Overview

Project Name:

Reinforcing Foundations for Change

Teacher(s):

Teoman Kemiksizgil & Patrick Starkey

Grade Level:

9-12

Subject/Course:

World History, United States History, Government & Civics

Duration:

5+ Weeks

Driving Question:

How can we have an impact on human rights around the world?

Sub Questions:

  • What are human rights?
  • What are characteristics of human rights?
  • What major historical events resulted in a need to create and recognize universal human rights?
  • What are the differences and similarities between human rights, civil rights, and political rights?
  • Who can commit human rights violations? (E.g., Governments, organizations, individual people.)
  • What are some historic examples of human rights violations? What are modern examples of human rights violations?
  • Who is responsible for identifying and prosecuting those who commit human rights violations?
  • What organizations exist to combat human rights violations?
  • What strategies do these organizations and countries employ to prevent and/or stop human rights violations?
  • What is the United Nations? How does it work? What is its role in protecting human rights around the world?
  • What similarities exist between countries with frequent human rights violations?
    • Type of government, poverty rate, violence, etc.
  • What do some countries do to protect human rights within their own borders?
    • Do they apply these protections equally to citizens and non-citizens?
  • What can YOU do to detect human rights violations?
    • How can YOU help prevent and fight against human rights violations?

Project Idea/Description:

Groups will be asked to identify a nation where there is evidence of human rights violations and to research these instances thoroughly. The sustained inquiry will lead students to find credible resources that will showcase the need for intervention while also helping them understand and explain the cause(s) of human rights issues. Additionally, students will be required to compare laws, policies, and restrictions of the chosen country with those of the United States to uncover any similarities and differences regarding human rights violations. Furthermore, student groups will explore both local and global organizations along with governmental entities that are assisting with the security of natural rights, or lack thereof. Ultimately, students will be encouraged to reach out to these organizations and national agencies, inquiring about ways to provide further aid to the cause. It will be up to the students to develop and share their strategies, actively providing additional support and resources required to reinforce, or even start, the foundation for change in the targeted nation. Proposed solutions will vary greatly, and may be limited due to the restrictions imposed by the political forces of each country. This variable will be one of the significant challenges students will need to overcome.

Final projects will vary but will be required to highlight various aspects of the learning experience. Websites can be made to provide the audience with a mission statement, explanation of the human rights issues, current strategies being implemented, and proposed solutions that may help aid the cause. However, this is only one method that can be used, and it is ultimately up to the group to show how they are informing their audiences and providing meaningful assistance.

Content Standards:

Common Core Standards Grades 9-10:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Common Core Standards Grades 11-12:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6: Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Additional standards

21st Century Skills:

  1. Critical Thinking
  2. Creativity
  3. Collaboration
  4. Communication
  5. Technology Literacy
  6. Media Literacy

ISTE Standards:

  • Empowered Learner - Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.
    • 1a - Students articulate and set personal learning goals, develop strategies leveraging technology to achieve them and reflect on the learning process itself to improve learning outcomes.
    • 1c - Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
  • Knowledge Constructor - Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.
    • 3a - Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
    • 3b - Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources.
    • 3c - Students curate information from digital resources using a variety of tools and methods to create collections of artifacts that demonstrate meaningful connections or conclusions.
    • 3d - Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
  • Innovative Designer - Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.
    • 4a - Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.
  • Creative Communicator - Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.
    • 6a - Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
    • 6b - Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
    • 6d - Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.
  • Global Collaborator - Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.
    • 7a - Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
    • 7b - Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
    • 7c - Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.
    • 7d - Students explore local and global issues and use collaborative technologies to work with others to investigate solutions.