlier period in history, long before email, texting, and the telephone were invented.

Imagine that you’re one of the following historical characters and in that person’s voice, write a letter as they would have. To make your letter look old, paint a sheet of white computer paper with strong, cold tea or coffee. When it is dry, write the good copy of your letter on this ‘antique’ paper with a fine-point marker, or a calligraphy pen, in black ink.

Suggested letters:

a. From Thomas Clarkson to his wife, Catherine. Describe what Clarkson learned during one of his extended trips on horseback around England as he collected evidence for the upcoming parliamentary hearings on the slave trade. Detail what he discovered about the slave trade, the dangers he experienced, and the positive events as well.

Background Reading: 5000 years of Slavery, Chapter 8, pages 79 – 85

b. From a young person in the 1830s to the editor of The Liberator, William Lloyd Garrison’s antislavery newspaper. Give your opinions on slavery, why it is wrong, why it is cruel, and what action people should take.  (You can write as a free white person, a free black, a former slave, or a slave.)

Background reading: 5000 years of Slavery, Chapter 10, pages 111 – 112.

Credit: Tundra Books

 2. Rights of the Child Poster

a. Distribute the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (www.oxfam.org). Ask students why they think certain countries have not signed it.

b. Ask students to design a poster showing the A-Z of Children's Rights (or an A-Z frieze). Each letter should represent one, or part of one of the articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, for example:

  • Adults should do what is best for us
  • Be kind to us and help us in times of trouble
  • Care for us when we are sick

c. Students can work in pairs or groups to plan the wording for the posters and use magazines, or drawing to illustrate the poster.

d. Each student reads a letter, from A – Z.

Credit: www.oxfam.org

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