The Susquehanna School in Binghamton, New York is participating in National Gardening Association's Ambassador Club during its 2000-2001 school year. The students are studying Ghanaian culture through stories, photos, and books. NGA provides curriculum lessons, stories about Ghanaian schools and students, and an online forum for discussion.

The Susquehanna School is an independent, non-profit institution committed to the principle that students construct their own knowledge through the adventure of learning. The classrooms are grouped according to developmental level and assessment is made based on previous accomplishments. Tina Nilsen-Hodges, who is an Upper Elementary Lead teacher at the school, has delved into the Ghana project with her class of 10- to 12-year-old students.

"Our first lesson compared maps of Ghana and Africa with maps of the United States. We looked at atlases and globes and devised methods to translate various scales from different maps," Tina explains. The students created their own scaling device by measuring one map's scale and comparing it to the scale of another map so they could compare relative sizes of different regions and countries. Tina also challenged the class to create a way to translate distances on a round map (globe) to a flat map; some students used string, some used rulers. By comparing different countries' sizes and locations and allowing for the shape of the maps, students were able to create a fairly uniform scale that helped them gain a better understanding of how Africa and Ghana differ in size and location from the U.S.. For more on map scaling, visit Rice University's Mathematics of Cartography page.

"This hands-on activity helped my students with problem-solving, research skills, identifying a problem, and finding their own solution," Tina says.

The class discussed their preconceived ideas about Africa and Ghana. After reading the profiles of schools and students on National Gardening Association's Web site, the class began a list of comparisons between Ghana and the U.S.. Tina asked her students to consider these questions: Imagine yourself as one of the students in Ghana: What would you think about receiving a letter from a student in America? What makes an American? An African? How would you compare the differences and similarities between the U.S. and Ghana in religion, agriculture, gardening, and school? After the class discussed these ideas, she had each student write down two questions that arose during the discussion.

"I wanted us, as a class, to examine our assumptions about culture and poverty and what these mean to someone in Ghana and to someone in America. The class explored the concept of poverty. Does it mean different things to different cultures? The class researched what is relevant to different cultures through National Gardening Association's Web site and related links. I wanted my students to learn more about cultural practices with less comparison to wealth or status," Tina explains.

Tina's students have just finished writing a letter to the students in Ghana and are anxious to begin a pen pal correspondence. The class sent two letters—one composed by the students and one by Tina as an introduction to the class and their studies. Tina and her students feel that hearing directly from the students in Ghana will enhance their knowledge and understanding of life in Ghana and in Africa.

"The Ambassador Club is an incredible resource for us. The Web materials, the curriculum, and the themes provide great potential for educating students and teachers about the cultures, needs, and development issues of other countries. We learn through a better understanding of these issues," Tina observes.