Overview to Timpeall an domhain for Fifth and Sixth Class

This class provides some facts to enable the children to explore ageing around the world, which leads to a discussion on whether life is better for older people in the West or East. The lesson also looks at the extent to which older people have joined political movements for older people.

Aims

The overall aim of the theme Timpeall an domhain is to enable the child to:

• Explore ageing in other countries by looking at the similarities and differences

The objectives of this lesson are to enable the child to:

• Explore how older people live in different parts of the world
• Look at political movements representing older people in some European countries

Resources

For in this lesson, divide the class into 5 groups.

You must complete Activity 2 in this lesson before you can complete Activity 3 in this lesson. Activity 2 requires the children to complete the worksheet called Seanaithreacha agus seanmháithreacha domhanda that you will find in the Online activities, in Rudaí le déanamh, Gníomhaíocht 3. Print the necessary fact sheets and table for the class or allow the children to complete the worksheet online.

Lesson content

Note:

Be conscious of any ethnic mix in the class or in the school. Where appropriate, you can use this as an ideal source of information and materials. For example, an Indian child can bring in photos of her extended family in India. You can ask Chinese children to talk about Chinese people living in Ireland or China.

Activity 1: Table quiz - Name the country

Divide the class into 5 groups, so that you can run a table quiz. Give information on each country in turn and ask the children to write down the answers. Continue with the quiz until you have read aloud the text on all the countries. Guessing the Philippines and Kenya may be difficult for this age group.

Activity 2: Group activity - Older people around the world

Divide the class into 5 groups. This activity compares life for older people in different countries. Each group will study a fact sheet on older people in a specific country and then share the information with the rest of the class.

Print the fact sheets on the global grandparents from the Online activities, in Things to do, Activity 3. Print a copy of the blank table for each group also. There is a fact sheet on each of the following countries:

• Ireland
• Holland
• United States of America (USA)
• Kenya
• Philippines

Give a copy of one fact sheet and a blank table to each team and allow them a few minutes to study it. Ask the children to fill in the table, based on the information provided in the fact sheet they have.

Ask each group to share the information with the rest of the class. Each group should record briefly (or record on the blackboard) the key points of information from the other groups. Now, go to Activity 3 in this lesson to follow up with a discussion.

Note that you could allow the groups to complete this exercise online, using a word processor - preferably, allowing each group to add information on their country into a central document that one child prepares. If your class completes the activity in this manner, provide a copy of the completed table for each group and go to Activity 3 in this lesson.

Activity 3: Discussion - East or West, which is best?

With the information shared during Activity 2 in this lesson, remind the pupils of the information that they have received. Spend a few minutes discussing what the facts they have learned, about the older people living in the different countries, tell us. If necessary, explain that countries like Holland, Ireland and the United States belong to what is called the Western world, whereas countries like the Philippines belong to the East. The following questions may be helpful:

1. What country do you think treats its older people well?
2. In what ways does it do this?
3. What factors help it to behave in this way towards older people?
4. What country do you think treats its older people less well?
5. In what ways does it do this?
6. What factors help it to behave in this way towards older people?
7. Which country would you like to grow old in?
8. Why do you choose this particular country? Ask the class to vote on their preferences.

Some points worth making and discussing with the children:

• Many countries, which are much poorer than ours financially, seem to have a particularly caring attitude to older people.
• Many countries give a role and value to older people within the family and the community - for example, take a look at Around the world for third and fourth class for interesting information about Korea and Japan.
• Maybe we could use some of the ideas from poorer countries here in Ireland.
• Older people have values and ideas that they can pass on to us.

Activity 4: Discussion - Political action and older people

Discuss organisations, groups or clubs with the class, exploring the involvement of the children and adults they know in various organisations. The following questions may be helpful:

• What organisations do you belong to (sport, music, boys scouts/girl guides, drama etc.)?
• What organisations/clubs do your parents or adults you know belong to - highlight if any are involved in a political party or an organisation that campaigns for rights (e.g. Amnesty International, local residents association, environmental group etc.).
• What organisations/clubs do older people or your grandparents belong to? Note any similarities and differences.

Have a brief discussion as to why people join organisations - for social interaction/something to do, because they believe in a cause or because they are interested in an activity. The discussion is likely to show that people of all ages belong to groups and organisations for more or less the same variety of reasons.

Share the following information with the class (read it, ask a child to read it, use a map of Europe to communicate, etc.):

Older people in Europe are beginning to take political action on various issues that concern them. They have formed political parties in countries like Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Germany, Holland, Portugal and the UK. In Ireland, older people have not yet started to form political parties. Seventy nine per cent (79%) of older people in Ireland say they would not join a political party to promote the interests of older people in the European Union. This indicates that a big majority of older people in Ireland now do not want to become involved in politics.

Generally, older people have not yet protested about issues that concern them. However, in Denmark, a group of older people called the C Team, called for large public protests in the capital city, Copenhagen. Although welfare payments to older people were very good in Denmark, the C Team were protesting against cuts in the social welfare that the government was paying to older people. The older people realised that if they did not defend their own corner, no-one else would! This may be an indication of what we can expect in Ireland, as the number of older people increases and older people are more aware of their rights.

Discuss with the children the idea of older people belonging to political parties. The following questions may be helpful:

1. Do you think older people should form political parties?
2. Why do you think older people want to form political parties?
3. Would you like to see older people protesting on the streets of your local town or village? What do you think older people should protest about? Possible answers: At a local level - public transport, access to local shops, churches, public buildings, age discrimination in local companies, access to education. At a national level - pension payments, tax reform for older people, increased allowances for older people, e.g. electricity and phone.
4. Why do you think older people are more politically active in Denmark?
5. Why do you think that most older people in Ireland do not want to join political parties to promote the interests of older people? Do you think this will change? Why?

Activity 5: Dressing up - Clothes from around the world

For more information on this activity, see Activity 1 in the lesson plan for Around the world for first and second class. If your class has not already completed this activity, they will enjoy it and learn from it.

Curriculum Links

This lesson provides opportunities for many cross-curricular activities and links directly to the curriculum for primary schools as follows:

Key Questions

The key questions for this lesson include:

1. What do you know about older people in different countries around the world?
2. What is good and bad about life for older people in other countries?
3. Do you think that, today, older people are seen to be important in Ireland?