Overview
In this lesson students will explore the link between silence, communication, and peace. Students will explore how listening to others' stories can help strengthen communication, deepen their understanding of those around them, and, in turn, create a more peaceful world. To support the lesson topic, students will begin by learning about refugees. Who are refugees? Why are there refugees? Students will meet refugee Mira Sidawi. Mira grew up in the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Lebanon and has only known life as a refugee. She is a Palestinian actress, director, and writer who shares the plight of the statelessness through her artistic expression. In 2015, she created her first short film, Four Wheels Camp. Her second film, The Wall, takes place in the Burj al-Barajneh and Shatila refugee camps. It is through Mira’s reflection on peace and silence that students will explore where and how they find inner peace.
Notes for Teacher
Country: This lesson plan will focus on the Burj Barajneh Refugee camp which is located in the southern suburb of Beirut, which is the capital of Lebanon. Although it is in Lebanon, the refugees within the camp do not have citizen status of Lebanon. They are stateless. This lesson will address these issues through the eyes and voice of Mira Sidawi.
The Burj Barajneh Refugee camp was created in 1949 by the Red Cross Societies. Originally there were approximately 3500 refugees but it expanded in 1969 and was not given the proper attention to build out safely. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, “Building work was undertaken randomly, with no opportunity to increase the foundations. Roads became extremely narrow and infrastructure was put under heavy stress. These problems were compounded by the destruction of several Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war and the ongoing Syria crisis, each resulting in a wave of new refugees to Burj Barajneh” (https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/lebanon/burj-barajneh-camp). According to the Anera charity there are now 35,000 refugees living in the camp.
Below is background information about Lebanon:
“Since its independence in 1943 from France’s Mandatory rule, Lebanon’s fragile government has been based on its National Pact, a complex division of power granting preferential status to the then majority Maronite Christian community, over its Shiite, Sunni, and Druze citizens. The rationale for this was Lebanon’s 1932 census, the only official census conducted to this day. After World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jewish survivors emigrated to British Palestine as the United Nations began to create a partition plan which would create two states. By 1948, the Arab-Israeli war displaced 700,000 Palestinians in what is known as the Nakba, or ‘catastrophe.’ This resulted in the UNRWA establishing refugee camps in Lebanon. Christian President Camille Chamoun attempted to keep Lebanon aligned with the west as Arab nationalism swept across neighboring nations, pushing Lebanon to the brink of civil war. The Six Day War in 1967 and Israel’s victory over its Arab neighbors, meant Israel took control of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan and the Golan Heights from Syria. The immediate effect was to create hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees and to bring nearly a million Palestinians under Israeli control within the captured territories…Today the World Bank recognizes that as much as half the population is below the poverty line, inflation and unemployment continues to climb and basic infrastructure services, together with health care, are failing”. (EIHR, 2021. Adapted from Imagine: Reflections on Peace).
The lesson also includes a photograph the students will discuss the photo by American photographer Nichole Sobecki. Nichole is a filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya. After graduating from Tufts University, Nichole spent the early years of her career in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria, focusing on regional issues related to identity, conflict, and human rights.
Grade Level
8th - 12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● Is there a connection between silence, listening, and communication?
● Is there a link between inner peace and outer peace?
● Can we cultivate our own inner peace?
● Can communication facilitate greater peace?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Explore the connection between silence and communication
● Describe the link between inner peace and outer peace
● Identify ways to cultivate their own inner peace
● Analyze how communication facilitates greater understanding of those around us, and therefore is a foundational element to peace
Common Core State Standards (11th Grade)
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.B Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decision-making, set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as needed.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.D Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims, and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when possible; and determine what additional information or research is required to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
Curriculum Glossary and Key Concepts and Ideas
● Refugee: The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as: “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” (UNHCR.org)
● Metaphor: A word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
● Statelessness: Having no state (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
● Sensory: Relating to sensation or the physical senses; transmitted or perceived by the senses of sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
● Inner Peace: A state of being or quality of mind conducive to tranquility, and free from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions (Merriam-Webster Dictionary )
● Outer Peace: A environmental state of mutual concord and harmonious relations free from civil disturbance and unrest (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Formative Assessment Strategies
The teacher can make a note of…..
