BEYOND THE FIRE I FOR EDUCATORS

Welcome to the BEYOND THE FIRE education resources. Before you get started using this site in your classroom, we recommend you first read the Site Intro and Ways to Use this Site.

This site is designed to provide teens with an experience that is unique, interactive and educational. For the full BEYOND THE FIRE experience, we recommend visiting the Flash feature by clicking on "Begin your journey" above, or the "Stories" button on the left. Key features of the site include:

Interactive world map: The “world view” map allows you to navigate the site by clicking on teens in their different home countries.

Teen refugee stories: Told through audio and Flash-animated movies, the real-life stories of 15 teens from around the world who have lived through war are the heart of the site. Each of these teens now lives in the U.S. The teen refugee transcripts are also available on the site and as a printer-friendly document below.

Conflict timelines: Each teen’s story is accompanied by a timeline that gives a brief history of the conflict in his or her country. The conflict timelines are also available as a printer-friendly document below.

Country facts: Next to the conflict timeline is the flag of that nation. Rolling over the flag reveals key facts about the country, such as size, population, type of government and number of refugees fleeing war.

User passport: Each person coming to the site is assigned a passport that is customized and retrievable with each visit. To get a passport, students simply enter their email address, a password and provide their first name, birthplace and if they’d like a photo of themselves to make it look like a real passport. See the Terms and Conditions of this site to know how this information is used. Please note that the optional passport photo provides an opportunity to enhance each teen’s passport, and will not be posted anywhere on the site. Site visitors will also store their own thoughts and responses to the refugee stories in their passports. This feature allows the site to be truly interactive and tailored to the individual user.

Travelog: Each visitor will also be given an online travelog. After each teen refugee story is finished, the travelog opens with a thought-provoking question about that refugee. Students will record their answers to these questions in their travelogs. Once a student has made it through all 15 of the teen refugee stories, these answers will be posted on the site after they have been reviewed by our moderator. The posting feature is intended to create community on the site, and allow teens to share their opinions and impressions with each other. The travelog questions can also be used in a group setting to spark discussion. The travelog questions are available as a printer-friendly document below.

Border Control questions: Before leaving each country, passport holders will be given a challenge question on a relevant topic, such as child soldiers or the impact of war on education. The answers to these questions provide important statistics and background on the refugee experience. The Border Control questions are also available as a printer-friendly document below.

Lesson plans: Two lesson plans, developed by a secondary level classroom teacher, are included on the site, one looking at the issue of child soldiers, and the other exploring and comparing the experiences of teen refugees. The lessons meet McREL standards for Geography, Civics, World History and Language Arts.

Teacher talkback: We want to hear how you are using the site in your own classroom. Post your ideas and reactions to the site here. We will share them with your peers online.

Resources: If you want to expand upon the content found on this site, or want to help your students get involved in organizations in your own community, check the Resources section for valuable links. These include international sites with information on history and conflicts, local news sources for each country and links to organizations that deal with issues such as landmines, teen soldiers, refugee services and conflict resolution.

In a one-computer classroom:

While this site is designed primarily with individual users in mind, it is possible to use parts of the site in large group settings where computer access is limited.

With access to a single computer and a projector, groups can view the teen refugee stories online. Alternatively, with a set of good speakers, the group could listen to the audio of these stories. After each story, you can pose one of the travelog questions provided on the site as a discussion starter, or make up questions of your own.

You could also print out a selection of teen refugee stories as a handout. Have the students read these (either silently or aloud) and use them as the basis for group discussion. Again, the travelog questions could be used here. Or, you might ask students to compare and contrast two or more of the teen refugees’ stories, or look for similar themes.

The Border Control questions provide a form of online game play for the individual user, but they could also be used in a group setting—either as a game or as a discussion starter. Simply print these out and pose the questions to your students. You might divide the class into two teams. As an extension of this activity, you could have students come up with their own questions after they’ve spent some time on the site.

In a multiple computer setting:

If each student has a computer, you could assign the site in its entirety, having each student create a passport, and proceed through all 15 teen refugee stories, answering the travelog questions along the way. When the travelog questions are answered, the student will have the option to print these out and can turn them in for your evaluation. Things to consider in evaluation include thoughtfulness of response, mastery and understanding of the subjects presented on the site, grammar, spelling and use of language.

You could also assign the site as homework, and ask students to complete the travelog questions on their own time, either at home, or at a library or other community setting with computer access. If they don’t have access to a printer, they could print out their responses when they get to school by simply retrieving their passport online.

If students are working in small groups, they will not be able to fully utilize the customized passport. However, one student could fill out the passport and take turns navigating through the site with other members of the group. When each travelog question is posed, members of the group could write down their responses in a notebook, and either turn this in, or return to the site later to input them.

Downloadable documents are in PDF format. You will need Acrobat Reader 4.0 or above to view. Get the latest version of Acrobat Reader.

Teen Refugee Transcripts (PDF)

Conflict Timelines (PDF)

Travelog Questions (PDF)

Border Control Questions (PDF)

Lesson Plan 1 (PDF)

Lesson Plan 2 (PDF)

Michael Hutchison is Technology Curriculum facilitator for the Vincennes Community Schools in Vincennes, Indiana. In 1996 and 1997, Michael was named a national winner of the 21st Century Teacher competition. In 1998, he was the first-place prizewinner in Compaq's Teacher Lesson Plan contest and in 1999, he was the Midwest regional winner in Technology & Learning magazine's Teacher of the Year program. In 2002, Michael was named Teacher of the Year by the Indiana Computer Educators and Technology-Using Teacher of the Year by the International Society for Technology in Education. Michael hosts a weekly social studies forum for TAPPED IN and serves as a faculty member of Connected University, as well as a member of the PBS TeacherSource Advisory Group.