East Troy Community School District

Global literacy is an understanding of how the world is organized and interconnected. It brings awareness of the possibilities and constraints facing the world’s people. Students who are globally literate are able to think critically about the world and the role that they play. These students have an understanding of and appreciation for the different cultures, customs, systems and relationships that exist throughout the world. Globally literate students are empowered to affect positive change in the world.

Global literacy promotes and encourages:

• inquiry, reasoning and problem solving

• collaboration

• communication and an understanding of world languages

• an understanding of globalized systems and political realities

• responsible global citizenship

• respect for diversity

• an understanding of the skills and technologies that are necessary for life in the 21st century

• the ability for students to become advocates 

Here are some examples of things we have done in the past and can do again in the future. The sky is the limit! Please share any ideas, questions, needs, and concerns with us so that we can provide support to promote students' cultural awareness.                                                                      

• Bring HS international students to classrooms for presentations
• Present mini language lessons in French and/or Spanish
• Connect classrooms with community members 
• Collect items for our Culture Box
• Read Dr. Suess books in French and Spanish
• Create cultural projects and presentations (Cinco de mayo, winter holidays, foods, music)
• Help organize Holiday Folk Fair field trip for 6th grade (and perhaps younger students next year)
• Present cross-curricular lessons in French/ Spanish (explorers in Social Studies, and solar energy in Science)
• Present Olympic-themed sports lesson
• Create Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day cards with students in a different language
• Bring HS language students to read to and work with students with an emphasis on the language or culture studied
• Distribute classroom object labels in both languages for teachers to hang in their classrooms and throughout the building