Classes

The classes were designed to highlight the role that the students play and could play within their various communities​ while also enhancing English skills. The curriculum was split into 5 units: the preliminary trust building week, The Individual, The Individual in the Academic Community, The Social Self, and Global Citizenship. 

Almost all of the activities were hands on, or consisted of students teaching each other. Within each unit, students  journaled about different topics, read about global issues and tackled problems that are relevant to the refugee camp. The classes were also integrated with weekly relevant field trips.

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The videos below were taken during the lesson on peace as a part of the unit on Global Citizenship. Students brainstormed the different challenges that were preventing world peace. They then came up with skits that represented certain challenges that were pertinent to the refugee camp. 

The videos below were take in the lesson on resilience. In a public garden, the student read about the achievements of a disabled cyclist. They then created their own projects highlighting their resilience in face of personal challenges. ​

Field Trips

Beiteddine Palace and the Cedar Forests
Our first field trip was to the Beiteddine Palace in the Deir el-Qamar region of Lebanon. The students heard about the history of the palace and the prince from a tour guide. We then took a walk in the Barouk Cedar Forests where a tour guide pointed out the oldest trees. The day ended with a lunch by the waterfalls. This field trip was a great introduction to the unit on the academic community. It allowed the students to discover methods of learning outside the classroom. 

Jeita Grotto
As a final field trip, the students requested that we visit the Jeita Grotto, a series of limestone caves spanning an overall length of nearly 9 kilometers. After taking a tour of the incredible caves and a boat ride through the lower stream, we all sat down for a final lunch.  

Despicable Us? 
Our second field trip was to the movie theatre where the students watched either Spiderman or Despicable Me. This was a great opportunity for students to view movies as a tool to improve their English. 
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Final Project

We wanted the final project to be a way for students to both reflect on their growth and have an opportunity to spread what they learned to the rest of the camp. As such, we decided with the students that a mural would be most appropriate. The students were asked to paint a representation of how they have grown throughout the curriculum, perhaps specific lessons that impacted them, or general ideas that stuck with them. 

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