The Odyssey of the Guantanamo Uighurs Unit Overview

Ellie tells a story injustice as well as one of the loyalty and obligation of two brothers, both Uighurs, who were detained at Guantánamo Bay. She exposes the controversy surrounding the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility and the challenge of resettling  inmates.

Reflection: The Odyssey of Guantanamo Uighurs by Ellie Olsen

Ellie tells a story of injustice as well as one of the loyalty and obligation of two brothers, both Uighurs, who were detained at Guantánamo Bay. She exposes the controversy surrounding the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility and the challenge of resettling inmates.

application/pdf icon Odyssey of the Guantanamo Uighurs

Learning Activity: Social Studies-Each One, Teach One: The Many Faces of Islam

Social Studies / 

6th 7th 8th

 / 4-5 class periods (200 min)

In this learning activity students learn about the diversity and demographics of the Muslim population around the world. Using knowledge about their own learning styles, students choose a presentation style that best fits them to help inform their peers.

application/pdf icon Each One, Teach One: The Many Faces of Islam application/pdf icon Quiz Key application/pdf icon Choice Board application/pdf icon Research Topics

Learning Activity: Social Studies-Explore and Persuade

Social Studies / 

10th 11th 12th

 / 3-4 class periods (200-225 minutes)

Students research the controversy surrounding Guantanamo and present persuasive arguments in support of its existence or its closure.

application/pdf icon Explore and Persuade application/pdf icon Student Handout: Graphic Organizer application/pdf icon Student Handout: Student Project Rubric

Learning Activity: English/Language Arts, Social Studies-History Repeated

English/Language Arts /  Social Studies / 

9th 10th 11th 12th

 / (5-6 class periods) 300 min

In this learning activity, students work as a class to define persecution and to identify groups throughout the world who have been persecuted. Students research the historical and/or contemporary groups and produce both a written and visual representation of the findings for their classmates.

application/pdf icon History Repeated application/pdf icon Research Handout application/pdf icon History Fair Rubric
Unit Resources
Previewing the Reflection: 

A series of open-ended pre-reading questions designed to engage students, assess prior knowledge, and expose any pre-conceived ideas about the person or culture explored in the Reflection.  Previewing the Experience questions are intended to be non-threatening and accessible to a range of students.  Students are encouraged to answer honestly, and to discuss their answers with their classmates.

Previewing the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconPreviewing the Experience
Understanding the Reflection: 

This resource is to be used during and after students read the Reflection.  Included in it are a series of reading comprehension questions designed to check for student understanding of the Reflection.  These questions formats include multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, short response, or other effective questioning strategies. 

Understanding the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconUnderstanding the Experience
Reviewing the Reflection: 

This resource is to be used after students read the Reflection.  It includes a series of post-reading questions designed to encourage student reflection and assess changes in students' perception and understanding of the cultural issues addressed in the unit through some deliberately repeated questions in the "Previewing the Experience" activity.

Reviewing the Reflection PDF: 
application/pdf iconReviewing the Experience
Culture Cube: 

This resource can be used at any point within a unit. The Culture Cube allows students to think about and organize their research of any culture into eight major traits (social groups, government, history, language, daily life, economy, religion, and art). The Culture Cube can prepare students before reading a Reflection, or before doing unit resources and learning activities. Similarly, teachers can use the Culture Cube to wrap up or assess students’ knowledge after engaging in the other unit resources and learning activities. The Culture Cube can be used in isolation of or integrated with the larger One World Curriculum. Definitions and examples of each trait of culture are given to guide students. The Culture Cube requires students to go beyond the Reflection for their research, so teachers need to make available a number of different resources from which students might gather information, including, but not limited to: textbooks, websites, encyclopedias, reference books, reports and maps.

Culture Cube PDF: 
application/pdf iconCulture Cube
Reflection Response: 

This resource should be used after the students read the Reflection. Students are presented with a list of questions intended to illicit a more personal response about the Reflection they have just read. After considering those questions, students compose a letter to the author of the Reflection with their thoughts, observations, questions and comments. Teachers should feel free to contact lori@oneworldeducation.org if they would like to have their students' finished letters delivered to the One World Ambassador.

Reflection Response PDF: 
application/pdf iconReflection Response