UN Day Unit and Lesson Plans
Each activity in the UN Day Unit is briefly described below, with suggestions as to the subject area in which it might be used, and standards addressed by each activity.
Activity 1: What do you know about the United Nations?
This activity familiarizes students with the history of the UN and its role. It uses a quiz and reading material to encourage students to formulate research questions.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Power, Authority and Governance
- Global Connections
English/Language Arts Standards Addressed: NCTE
- Reading for understanding
- Evaluating data
- Developing research skills
Activity 2: The UN and its Members
This activity encourages students to look at how historical events have influenced UN membership and to consider reasons that countries join the UN. It requires students to use the Internet to research membership, and graph numbers of countries joining during particular time periods.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Time, Continuity and Change
- Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Mathematics Standards Addressed: NCTM
- Data Analysis 9-12
- Representation PK-12
- Communication PK-12
- Connections PK-12
Activity 3: How the UN works
This activity familiarizes students with the main bodies of the UN. It requires them to do research and make presentations, either to the whole class or in a peer-teaching format. A "quiz show" is used to help consolidate learning.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Power, Authority and Governance
- Global Connections
English/Language Arts Standards Addressed: NCTE
- Reading for understanding
- Communication skills
- Developing research skills
- Applying language skills
Activity 4: What has the UN achieved?
This activity provides case study material on accomplishments of the UN. A follow-up activity encourages work on the UN's specialized agencies.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Global Connections
English/Language Arts Standards Addressed: NCTE
- Reading for understanding
- Communication skills
- Developing research skills
- Applying language skills
Activity 5: Current UN Issues: Focus on Peacekeeping
This activity uses case studies of UN peacekeeping operations in Rwanda and East Timor to encourage critical thinking about what factors make peacekeeping effective. A list of guided reading questions structures students' inquiry.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Power, Authority and Governance
- Global Connections
English/Language Arts Standards Addressed: NCTE
- Reading for understanding
- Evaluating data
Activity 6: US Membership
In this activity, students research various viewpoints on US membership in the UN, and hold a debate on these points of view. A follow-up activity focuses on the issue of how the UN is funded.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Individuals, Groups and Institutions
- Global Connections
English/Language Arts Standards Addressed
- Developing research skills
- Applying language skills
Mathematics Standards Addressed: NCTM (Follow-up Activity)
- Number and Operations 9-12
- Connections PK-12
Activity 7: Images of the UN
This activity asks students to reflect on their learning during this unit, including how their views on the UN may have changed, and encourages the use of art materials as a way of graphically expressing those views.
Social Studies Standards Addressed: NCSS
- Global Connections
Visual Arts Standards Addressed: CNAEA Content
- Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas
- Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines