In our first unit of the year, 8th Grade students learn about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We discuss ways that these rights are protected and look at places where these rights are disrespected. Students create their own Non-Government Organizations, complete with names, mission statements, specific projects and publicity tools. (See examples below!)
Each student reads a choice book from a selection chosen and presented by our new librarian, Becky Wipfler, and then writes a literary analysis of their book through the lens of Human Rights. We had a selection of fiction and non-fiction choices that opened our eyes to challenges here in the United States as well as Haiti, South Korea, New Zealand, Afghanistan and more.
Lastly, students participated in a Senate Hearing simulation, where four sub-committees were tasked with presenting options for US Human Rights Policy moving forward. After the sub-committee policy presentations, "Senators" were then asked to write which of the four options presented they would most support and to justify their answers. (See pictures of Senate Hearing below as well.)
