LESSON PLANS - ITVS

019HALF THE SKYMaternal Mortality and The Global Health DivideExtensions1. Global Village: Maternal Health PSAHave students work in groups to further examine the globalmaternal health divide and develop a Public Service Announcement(PSA) to raise awareness about the issue. Using the techniquesand style of Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into OpportunityFor Women Worldwide as a guide, each group should illustratethe global issue through the lens of one community or country’sstruggle with maternal health and mortality.• When researching their topic, groups should identify the challenges,barriers to care, contributing factors, and strategies that have had apositive impact.• Students can use the following websites for instruction and forsamples of Public Service Announcements (PSAs):The Ad Council:www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work/Current-WorkMediaSmarts:www.mediasmarts.caUsing Public Service Announcements in the Classroom:www.kathyschrock.net/psa• The PSAs can be developed by sourcing fair-use video andphotographs from the Internet along with interviews and researchbasedvoiceovers. Free online digital video and audio productionresources can be found at these sites:Zentation.comCombine videos, slides, and audio into presentationsVoicethread.comVideo, audio, and slide editing programVcasmo.comEasy to use multimedia presentation toolpeterdrewvo.com/html/tips_for_writing_for_voiceover.htmlVoiceover Script writing2. Cultural Practices and Women’s Health:Female Genital MutilationNote to teachers: Half The Sky: Turning Oppression IntoOpportunity For Women Worldwide: Maternal Mortality takesa candid look at the practice of female genital mutilation and itsimpact on the individual women and girls affected. This topic maybe unsuitable for some audiences, and students and their parents/guardians (where appropriate) should receive advance notice andpreparation regarding lessons and materials. Please view and read allresources before sharing with your students.Female genital mutilation (also known as female circumcision orgenital cutting) directly affects women and girls’ reproductiveand maternal health, and can have grave consequences duringchildbirth. Female genital mutilation (FMG) involves the removal ofpart or all of the external genitalia, and in its most severe form, theprocedure entails removal of all genitalia and stitches to leave asmall opening for urination, intercourse, and menstruation.It is primarily practiced in African countries on the pretext of culturaland religious tradition or hygiene, and an estimated 135 million girlsand women living today have undergone FGM with consequencesranging from infection (including HIV), to sterility. Others havedied. Another two million girls are at risk each year. In the UnitedStates, where the practice is illegal, thousands of women and girlssurvive FGM each year. FGM practitioners, often referred to as“cutters,” are predominantly women. As Edna describes in the film,it is often the adult women in the family and community (mothers,grandmothers, community matriarchs) who instigate and facilitatethe cutting of girls.• Screen the complete Maternal Mortality segment from thedocumentary Half The Sky: Turning Oppression Into OpportunityFor Women Worldwide and have students research the issue ofFGM and its relationship to social, cultural, religious, and traditionalattitudes towards women and their perceived status in the homeand community.• Because FGM is a highly controversial topic, bound up in tradition,religious beliefs, and cultural identity, there has been a weakresponse from the international community. In the film, SherylWuDunn says: “When there is a practice that is so offensive, it isOK to say ‘this is wrong’.” Have students discuss Sheryl’s commentand whether or not they agree. If they do agree, what responsibilityor role do we have to address this issue?