Men and women of peace
In this unit, we will learn about different people who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and we will find out how to write a biography of one of our classmates.
- Setting the scene within the area
Mutual respect and learning are necessary values for peaceful coexistence in a world that is increasingly interdependent and in a society that is ever more intercultural. This is the reason that one of the topics in the course, biography, will be used to help pupils understand and learn more about the lives of some of the people who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recent years.
The aim of the unit is for pupils, through the lives of certain people, to understand, identify with and become aware of the values required for peaceful global coexistence: solidarity, tolerance, respect, freedom, safety and security, justice and equality.
- Goals
- Learn to write a brief biography
- Get to know our classmates
- Content
- Nobel Peace Prize
- Reading comprehension
- Writing a biography
- Active listening
- Interest in learning about other people’s lives
- Admiring other people’s achievements
- Basic competences studied
Competence in language communication
This teaching unit provides pupils with an opportunity to read a few brief biographies of people who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, understanding and reflecting upon the actions that led to these people being honoured in this way.Subsequently, and through the formulation of different questions, pupils will gather information on a classmate, preferably someone they are not very close to, to draw up a biography that is accurate, consistent and orderly, and then they will present it to the rest of the class.
The unit also encourages the development of the ability to listen, empathy and dialogue.
Competence in the culture of science, technology and health
Pupils will be tasked to ask their classmates for the relevant data required for preparing a biography, which will then be used for writing the biography itself by sifting, for example, between the information that is relevant and that which is not.Pupils will acquire digital skills, as they will do an exercise in which they will have to drag images, as well as open various documents by clicking on certain images.
This unit encourages the use of digital tools such as a computer, internet browsers and a word processor, for finding information and drafting documents.
Learning to learn
This unit teaches pupils to listen, write and express themselves, and therefore to communicate, which is so necessary not only in social interaction, but also in the acquisition of new knowledge.It fosters an interest in knowing other people, both those who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the pupil’s own classmates, by reading and writing biographies.
These biographies enable pupils to reflect upon their own experience of life, on other people’s lives, as well as dream about their futures and their own expectations.
Social competence and citizenship
Pupils will be required to ask and listen carefully to their classmates in order to gather the necessary information for writing their biography.Based on the information obtained, pupils will be in a position to get to know their classmates better, having a chance to find out more about them and build a more accurate and complete picture and profile of that person.
Furthermore, pupils will also be required to make an effort to relate and describe their own lives in an orderly manner using clear and concise language.
This unit favours the use of the skills and expertise required for a respectful and integrating coexistence, such as active listening, as well as knowledge and understanding of the diversity and plurality of the possible paths in life.
Competence in the culture of humanism and art
This unit encourages pupils to show an interest in getting to know their classmates, being able to discover ways of life other than their own.At the same time, pupils will learn about men and women from different countries and continents who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the reasons they were honoured in this way.
Pupils will find out a little bit more about biographies and autobiographies.
Competence in learning to learn
This unit stimulates learning through other people’s lives and experiences, whether these are the pupils’ own classmates or celebrated prize-winners.Additionally, the learning process focuses on different strategies and techniques, such as planning, gathering and selecting information, and the development of attention, comprehension and expression, nurturing the desire to learn from other people’s lives, as well as to teach through one’s own experience.
Competence for personal initiative and independence
Knowing about other people’s lives may provide pupils with the stimulus to create, define and make decisions regarding their own futures.These biographies may also encourage pupils to identify with one or more of the people involved, leading to the adoption of traits that will build and forge their identity.
Competence in the culture of science, technology and health
The reading of eight biographies will enable pupils to discover and analyse the major events that led to these eight people being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.Furthermore, it will bring pupils closer to other cultures, historical periods and ways of experiencing life.
- Values studied
It favours an understanding towards other people, taking into account their lives, their circumstances, their cultures, their decisions, etc.
It also helps each individual pupil to open up and explain themselves better to the rest of their classmates, allowing them to get to know them a little more and a little better, so they may in turn become an inspiration and an example for someone else.
Finally, the teaching unit fosters active listening, as well as the value of solidarity, enabling pupils to form close ties with their classmates.