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As an organization that works to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin, we were thrilled when Kimberly Todd and Valerie Robert, two talented and socially conscious teachers, reached out to us with their curricula and resources for parents and students to take action. They created these unit plans with the goal of providing teachers with resources that meet both the English Common Core Standards and raise awareness about the threats facing the Amazon rainforest and the Indigenous populations living in the Amazon Basin. Empathy, connectivity with the Earth and an examination of the values of Indigenous cultures are at the heart of all the unit plans. Moreover, each lesson plan covers one or more English Common Core Standard. Therefore, teachers can fulfill their curricular objectives in a unique and meaningful way. In a few instances the California Common Core Standards have been included as an addition to the lesson plans. As two teachers who have dealt with a variety of curricular objectives, in a variety of classrooms all over the world, Kimberly and Valerie understand the demands and strains of the curricula under which teachers work, as well as the challenge of finding appropriate resources. Consequently, they have tried to make these unit plans as seamless as possible for teachers. We hope they will guide you and our students as you explore the Amazon rainforest and the Indigenous people who call it home.
If you are further interested in Kimberly and Valerie’s work, please find their bios below and feel free to contact them at seaturtlehorizons@gmail.com or independently here and here.
Outline of Unit Plans
Kimberly and Valerie’s goal in creating these unit plans is for teacher to do as little prep work as necessary because they understand the daily constraints that teachers face. It is not necessary for teachers to complete the entire unit. Although lessons do flow into each other, it is possible for teachers to choose specific activities that best fit their schedules and purposes. These unit plans are meant to be adapted and changed in order to meet the needs of each particular classroom.
In each unit plan they have included:
- English Common Core standards
- Meaningful discussion questions
- List of resources
- Correlations to Amazon protection and Indigenous rights
- Vocabulary words
- Extension activities
- Black line masters
- Assessments in line with English Common Core standards
- Raising Awareness and Fundraising Ideas for the Classroom sheet
The Authors of the Curricula
Kimberly Todd is a Canadian teacher with experience teaching in South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and a First Nations school in Canada. She is passionate about Indigenous rights. She believes in the necessity of revitalizing school curriculum with an Indigenous perspective. This will foster empathy, critical thinking skills and more interconnected and relational perspectives in students and contribute to their sense of place and purpose in the world. Kimberly has her Masters in Education as well as a Bachelor degrees in Education and the Humanities. She looks forward to collectively working on future projects integrating Indigenous ways of knowing as well as an understanding of ongoing colonialism in education.
Valerie Robert is a Canadian teacher with experience teaching in Cameroon, the United Arab Emirates and Bhutan. She believes a transformative education process is necessary to promote positive social change and a move towards a more humane and sustainable way of life. She sees a pressing need to challenge the established norms on what, how, where and why we learn. Valerie has her Masters in Education with a Concentration in Society, Culture and Literacies, as well as Bachelor degrees in Education and International Development. She looks forward to collectively working on future curriculum projects for social change and social justice and integrating Indigenous ways of knowing as well as an understanding of ongoing colonialism in education.