● Class participation in initial discussion regarding who is a refugee
● Small group engagement during partner discussion about Mira’s reflection on peace
● Individual participation during inner and outer peace definition creation and reflection
Materials for Instructor
● Laptop
● Projector
● Speakers
● Large Flip-pad or Whiteboard/Chalkboard
● Marker, Dry-erase markers, or chalk (depending on the writing surface)
Materials for Students
● Paper and writing utensils
● Colored Pencils, Markers, Crayons
● Imagine Journal
● Post-it notes
LESSON PLAN - Part One
I. Opening Discussion: Who are refugees? (15 min.)
Step 1:
Ask students: Who are Refugees? Solicit their ideas and responses. Write any ideas or prior knowledge students share onto either the large flip-pad, whiteboard, or chalkboard. Based on the students' responses, see if the class can come to a consensus on a definition.
Write their final definition and, next to it, write the accepted dictionary definition. For a few minutes, have them compare the definitions. What is missing in their definition? What do they feel is missing in the standard definition? From the two definitions, guide students to create their final classroom definition.
Dictionary definition:The 1951 Refugee Convention is a key legal document and defines a refugee as: “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” (UNHCR.org)
Step 2:
Ask students: Do you think it would be easy for a refugee to obtain a passport or visa to escape the war or conflict in their country? Listen to their responses.
Explain to students that according to the UNHCR’s (United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees) most recent estimates by the end of 2020, for the first time in recorded history, the number of people forcibly displaced reached 82.4 million, and the number of refugees reached 26.4 million (UNHCR).
Step 3:
Ask students what they hear about refugees in the news or conversations in their communities. Most likely you will hear a variety of negative and positive responses.
Explain to students that you would like to question some of the rhetoric that has been in our media.
● Example of rhetoric: Refugees want to leave their home countries and live in America or Europe
Share that the refugees’ desire to make these journeys are true but it is possible they would rather stay in their own homes with their families and daily lives. Explain that most of the refugees leave their homes because of a war or a natural disaster.
Step 4:
Ask students to list examples of the difficulties of leaving your home country. Examples may include:
● You leave behind people you love.
● You leave your job.
● You may not speak the language.
● You leave your culture.
● You may not be accepted in your new community.
Step 5:
Finally, allow a space for dialogue to continue for a few more minutes so that the foundation of what it means to live the refugee experience has been adequately explored.
II. Introduce the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp & Meet Mira Sidawi (15 - 20 min.)
Step 1:
Explain to students that in this lesson they are going to learn about Mira Sidawi, who grew up in the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon and has only known life as a refugee. Provide brief background information regarding the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon as writen in the Country section of this lesson or from another source.
Step 2 : Reflective Writing
Introduce the students to Mira Sidawi by projecting her image on the overhead and share key elements of her bio:
● Mira, as mentioned, grew up in the Burj al-Barajneh camp in Lebanon (alternate images and now show the students the image of the camp) and has only known life as a refugee.
● Mira is a Palestinian actress, director, and writer who shares the plight of the stateless through her artistic expression. In 2015, she created her first short film, Four Wheels Camp. Her second film, The Wall, takes place in the Burj al-Barajneh and Shatila refugee camps (show students image by Nichole Sobecki of Shatila camp).
Step 3:
Explain to students that they will now watch and listen to a short video in which Mira is asked what peace means to her. Mira uses her senses to describe a childhood moment when she felt peace -- what it looked like, sounded like, and felt like.
Play the video and remind the students to listen for the sensory details of how Mira describes her memory of peace as they watch the video. They can take notes in their Imagine Journals.
