“Great,” you might be thinking, “this 5:50:500 CD looks very interesting…but how do I use it?”

Good news – using 5:50:500 couldn’t be simpler. Just follow the 5-step process:

Step 1: Pick a topic. What do you want to learn/teach about: human rights? Conflict? Education? Women’s rights? Trade? The 130+ stimulus sheets have been divided into 10 categories for easy browsing.

Step 2: Choose your stimulus sheet. With a topic in mind, you can browse through the relevant stimulus sheets and find one that you think is relevant.

Step 3: Read the briefing paper. Each stimulus sheet comes accompanied by a 2- or 3-page briefing paper, with information on the topic, references to further sources, and hyperlinks to other stimulus sheets which focus on a similar topic.

Step 4: Use the activities section. We’ve included a variety of suggested activities for using the stimulus sheets in a learning environment. Activities vary in length, complexity and focus. There’s something for everyone.

Step 5: Print out the stimulus sheet! You’ve found an interesting stimulus sheet, you’ve read the briefing paper to inform yourself further, and found an interesting activity for using it. Now all you have to do is print out the stimulus sheet, make copies for your learners/colleagues, and get going!

That’s all there is to it. But we would hope that you’d take the time to really explore 5:50:500. With well over 200 pages of briefing material, a stack of external references and a long essay exploring the stark inequalities within the international trading system, 5:50:500 is more than a mere lesson planner!