We just thought these second-grade drawings were too good not to share. In an effort to celebrate Human Rights Day on December 10, our friend and colleague, Stefani Rosenthal (@StefRosenthal), wanted her students to participate in this special tribute to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It did not take much for Stefani to shift her regular lesson on character traits in literature to apply those same skills to discuss the human rights defender of education, Malala Yousafzai. It provided the perfect opportunity to talk about rights and what they mean on a topic that the students could connect with as second graders.
Stefani primed the students by reading a book on Malala from the library and then showed them the BrainPop video on her as well. The students looked at some of the images from the illustrated booklet on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They loved the little character in the book, so they decided to use similar ones in their own drawings.
Using their sketchnoting techniques, they constructed their own versions for the "Right to Education." This enabled them to internalize the message of this right by using visuals as points of reflection on what they learned.
These drawings are precious and worthy for all to see. Sometimes, a little time away from the usual routine does a lot more than we think.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10, 1948. This Monday marks the 70th Anniversary of this historic day that is celebrated every year as “Human Rights Day.”
With the unfortunate rise of hate in our society, it would be great if in some small way we could all take a moment to acknowledge the rights of all people with our students. Let's inform our young global citizens about what this day means and encourage them to stand up for human rights.
The official page for the 70th Anniversary of the UDHR provides an array of resources for educators. In addition, students can take the pledge and add their support for human rights. Ask students to participate through social media using the hashtags #StandUp4HumanRights and #RightsOutLoud on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
The United Nations also produced a booklet with beautiful illustrations by Yacine Ait Kaci. Read it online or download the PDF for your classroom library. The sketchnote quality of the images makes for good examples to inspire students to create their own drawings in support of human rights.
The United Nations released this video in 2017 to ask individuals to submit videos of themselves reading the preamble or articles from the UDHR to commemorate the 70th anniversary. There is still time to add your voice by having students record and add their own.
What Are The Universal Human Rights? TED educational videos are our go-to for many topics. This video is perfect for any age. It helps students understand the basics of human rights including who and how they are enforced. The video explores the subtleties of human rights; it makes for an excellent place to start a class discussion, especially with younger children.
The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights
We are big fans of kinetic typography to graphically combine the power of words with images and music. This video will not disappoint. It's straightforward and powerful. Students love it.
Youth For Human Rights
This website is loaded with resources for educators, including a full curriculum, lessons, downloads, and more. It also created short public service announcements on each of the 30 rights in the UDHR. One of our favorite PSAs is Human Right #2 - Don't Discriminate. Watch this with students; it sends a clear message about about discrimination by appearance.
