Canadian Broadcasting Centre's Archives Website

Welcome to a new feature of RESPECT's e-Zine – the Teachers' Resource column. If you are a teacher who is interested in bringing the issue of refugees into your classroom, then this column will provide you with links to resources that are available, often over the internet.

By bringing the issue of refugees into the classroom with practical hands-on exercises, we can transport children out of their local community to experience the particular concerns faced by refugees and refugee children everyday. Knowing more about the experiences of those less fortunate, children are often keen to help in some way.

Our first set of resources comes from the Canadian Broadcasting Centre (CBC) Radio and TV Archives website. This website hosts a "For Teachers" section which provides educational materials on a variety of topics geared mainly toward students in Grades 6 through 12. You will find ideas for incorporating CBC's Radio and TV archives into your classroom along with lesson plans and activity sheets, which you can download. All materials are provided at no charge and can be accessed at http://archives.cbc.ca/290p.asp?IDLan=1&IDMenu=-4&NC=1.

The case study, "Boat People: A Refugee Crisis," brings to life the Vietnamese refugee exodus of the 1970s and 1980s. The materials include an introductory activity, followed by assignments divided by grade level. They are complemented by archival radio and TV clips.

In these activities, students will learn why the refugees fled, investigate why the fall of Saigon was an international crisis, write journal entries in role to understand the impact on people of leaving home and emigrating to a new country, discuss in role at a community meeting the responsibilities of people and governments in helping others, and compare and contrast Canada's role in humanitarian relief from the late 1970s to today. (Obviously, with a bit of research, this last section can be made relevant to whatever country you live in).