To get back into the swing of things, I thought I'd take advantage of video and film while still covering in some way Alberta Programs of Studies outcomes.
One such movie that fits with the Social Studies 10 (-2 or -1) program, is "Living On One Dollar." It follows 2 college students as they live with 2 of their friends (helpers in filming the documentary) in Guatemala for 8 weeks on nothing more than an average of a dollar a day each, something most of the locals do. The movie is less than an hour long, but gives a great look into the lives of those who live in poverty and are trying to make their way out, as well as a brief introduction to microfinancing (something someone could call a benefit of globalization) and how it's helping people in a developing country.
It is currently showing on Netflix (Canada) (and on YouTube, if you don't have Netflix) and at the end of that movie, a suggestion showed up for "The True Cost," a documentary about how our clothes consumption--specifically buying cheap clothes from big names--is affecting people in developing countries, as well as how our consumption is affecting the environment and people's health. It was a great look at modern industry and the topic of sustainable development and sustainable prosperity. My son was not initially very interested and 10 minutes in asked, "Do we have to watch this?" I replied, "Let's give it at least another 10 minutes and see." Well, it got quite interesting fast and he didn't ask again to stop. It's somewhat heartbreaking at times and may make you question not only the clothes you buy, but start having you ask yourself about what other industries do.
If you want to be using movies as a way to delve into the social studies topics and lead into some great discussions, check these two out.