Step 4:
After watching the video, have students turn and talk with a partner briefly and discuss the following questions: (Project the questions or write them on the board, etc.)
● What does Mira say peace means to her?
● How does Mira explain this moment of peace in terms of sensory experience? What does she say it felt like, sounded like, and looked like?
● How does she connect silence to feelings of peace?
● Mira tells us she could hear the trees when she was silent. Discuss how this might be a metaphor for listening to others as a way of fostering communication and thus peace.
NOTE TO TEACHER: If students do not understand the concept of metaphor, take a few minutes to share examples.
III. A Moment of Silence & Journaling (15 min.)
Step 1:
Share with students that they will now participate in a visualization to support them in exploring silence and peace. They can close their eyes, close their eyes and put their heads on their desks, or, if it is more comfortable, they can keep their eyes open and gently gaze at a spot on the floor.
Try to minimize any distractions from the space such as unnecessary noise, creating a space which is as calm and quiet as will allow for within the particular environment you are working in.
Once students' eyes are closed or gently gazing at a point on the floor begin the guided visualization:
● With your eyes closed take a moment to think about a place where you feel peaceful. Maybe it is in nature, maybe it is at a sports game, maybe it is in your bedroom. The first image that pops up in your mind may surprise you, but stay with it.
● You are now going to use your five senses to explore this place:
○ SOUND: Are there sounds around you? If so, what are the sounds? Voices? Animals? the sound of the wind? Spend a few moments listening.
○ SIGHT: What do you see around you? Is there nature? Are there people? Animals? Look around you and look at everything that is in your peaceful space.
○ SMELL: If you can smell this place, what are the scents? In nature, is it the grass or flowers? In a kitchen, is it dinner being cooked? If it’s a sports game, is it your beverage or the scents of the season?
○ TASTE: Although this may seem strange, now imagine what the place may taste like. Use your imagination. For example, if this is a place that makes you feel happy maybe it would taste like chocolate ice cream. Take a moment and explore the possibilities.
○ TOUCH: If you could reach out and touch this place, what would it feel like? Like sunlight? Like snow? Like a blanket? Again, use your imagination to explore.
● Take a few moments to leave your peaceful place and come back into the classroom. When you are ready, open your eyes.
Step 2 : Reflective Writing
Now that students have opened their eyes and are present in the moment, ask students to take 5-7 minutes to write about the place they are connected to. This can be a stream of consciousness writing, or if students need more support they can start by listing the five senses and fill in what they identified and explored in their visualization.
Step 3:
After students complete their reflections, write the following questions on the flip-pad or board and let students popcorn their answers:
● Did you feel more peaceful, calm, after spending time in the place you explored in the visualization? If so, why?
Invite a few students to share their reflection on peace with the class.
PART TWO: Can be done as a separate class. Adjust time for each activity as needed for your class size.
I. Affinity Mapping & Definition Creation (10-15 min.)
Step One:
Explain to students that as a class we are now going to explore ideas related to the connection between a cultivation of inner peace and how this cultivation can promote outer peace.
Read the following quote from Mira Sidawi as excerpted from Imagine: “I live this struggle every day: I wake up and wonder what I will have to do today to find inner peace. I have passed through a lot of angry moments [as a refugee]. . . . I do yoga, I meditate, I pray. Being a refugee allows you to dig deep inside to find satisfaction.”
Give students a minute or two to silently read the quote.
Step Two:
After a minute or two of silence, ask the students to turn and talk with a partner about the following:
● Mira incorporates yoga and meditation into her life to cultivate more inner peace and silence. What do you do to cultivate more inner peace in your life? Have you tried yoga? Meditation? If not, would you like to?
Mira mentions that she uses various techniques to cultivate her own inner peace and that this helps her to navigate feelings of anger caused by her environment and circumstances. Have students turn back with their partner and discuss the following:
● How do you think this cultivation of inner peace helps Mira to facilitate outer peace in her community?
