Through a multicultural understanding of customs and cultures, the World Neighbors in the Classroom program (WNIC) is bringing the world home for Oklahoma middle school students through interactive learning and greater understanding of the day-to-day struggles of the world’s peoples.
Originally designed in the 1990s by members of the World Neighbors staff team, in collaboration with leading Oklahoma City-area educators, over the past two years, a new comprehensive global education curriculum has been in use by 166 educators and almost 17,000 students in 111 Oklahoma schools.
Realizing that there is a lack of opportunity and materials for high quality geography instruction in many public schools, beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, World Neighbors will reach out to resource-poor school; that is, schools with students who are mostly from low-income households. While some schools are able to supplement their curricula through parent donations and community support, schools in impoverished areas do not have access to these resources.
The curriculum, which includes 22 lessons exploring Asia, Africa and Latin America, also comes with the following components:
Yes, WNIC was designed to be integrated into students’ coursework. The curriculum fulfills 100 percent of the core content areas outlined as Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) for 6th grade World Studies and 7th grade World Geography, established by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
If you are interested in receiving the curriculum kits for your classroom and you are a 6th grade World Studies or 7th grade World Geography educator from an Oklahoma school and more than 40% of your students come from low-income families, please click here.
Educators are invited to attend a workshop during which they will learn how to implement the curriculum in their classrooms. They will take part in hands-on activities and leave with concrete teaching strategies. Thanks to generous support from The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, The National Geographic Society Education Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation and American Fidelity Foundation there is NO COST to teachers or their schools. If you are interested in attending a workshop and receiving the curriculum kits for your classroom, please click here.
Following the workshop that introduces teachers to the curriculum, World Neighbors education coordinator will be available via email to answer questions and offer direction. World Neighbors is also working toward establishing a network of educators who have been using World Neighbors in the Classroom for at least one year and who are willing to act as mentors, offering direction to educators who are new to the curriculum. Please check our website often for updates on this new initiative.
World Neighbors is currently seeking funding for a national expansion of World Neighbors in the Classroom. This funding would allow us to get the curriculum kits to resource-poor schools around the country. We hope to start this program during the 2009-2010 school year. Please fill out this form so that you may be placed on the waiting list. Please remember that WNIC is for 6th grade world studies and 7th grade world geography classrooms.
For this expansion, the curriculum will be aligned with both national geography and national social studies standards.
Yes. We will be placing some of the lessons contained in WNIC on our Web site in the spring of 2009. Educators are encouraged to download the lessons for classroom use. They may contact World Neighbors education coordinator with any questions. We have a number of opportunities in addition to WNIC that you can use in your classroom. These opportunities include some of our new service learning initiatives such as Hunger Banquets, The Art of Trash, and What Are You Eating?.You may also sign up for a free subscription to our quarterly magazine, Neighbors, and learn more about World Neighbors international programs from this Web site.
Through a multicultural understanding of customs and cultures, the World Neighbors in the Classroom program (WNIC) is bringing the world home for 
If you are interested in receiving the curriculum kits for your classroom and you are a 6th grade World Studies or 7th grade World Geography educator from an Oklahoma school and more than 40% of your students come from low-income families, please 
