Unfortunately, environmental issues turns into crucial problems of the world that we suffer globally. We,the people , keep denying the fact that the we continue to damage the world with our bare hands. We are selfish beigns who needs concrete evidence and direct exposure to take an action for the sake of world. Since we are the responsibles of the mess, taking care of the world is the duty of every human being . At this point, the teachers who are the pioneers of a generation should be aware of the problems first to pass on the solutions. The themes in the coursebooks can be a tool for a teacher to create an awareness on the issues and help students change their behaviours accordingly to take action for a solution. The examples given below are from the coursebook that I used in my practicum with 5th grade students. Because the book does not contain a material directly support social justice, I gave some examples that can be associated with social justice by teachers. Throughtout my teaching, because global problems are one of my biggest concerns in English language teaching, I tried to mention do’s and don’ts in my practicum for social issues to develop students’ awareness. My biggest gain of being a teacher is changing students’ attitudes towards environment for the better. You know what they say ; Change your mind,change the world. That is why, if I can contribute to even at least one student in being a healthy individual, I would reach my goal.
The “Unit 1/Hello” of 5th grade was basically a unit that associates the countries/nationalities and self description. In the unit, colorful world maps and children from different countries are illustrated. Since it includes people from other countries and nationalities, it is a perfect chance to impose ideas against racism by mentioning world peace and respect to other people from different origin. The activities such as drama and role play can be used to familiarize other cultures to students.
In addition to this, the activity showed below is very lovely and effecive example for students to develop empathy towards disabled individuals. The detail of using visually impaired person as an illustration allow teacher to mention about the people with disabilities and create awareness about the fact that they are also the part of our society. However, “feeling sorry” is not a way of help to individuals with disabilities. Instead of pity, the respect and empathy should be the primary elements of the topic. Therefore, teachers should consider the fine line between sympathy and empathy.
In the Unit 2/My Town, there is a map that illustrates buildings. By checking the map in detail, the teacher can touch upon the amount of greens in the city to create awareness about pollution which has a crucial effect on global warming. Because global warming is an issue that causes devastation for earth, and especially so in Arctics; it should be emphasized more often.
In the Unıt 8/Fitness, the activity that promotes the love of nature is a perfect material to inform students about the importance and benefits of forests for the earth. In addition to this, the teacher may display some videos for authenticity that can attract students attention and develop awareness about the topic.
Lastly, the Unit 9/Animal Shelter should be completely associated with the social justice since the rate of violence against animals is increasing day by day. Unfortunately, the example given below is a very common activity for the unit of animals. The question “Which animals do you like?” is the biggest mistake of these units. Instead of exclusion, the books should promote the love for all animals without questioning. The ones who answer the question by saying “ I do not like wolves.” today, may be the responsibles of extinct wolves tomorrow. All animals deserve a chance to live and be loved. Therefore, this sensitive issue should be approached with caution by teachers.
Apart from these, the units such as Games and Hobbies, My Daily Routine, Movies, Party Time and Fitness do not have a material to be associated with social justice since they basically focus on grammar and vocabulary teaching. For instance, in “My Daily Routine” unit, a boy’s dailty routine is illustrated. To be associated with environmental issues, a tip such as “Do not forget to turn off the lights” could be used at the corner of the same page to take attention to waste management. My point is, all themes in the book can be adapted to social justice through convenient activities and illustrations if you put your mind to it since they are all based on life.