Step Three:
Pass out post-it notes to each student, and explain that they will be writing down only one idea per post-it note related to the following prompt, which should be displayed via the projector or written on the flip-pad or board:
● What does the word peace mean to you?
Explain to students that you will be setting a timer for 5 minutes, and in that time each individual student should write as many ideas as they can about what the word peace means, reminding them to only write one idea per post-it note.
Once each student has generated a collection of ideas, have all of the students stick their post-it notes to a large surface area where they will be able to move them around. This may be the whiteboard, or simply a wall or large table surface area.
Step 4:
After all post-it notes are stuck to the work surface area, ask students to begin to create two separate groupings with the post-it notes: one grouping which they feel represents ideas related to inner peace, and one grouping which they feel represents ideas related to outer peace.
Likewise, the students may begin to notice through this process that there is a third grouping in which some of the ideas overlap and may be considered aspects of both inner and outer peace. If this is the case, explain to them that they may create a third grouping which represents this group of overlapping ideas.
Step 5:
Once students feel satisfied with their groupings, ask students if they can define what inner and outer peace are based on the groupings they created. Solicit their ideas and responses. Write any ideas students share onto either the large flip-pad, whiteboard, or chalkboard
Step 6:
Based on the students' responses, see if the class can come to a consensus on a definition for both terms (inner peace & outer peace). Write their final definition and next to it write the accepted dictionary definition. For a few minutes, have them compare the definitions. What is missing in their definition? What do they feel is missing in the standard definition? From the two definitions, guides students create their final classroom definition.
Dictionary definitions:
● Inner Peace: A state of being or quality of mind conducive to tranquility, and free from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
● Outer Peace: A environmental state of mutual concord and harmonious relations free from civil disturbance and unrest
II. Dialoguing/Think-Pair-Share (10 min)
Step 1:
Now that students have a conceptual understanding of both inner and outer peace, have students turn to a partner and consider the following questions:
● In your personal life can you find the connection between your inner peace and outer peace? If so, what is an example?
● Do you think when you are connected to your inner peace that it affects your outside world and community?
Bring the class back together, and solicit responses from the partners based on their discussion.
III. Closing Activities (Remainder of class time)
After learning about the connection between inner and outer peace today, take a few moments and consider what you can do to cultivate more inner peace in your life? Consider the following:
● How you will work on developing your own inner peace through incorporating various practices into your daily routine, just as Mira has done.
● Will you try yoga, meditation, exercise, drawing, journal writing?
IV. Homework
Artifacts and Gallery Walk in Following Class:
● Recall in the video we watched at the beginning of the lesson when Mira is asked ‘what peace means to her,’ she describes a sensory memory of sitting under a tree, in silence and being able to hear the trees speaking to her.
● Reflect on the following question:
○ What does peace mean to you?
● Find an artifact in your life that you feel represents peace. An artifact can be a photo, a book, a song, a poem, etc.
● Write a few lines about your artifact, explaining why you chose it.
● Bring this artifact with you to the following class.
*Note to teacher: Place the artifacts alongside the writings in a classroom gallery and have students participate in a gallery walk.
It is important to remind the students to remain silent while viewing the artifacts. They may wish to carry a notebook and writing utensil with them to jot down any questions or comments they have about the pieces.
Once students have had ample time to explore their peers’ artifacts, ask them to come back together as a class and discuss the various conceptions of peace which are portrayed in the artifacts.
V. Extension Projects
What can you do to cultivate more inner peace in your life? Create a personal inner peace plan for yourself by outlining how you will work on developing your own inner peace through incorporating various practices into your daily routine, just as Mira has done. This may be yoga, mediation, exercise, drawing, journal writing. Set up a weekly schedule and try to incorporate this practice into your daily routine.
Design a family, school, or neighborhood outer peace plan to help others in your community incorporate peace into their daily lives. Consider how the practice of inner peace can be used as a tool for furthering outer peace among community members.
VI. Resource Links
