Children's Rights

Using the Internet to Explore Issues: Child Rights

Submitted by: Lena Shallit Feldmann
Endorsed by: P. Sean Smith, Ph. D.
Berea College, Berea, KY

I. Objectives

Students use reference tools such as dictionaries, almanacs, encyclopedias, and computer reference programs and research tools such as interviews and surveys to find the information they need to meet specific demands, explore interests, or solve specific problems.

Students [begin to] understand the democratic principles of justice, equality, responsibility, and freedom and apply them to real-life situations.

Students [begin to] understand, analyze, and interpret historical events, conditions, trends, and issues to develop historical perspective.

Through the arts and humanities, students recognize that although people are different, they share some common experiences and attitudes [and rights].

II. Grade and subject

6th-12th grade Social Studies, Arts and Humanities

III.Overview

Children deserve to know and communicate with each other about issues that are important and relevant to their lives. Although children all over the world are still suffering from their lack of rights and from their common status as property, a children's bill of rights has been written by adopted by the United Nations and we are beginning see why the world's young citizens would benefit from this protection. In this lesson, students will search through Voices of Youth to find an interview with a child worker, at least one danger that girl children face, at least one issue that children face who live in cities, an example of how war and armed conflict affect children through their artwork, and the date and purpose of The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Students will also participate in an interactive quiz on children and work.

IV. Learner outcomes for the lesson

After this lesson, students will:

* understand that many children in the world work and that "People work to have food, clothing, and shelter." (from Core Content Assessment at Grade 5)

* develop a general curiosity concerning the reason why a global convention on the rights of the child was organized.

* begin to understand the principles of justice, equality and freedom in the context of children's' lives around the world.

* gain experience using the computer as a tool for learning about world issues, a resource of information concerning the rights of children all over the world.

V. Procedure

1. Class should begin with a brief discussion about "rights".

Questions that could be asked: What are rights? Who decides what they are and who get to have them? Answers do not need to be offered by the teacher, only make sure some questions are voiced. If child rights is not brought up by the students, teacher should lead students into the question of child rights by posing several of theses or other thought provoking facts:
* Many children of the world work in factories, mines, on the streets, in homes, and on farms for very low or no wages.
* In some countries, children are considered to be property.
* Every year many children are killed or injured by their parents or guardians.

2. Next lead students to the Netscape website "Voices of Youth: The Meeting Place": <http://www.unicef.org/voy/meeting/meethome.html> Here students will learn about what affects children in today's world through photos, art, and writing done by youth. (It is also where students can express themselves, share thoughts with other young people and read what they have to say. This part may be used as an extension of the activity or as following activity!)

3. Each student should receive a piece of paper with a list of the things they must find in their exploration of this site. The list should be more or less detailed according to the amount of time available for class. Students should:

Search * read an interview with a child worker. Record their name and something about the child.

Search * learn about at least one danger that girl children face in our world. Write it down.

Search * find at least one issue that children face who live in cities. Write it down.

Search * find an example of how war and armed conflict affect children (through their artwork). Write a sentence about it.

Search * find the date and purpose of The Convention on the Rights of the Child. Record this information.

Search * participate in the interactive quiz on children and work.

4. Next, students meet in small discussion groups (2 or 4 students in each group). Each person in the group will share what they found at each Search and any thoughts or feeling they have about it.

5. End with whole class open discussion that consists of the best comments of each group (each group will offer at least one of the thoughts or questions that was brought up in their small group discussion).

VI. Extensions (optional)

Have students submit their ideas to the Voices of Youth page by following the directions under the hyperlink "Read what others have said & write back" or "Give Your Opinion!" at the beginning of each page of The Meeting Place. Students must have an e-mail address in order to submit writing.

Have student figure out what a "living wage" means with a math extention. Have them calculate how money a person would need to make in the U.S. or another country in order to provide a nutritious meal for themselves and possibly a child.

Have students investigate youth issues in their community (youth runaway shelters, child-abuse prevention programs, children and work, ...)

Have students create a whole group collage or other piece of art that expresses something about children, child rights, or another closely related related theme.

Examine the history of child labor, especially during the Industrial Revolution.

Study the Youth Bill of Rights, available through the Nat'l Child Rights Alliance

Have students write articles, letters to the Editor, politicians, CEO's of companies who depend on child labor, other leaders, or other children.

VII. Assessment

* Keep a copy of the original Search worksheets, each student should have completed each Search and recorded information appropriately.

* Students will share and identify clearly issues that they feel are important.

* Curiosity about child rights will be assessed though asking each student to write or ask (which ever one they feel more comfortable with) at least one question they have about child rights and the issues explored during the lesson.

VIII. Resources

- none besides Internet access (not including extension activity materials.)