Part Two
The Thirty Articles of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Purpose: To make them aware of their thirty basic rights from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights so they know them, grant them to others, and defend them for themselves. This area will focus on fourteen of the articles. The students should know there are more rights then the ones gone over and they should read the rest of the booklet. Words from these articles are also included in the glossary, in case the students have questions when reading the booklet on their own.

Note: Make sure they understand the words in each article so that the concept is clear to them. With each article that is gone over here, there are activities to do in regards to them to help make the concepts of the articles real to them. These are suggested activities but if you find that one will not suit your classroom, you are welcome to create one that would better suit your students.

Article 1 — We are all free and equal — We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.

1. Go over the definition of free.

2. Go over the definition of equal.

3. Have them read and understand Article 1 from What are Human Rights?

4. Split the class into two equal groups. Title one group, “The Elites” and the other group “The Normals”. Give “The Elites” special privileges for no apparent reason (not because they did something to earn it, just because you feel like it). These privileges can include things like taking bathroom breaks whenever they please or getting to chose where they sit and by whom. Do this for half the time period allotted for this activity, whether a day or a few hours, with “The Normals” being aware of these privileges but receiving none themselves. For the second half of the activity switch the groups so that “The Elites” are “The Normals” and vice versa. Do this with no prior warning that it will happen at the beginning of the activity.

5. Have the students write a brief essay about how this made them feel and why it is important that everyone be treated as free and equal.

Article 2 — Don’t discriminate — These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.

1. Go over the definition of discriminate.

2. Go over the definition of differences.

3. Have them read and understand Article 2 from What are Human Rights?

4. Using what they remember from the example of “Hamburger Guys” and “Pizza Guys,” have the students draw two pictures, one example of discrimination and one example of people of all kinds getting along and accepting each other.

Article 4 — Slavery — past and present — nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.

1. Go over the definition of slavery with them.

2. Have them read and understand Article 4 from What are Human Rights?

3. Split the class into pairs. For half the day or half a selected time period for this activity, have one child be the slave of the other (making sure no physical roughness is used by the students). Switch for the other half of the day.

4. Discuss with the students what it was like to be a slave and if they think that people should have to live that way and be subject to physical harm.

Article 5 — Torture — nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.

1. Go over the definition of torture with them.

2. Have them read and understand Article 5 from What are Human Rights?

3. Have the students write a poem about why they feel torture is bad and should not be allowed.

4. Go over the points they bring up in their poems and allow any who wish it to read their poem to the class.

Article 11 — Innocent until proven guilty — nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.

1. Go over the definition of innocent with them.

2. Go over the definition of guilty with them.

3. Have them read and understand Article 11 from What are Human Rights?

4. Set up a mock crime in front of the class with some selected students, make it so that one of the students is wrongfully framed for the crime. Something like Joe kills Bob but makes it look like Sally did it. Then have Sally arrested and thrown in jail with no trial. Discuss with the students why this is unfair to Sally and how this allows Joe to go free.

5. Next, with the same crime scene, have Sally given a fair trial (setting the students up as jury and judge) and have it proven through evidence that Joe did it and have Joe thrown in jail and Sally let free. Discuss with the students how this is fair Sally is free as she should be and Joe is in jail as he should be.

Article 12 — The right to privacy — nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.

1. Go over the definition of privacy with them.

2. Go over the definition of good name with them.

3. Have them read and understand Article 12 from What are Human Rights?

4. Have the students write an essay as to why they wouldn’t want their privacy violated and wouldn’t want people going through their private stuff without their permission.

5. Go over what they would consider a “good reason” that someone could search one’s private property. Make sure they are aware of search warrants and special conditions in which private property may be searched for legal and safety reasons.

Article 18 — Freedom of thought — we all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.

1. Have them read and understand Article 18 from What are Human Rights?

2. Split the classroom into several groups of about five students depending on the size of your class. Have each group get together and create a play that has two parts, the first part would be an example of being in a group (they can create what they wish) where one cannot think or believe what they want. Maybe there is one person in charge and only he decides what the group thinks, or something along this line. The second half will be the same group but this time the family members are free to believe what they want.

Article 19 — Free to say what you want — we all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people

1. Have them read and understand Article 19 from What are Human Rights?

2. Have the students research and bring in examples of people freely expressing themselves, perhaps from magazines or newspapers. Have them go over this the next day and talk about why it is better for people to be able to say what they think than not being allowed to express oneself.

Article 23 — Workers’ rights — every grown-up has the right to do a job, to fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.

1. Go over the definition of wage with them.

2. Go over the definition of trade union with them.

3. Have them read and understand Article 23 from What are Human Rights?

4. Give each student a specific job around the classroom and have them perform this task for the day. Give them fake money for pay. Chose a select few and tell some of them they are not allowed to work. Give them a low wage compared to the others. After a few hours of this, have the students who where pulled aside speak about what it was like to not be allowed to work or get a low wage.

Article 24 — The right to play — we all have the right to rest from work and to relax.

1. Have them read and understand Article 24 from What are Human Rights?

2. Have the students write a short essay about why the right to play is important and what it would be like if they had to work ALL day and only had a few hours at night to sleep, leaving no time to play.

Article 25 — A bed and some food — we all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, all have the right to be cared for.

1. Have them read and understand Article 25 from What are Human Rights?

2. Have the students write poems to people in third world countries who have no homes and can’t afford proper housing.

Article 26 — The right to education — education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we learn.

1. Go over the definition of primary school with them.

2. Have them read and understand Article 26 from What are Human Rights?

3. Pick five students at random. Have them get together and create a made up language. In this language, that only they know, have them write a set of rules. They will then tell the other students these rules and they must follow them. The other students are not to be educated in the language and therefore cannot read the rules. Let the five students add and subtract to the rules as they please for a period of time.

4. Bring the students back together and have them go over what it would be like to live in a country without being educated so that you could not even read the laws of the land and see if they were being violated.

Article 29 — Our responsibilities — we have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.

1. Go over the definition of responsibility with them.

2. Go over the definition of duty with them.

3. Have them read and understand Article 29 from What are Human Rights?

4. Set the class room up into a pretend village, with people playing various roles. Chose one student and have him yell “Fire!” so that the others run out of the room.

5. Bring the students together again and ask them whether it was correct for this student to use his right to free speech to scare others and cause them to panic or possibly get hurt. Help them realize that one should not only protect and defend their rights but also not impede other’s rights or cause harm to others through their rights.

Article 30 — Nobody can take away these rights and freedoms from us.

1. Have them read and understand Article 30 from What are Human Rights?

2. Have the students write a short essay as to why it is important that everyone be granted these rights and why they should not be taken away. Have them add to the end of this essay which right they like the most. This can include rights not gone over in this course but read separately in the booklet.