Amber Anderson

EDT 434/534
Lesson Plan
To Be or to Not Be Human
Application Questions: What does it mean to be human? What are human rights? How are basic human rights being violate at the state and/or local sector?
So what? Worldwide we are seeing examples of how people arent necessarily being treated as human and their rights as a human are being impeded on.
NCSS Thematic Strand:
A.

B.

Global Connections1

Give examples of conflict, cooperation, and interdependence among individual, groups, and nations

Investigate concerns, issues, standards, and conflicts related to universal human rights, such as the treatment of children, religious groups,
and effects of war.
Civil Ideal & Practices

Identify and interpret sources and examples of the rights and responsibilities of citizens;

Examine strategies designed to strengthen the "common good," which consider a range of options for citizen action.

Ohio Academic Content Standard:

The use of primary and secondary sources of information includes an examination of the credibility of each source
In the United States, people have rights which protect them from undue governmental interference. Rights carry responsibilities which help define how
people use their rights and which require respect for the rights of others.
Individuals can identify, assess and evaluate world events, engage in deliberative civil debate and influence public processes to address global issues.
Beliefs about civil and human rights vary among social and governmental systems.
Nations and international organizations pursue their own interests on issues related to civil and human rights, resulting in both conflict and cooperation
particularly as it relates to injustices against minority groups.
Modern instances of genocide and ethnic cleansing present individual, organizational and national issues related to the responsibilities of participants and
non-participants

Grade Level: 11-12 Grade

Class Period Required: 50 minutes
Purpose, Background, and Context:
This lessons aims to get students to think critically and philosophically about this idea of humanness. This is an important question to think about because many
people including students, never have thought about this. If we want students to think critically about others and the world around them, then we must get them to
reflect on the one thing that we all have in common, humanness.
In 1948, a collection of nations from around the world came together and decided on universal human rights as a product of the United Nations.Since then and on,
there were many cases around the world were many people werent being treated as human beings. Interestingly enough, we still see cases of people not being
regarded as human. Some were and are reduced to property or second class citizen, not given or able to receive basic necessities such as food and drinkable water, and
others are not able to escape prosecution in the home countries because others have decided not to let them in. With this lesson, students will grapple and reflect on
what it means to be human and look globally and even nationally at examples of how people are not being treated like they are human. Students will also think about
this idea of human rights.
Goals/Objective:
Student will:

Use, analyze, and discuss a primary source document

Illustrate their ideas and thoughts through writing
Examine issue of humanness and human rights
Create a body of work to show that they understand of the topic

writing utensil
Paper
Declaration of Human Rights Documents
Newspaper articles
Candy

Materials:

Procedures:
Procedure #1: Bell Ringer: Journal Writing (7 minutes)
The teacher will ask students to take out a writing utensil and paper and began journaling about the question, what does it mean to be human.
Procedure #2: Boggle (8 minutes)

1 NCSS references are from National Council for the Social Studies, Expectation of Excellence:
Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (Washington DC: National Council for the Social Studies, 1994)

Amber Anderson
EDT 434/534
Lesson Plan
Teacher will split the class into two groups. Each group will compete against each other and the teacher to come up with the most examples of human
rights on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights document. No one can view the document beforehand, each must guess what they think is on there.
Both the student groups and the teacher will write as many responses on a sheet of paper for exactly 3 minutes. Then student groups and teachers will go
through the list they created and compare it with the document Universal Declaration of Human Rights to see if its right (5 minutes). The team with the
most rights correct or close, they win candy.
Procedure #3: Analyze Primary Document (10 minutes)

Teacher will pass out a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the students. Student will take a few minutes to read the document. After
that there will be a discussion of the document. Teacher will probe the students with question like What do you guys think about the document? Is there
something you would add to it? Is there anything you are confused about or that you dont understand about the document?

Procedure #4: Analyze Case Studies (15 minutes)

Student will be asked to divide up into five groups. Each group will receive a difference case or newspaper article. Then, each group will determine if the
cases they received are violation of human right based on the UDHR, what the violation is, and tell why they think that is. Then as a whole, each group
will present their case to the cases and discuss the questions above.
Procedure #5: Conclusion: Prove Understanding (5 minutes)

Students will have a brief discussion about local or national violation of human rights in the United States (outside of the two case studies presented).

Procedure #6: Homework instruction

Teacher will tell student about the homework that will be due in the next two school days.

Assessment of Outcomes:
Student will:

Explain their reasoning

Provide evidence of why the voice a certain answer
Use primary source document to make a claim
Create a piece to show understanding

Extensions and Adaptations:

Ask thought provoking questions for gifted students
Talk with Special Ed. teacher about better ways to make the students understand
Print ideas in large print
Read out loud the documents presented in class
ESOL Adaptation:
Check for understanding constantly
Demonstrate what students should do
Provide materials in native language
Talk will ELL teacher to better accommodate students
Resources:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/05/health/flint-michigan-water-investigation/
http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/161393
http://abcnews.go.com/International/daughters-sale-indias-child-slavery-scourge/story?id=20540368
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1038774/Holocaust-hunger-The-truth-Stalins-Great-Famine.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/01/31/boko-haram-attack-village/79623914/
http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/
Appendices:

Daughters for Sale: India's Child Slavery Scourge ABC News. Accessed January 31, 2016.
Deny Syrian Refugees Entry to the US? Weve Been Here Before. History New Network. Accessed January 31, 2016.
Holocaust by hunger: The Truth Behind Stalins Great Famine Daily Mail. Accessed January 31, 2016.
Survivvor claims Boko Haram burned kids alive in an attack that kills 86 USA Today. Accessed January 31, 2016

Water crisis in Flint, Michigan, draws federal investigation CNN.com. Accessed January 31, 2016

Universal Declaration of Human Rights United Nations Accessed January 31, 2016.