The+UN+(United+Nations)


 * Objectives - Students will:**
 * Understand and describe the history, mission and basic operation of the United Nations.
 * Describe the function of the six bodies of the U.N. and their main functions.
 * Identify some of the major accomplishments of the U.N. over the past 60 years.

Day 1:

 * Do Now:**

Examine the picture above, which is the logo of the UN. Why do you think the UN picked this to be their logo? What do the things in this picture represent?

1. Students will read and mark up the document found at the link below to get a background of the UN. []
 * Lesson:**

2. After reading, students will answer these questions.

Summarize the mission and the organization of the UN to someone who has never heard of it before.
 * Wrap-Up:**

Day 2:
Lesson: 1. Go to the website below and pick one of the 25 treaties the UN currently endorses. []
 * Read and mark up the UN position on that treaty in a Word document.
 * Summarize that position in writing and upload the document to your wiki.

2. Find a NGO (non-governmental organization) that addresses the issue named in the treaty you chose above.
 * Research the NGO and summarize their mission and organization.
 * Explain how the NGO addresses specific concerns created by the treaties of the UN.
 * Include the url address of the NGO on your UN page on your wiki.

Examine the chart in the website below for some possible NGOs. (There are more than what is on this list!) []

Day 3: UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide

 * Objectives:**
 * Students will describe the definition of genocide by reading and marking up an excerpt from the Genocide Convention
 * Students will identify the difference between genocide and mass murder
 * Based on their understanding of this convention, students will determine whether the term "genocide" applies to specific events in history:
 * the experience of the Native Americans in the United States as it relates to the Trail of Tears
 * the ongoing massacre in Syria

1. Read and mark up the following excerpt from the Genocide Convention.


 * How is genocide defined according to the UN?
 * What do you think is the difference between mass murder and genocide?
 * What events in history do you think have been mass murders and which have been genocide?

2. Research the events in Syria and find a news article.
 * Does the news article give you enough evidence to support that these events are genocide? Or do you think these events are mass murder?