Grade 4 - Children's Challenges and Opportunities

In Grade 4, the students have been inquiring about the different challenges and opportunities that children around the world face.  We started by connecting our unit about energy with the Industrial Revolution and how the use of coal power created changes towards our modern society.  



Along with these changes toward city life, consequences of poverty and child labor were also created.  




In order to protect children and give them the opportunities they needed to live fulfilled lives, we learned about the rights that are given to children.  First, the students got in groups and tried to determine what they thought the appropriate rights would be to give to all children.  

We then compared their list with the United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child.  As a class, we did a great job and were able to determine many of the same ones!

This week, we also looked at profiles on some children from different countries, economic status and life situations and inferred what we thought the challenges and opportunities we thought they have are.  Many students are amazed to see the struggles that other children have to go through in life and I hope that leads to a greater appreciation of their own lives and the opportunities that they have!