Teaching Sequence

30 minutes – Part A: Debate Line
40 minutes – Part B: What Do We Know About Rights and Freedoms?
20 minutes – Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: Debate Line

Preparation: Start the lesson by asking the class to help you arrange the furniture so that there is enough space for students to stand in two lines facing each other.

Step 1. Explain to students that for this part of the lesson, they will explore viewpoints on several provocation statements. Invite students to find a partner, then position themselves in two lines facing each other.

Assign one line as ‘support’ and the other as ‘oppose’.

Step 2. Explain to students that you will read out a statement. They are required to argue in response to the statement according to whether they have been assigned to support or oppose it.

Assure students that it’s OK if what they’re arguing is not aligned with their personal beliefs, as this activity requires them to critically consider different perspectives. If possible, switch the stance assigned to students at the midway point of the activity to allow for students to consider a range of perspectives.

Read out the following statements one by one, allowing students to engage in critical discussion between each:

People should be able to protest if the government does something they disagree with.
People who come to Australia by boat should be kept in detention until the government verifies who they are.
People who are in prison should be able to vote in elections.
The government should track our Internet use to keep us safe.
There should not be restrictions placed on the right to marry.

To conclude the activity, explain that each of the statements links to our rights and freedoms, or more specifically, to one or more articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Part B: What Do We Know About Rights and Freedoms?

Preparation: Before beginning this part of the lesson, ask students to assist you to arrange the classroom furniture so that the class is seated at tables in groups of four.

Step 1. Explain to the class that the next part of the lesson will focus on exploring rights and freedoms more deeply. Invite students to explore their prior knowledge about the topic by engaging in a 'Think-Pair-Share' visible thinking routine to respond to the question: “What are rights and freedoms?”

Ask students to open the Student Worksheet on their devices, or distribute a hard copy of the worksheet to each student. Encourage them to:

THINK: Spend a minute writing down a definition of rights and freedoms independently in the space on the Student Worksheet. For students who are not ready to formulate a definition, encourage them to write down some words or dot points as a starting point.

If students are having difficulty forming a definition or thinking of relevant words, ask them to think about some things they believe might be examples of rights and freedoms. Students may find it easier to think about what they know is wrong and see if they can identify the opposite.

PAIR: Once everyone has had a chance to record some ideas individually, invite students to share what they have written down with a partner or in a small group.

SHARE: Invite students to contribute to a class collection of thoughts and ideas.

Stick up the first of three pieces of butcher’s paper in a place in the classroom where all students can see them. Write ‘What we know about rights and freedoms’ on the top of the paper, then encourage each student to contribute at least one idea while you scribe. Alternatively, ask students to contribute their ideas by writing directly on the butcher’s paper, or by writing on a sticky note and sticking it on the butcher’s paper. Take some time to read through students' contributions as a class and clarify anything that is unclear.

Step 2. Stick up a second piece of butcher’s paper and write ‘What questions do we have about rights and freedoms?’ at the top. Encourage students to spend a minute formulating their questions then invite them to contribute these to the class list. Summarise the contributions so all students are aware of their peers’ questions.

Step 3. Once students’ ideas have been explored, expand their initial ideas and thoughts by showing this short video on human rights.

What are Human Rights? (https://youtu.be/WJsUfck01Js)

Step 4. When the video has ended, offer students the chance to add to the 'What we know about rights and freedoms' and 'What questions do we have about rights and freedoms?' lists based on new information from the video.

Possible questions could include:

What happens when rights and freedoms are violated?
Which rights and freedoms are most important?
Where do rights and freedoms come from?
Who is entitled to rights and freedoms?
Who protects/enforces rights and freedoms?

Step 5. Invite students to select a question that they would like to find out more about, then note it down on the Student Worksheet.

Step 6. Challenge students to find out more about the question they’ve chosen by conducting research. Encourage the class to use the following criteria (also detailed on the Student Worksheet) to critically assess the information they find:

Currency	How recent is the information? How recently has the website been updated? Is it current enough for your topic?
Reliability	What kind of information is included in the resource? Is the content of the resource opinion or fact? Are the views balanced? Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?
Authority	Who is the creator or author? What are their credentials? Can you find any information about the author's background? Who is the publisher or sponsor? Are they reputable? What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information? Are there advertisements on the website? If so, are they clearly marked?
Purpose/Point of View	Is this fact or opinion? Are sources listed or references cited? Is it biased? Does the author seem to be trying to push an agenda or particular point of view? Is the creator/author trying to sell you something? If so, is it clearly stated?

Step 7. Once students have had enough time to find information that addresses their question, facilitate a class discussion in which each member of the class shares their question and then the information they found out about it.

Use the third piece of butcher’s paper (titled: ‘What We Found Out About Rights and Freedoms’) to note down what students shared with the class.

Reflection

To conclude the lesson, invite students to complete the 'Colour-Symbol-Image' visible thinking routine on the Student Worksheet. Invite students to choose a colour that they associate with rights and freedoms, a symbol that represents the concept for them, and an image that comes to mind when they think about rights and freedoms. They should then explain their choice in writing.

Differentiated Learning

Extension: Students could conduct further investigation into their questions through an online search, or by contacting people who may be able to provide insights into their questions. They could then present their new understanding to the rest of the class in a format of their choice.

Provisional Learning Support: If students don’t feel confident to verbally articulate their opinions quickly, run the debate line activity by creating two debate groups and encourage groups to work together to write down an argument in support of and opposition to each statement.

Story of Our Rights and Freedoms - Tuning In and Understanding Concepts

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