Target Grade Levels:
Grades 7-12

Themes:
Poverty, Role of Women, Religion

• The Activity
• Extensions
• Relevant National Standards
• Cross-Curricular Activities
• Ties to Literature



The Activity


Work with students to help them prepare a 10- to 15-minute newscast focused on the challenges women face in Nigeria when seeking an education, employment and legal protections. The newscast should include narrative pieces, one or two mock interviews, and an editorial. Care should be taken to provide "viewers" with background on Nigeria and on issues presented in the stories. For example, how does Nigeria's oil industry influence the country's economy? What role does religion play in the position of women in Nigerian society and in overall relations between the northern and southern parts of the country?

Have students start their "investigative reporting" by locating Nigeria on a map and then reading the perspectives of Amina Lawal's attorney, the youth advocate and the women's rights activist in the feature Nigerian Women Speak Out.
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nigeria/voices.html
Other sources of information include Facts & Stats
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nigeria/facts.html
on Nigeria and the Role of Women section of Links and Resources.
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nigeria/links.html#03

Guide students in selecting topics for the newscast. Encourage them to provide peer feedback on each other's stories while they are writing, before they finalize their drafts. When the newscast is ready, videotape it and present it to another class.

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Extensions

Expand class discussion on the role of women by exploring these related FRONTLINE/World stories:

China: Shanghai Nights
Tour Shanghai with controversial novelist Mian Mian, whose writing pushes the limits of Chinese culture and her government.

India: The Sex Workers
Learn how sex workers in India struggle to improve their conditions and safeguard their health.

Kenya: Run Lornah Run
Explore the traditional role of women in Kenya and find out how female long-distance runners are challenging the norm.

Kyrgyzstan: The Kidnapped Bride
Explore the ancient Kyrgyz tradition of bride kidnapping and the ways that women support the practice.

Nepal: Dreams of Chomolongma
Follow the stories of Sherpa women who scale Mt. Everest and are changing the role of women in Nepal.

The Women's Kingdom (from FRONTLINE/World's 'Rough Cut' series)
Learn about the matriarchal Mosuo society in China, one of the last in the world.

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Relevant National Standards


These standards are drawn from "Content Knowledge," a compilation of content standards and benchmarks for K-12 curriculum by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning), at http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/.

Economics, Standard 2: Understands characteristics of different economic systems, economic institutions and economic incentives

Economics, Standard 5: Understands unemployment, income and income distribution in a market economy

Geography, Standard 4: Understands the physical and human characteristics of place

Level III, Benchmark 1
Knows the human characteristics of places (e.g., cultural characteristics such as religion, language, politics, technology, family structure, gender; population characteristics; land uses; levels of development)

Level III, Benchmark 5
Understands the factors that affect the cohesiveness and integration of countries (e.g., the ethnic differences in some African countries that have been independent for only a few decades)

Language Arts, Standard 10: Understands the characteristics and components of the media

World History, Standard 44: Understands the search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world

Level IV, Benchmark 5
Understands the role of political ideology, religion and ethnicity in shaping modern governments
Level IV, Benchmark 6
Understands the role of ethnicity, cultural identity and religious beliefs in shaping economic and political conflicts across the globe
Level IV, Benchmark 12
Understands gender roles across the globe

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Cross-Curricular Activities
Consider building on the themes of the above activity by working with colleagues in other disciplines to conduct the following activities.


Write Letters Describing Your New Capitalistic Lifestyle (English)

The Activity

After being ruled by strict dictators for a period of time, both Romania and Cambodia now participate in capitalistic behaviors that earlier would not have been allowed. Some Romanian girls, for instance, train to go be exotic dancers in Japan and Italy because they will be able to earn $1,000 a week, about 40 times more than they could make if they stayed in Romania. To get these girls' story, have students watch this video clip.

Story: "Romania: My Old Haunts"
At about 5:20 into the story
In: "My capitalist pal ..."
Out: "They are patriots."
Length of clip: 2 minutes

Story: "Cambodia: Pol Pot's Shadow"
At about 14:10 into the story
In: "The remnants of the Khmer Rouge ..."
Out: "... mentally disabled man boxing a child."
Length of clip: 2:15

• What types of capitalistic activities have attracted some of the Romanian and Khmer Rouge people? Why those activities?
• Does vice always have to play a role in a capitalistic society? Why or why not?

Resources

The full stories are available on the Web on the streaming video page.
pbs.org/frontlineworld/watch/

Transcripts of each story are also available:

"Romania: My Old Haunts"
pbs.org/frontlineworld/about/episodes/102_transcript.html#romania
"Cambodia: Pol Pot's Shadow"
pbs.org/frontlineworld/about/episodes/102_transcript.html#cambodia

Visit the Web resources for each story for related links, facts, and features:

"Romania: My Old Haunts"
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/romania/
"Cambodia: Pol Pot's Shadow"
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/cambodia/

Relevant National Standards

Language Arts, Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

World History, Standard 44: Understands the search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world

Level III, Benchmark 6
Understands the emergence of a global culture (e.g., connections between electronic communications, international marketing and the rise of a popular "global culture" in the late 20th century; how modern arts have expressed and reflected social transformations and political changes and how they have been internationalized)

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Fight Poverty Wth Information on a Class Web Page (English)

The Activity

Explore what happens when poor children in India are given the opportunity to surf the Internet. Either watch the short (about 8 minutes long) film "India: Hole in the Wall" or have students read "Reporter's Notebook: Making Connections."
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/connection.html
Ask students to think about what impact computer literacy could have on India's poor. Next, see what Web sites are the most popular with these children who live in poverty by looking at "Kids-Eye View."
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/kids.html
And finally, work with students to design a Web page for these children to access that either introduces the students of your class to the kids in India or summarizes the most important links for the children to visit if they want to improve their economic situation.

Resources

Visit the "India: Hole in the Wall" Web resources to find the features utilized in this activity, to watch the full FRONTLINE/World segment in streaming video, or to gather related links and facts:
pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/india/

Relevant National Standards

Language Arts, Standard 6: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts

Technology, Standard 2: Knows the characteristics and uses of computer software programs

Technology, Standard 3: Understands the relationships among science, technology, society and the individual

World History, Standard 44: Understands the search for community, stability and peace in an interdependent world

Level III, Benchmark 6
Understands the emergence of a global culture (e.g., connections between electronic communications, international marketing and the rise of a popular "global culture" in the late 20th century; how modern arts have expressed and reflected social transformations and political changes and how they have been internationalized) ---

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