Younger Students/ General Social Studies Curriculum

It would be useful to anchor the experience by asking what the children learned, what new ideas they found. Some in depth material for students to consider might include questions such as:

• What do they believe people in Africa (China, Mexico, and Russia) have in common with Americans? I.e. TV, movies, music, sports, family structure, school, work, friendships, emotions, climate, economies... 
• What do they believe the differences are? i.e. clothing, art, customs, laws, language, religion... 
• What about peoples in their communities? Do they see different kinds of peoples at school, in town, on TV? 
• Did the assembly change some perceptions about people? Do they now understand that people are much alike, want the same kinds of things, have the same kinds of feeling? 
• What does peace look like for the students in their own neighborhoods? For all the peoples of the world? How can they individually and collectively affect their communities? The world? 
• What will they do at school to practice making the world a better place? i.e. reaching out to make friends with children they thought were different. Note: this process can be supported by a weekly review of successes and problems. One follow-up exercise of teaching how people have similarities while acting differently would be to research a variety of customs regarding gift giving and receiving. 
• People everywhere like gifts, feel good about them, but often have very different customs that can be confusing when encountered. "Dos and Taboos of Hosting International Visitors" by Roger E. Axtell is one reference currently in print.