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Citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 3-6)
Unit 07: Children's rights - human rights
Section 2: That's not fair!
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Objectives |
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- to recognise what is fair and unfair and the difference between right and wrong
- to use drama techniques to explore characters and issues
- that their choices of action affect themselves and others
- to care about other people's feelings and to try to see things from their point of view
- to understand the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggression, and how to respond and ask for help
- about human rights issues in the news, in other places and at other times in history
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Activities |
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Outcomes |
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Children: |
- Lead a discussion about what is fair and unfair. Many children will initially relate fairness to age. Can they understand why some activities are restricted to certain age groups? The discussion should continue with debate about other situations that the children think are unfair. Are boys and girls treated equally? Are there any other types of discrimination among children?
- Discuss examples of unfair treatment in stories and other literature. Focus on a particular story, eg Cinderella, to discuss fairness and situations where rights are infringed. Who had the responsibility to ensure that Cinderella's rights were upheld? How do stories such as these demonstrate justice? Using stories offers opportunities for other activities, eg role-play, hot-seating, writing a letter to a character from a story.
- What are the consequences when things go wrong? What are children's responsibilities if they know another child is being treated unfairly? The children undertake an enquiry into various types of unfairness, eg bullying, racism, discrimination. They find out what the law says, and what the school's policies are, checking whether these make it clear that in such situations children's rights are being infringed and that others have a responsibility to support them. They find out what sources of help and advice exist - in school, locally and nationally.
- The children look at case studies of situations where children's rights have been denied, in this country and overseas. Newspapers and magazines may have recent reports that are relevant, eg children in war zones, refugee children, child labour (bonded labour). Historical examples, eg The Diary of Anne Frank, also offer opportunities to develop ideas about human rights. This activity could focus on Anne Frank Day (12 June).
- Invite a speaker to talk to the children about their personal experiences of prejudice and unfair treatment, eg someone who uses a wheelchair, someone who had to leave South Africa in the apartheid years because of a human rights issue. Alternatively, case studies or videos of the experiences of particular children may be used. After the talk or video the class could discuss and debate the issues that arose.
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- recognise the difference between right and wrong
- know that their actions affect themselves and others
- are able to see things from others' points of view
- show that they have the skills to challenge teasing, bullying and discrimination, and know how and where to seek help
- know about infringement of human rights in the UK, in other countries and at other times in history
- can empathise with people who have been treated unfairly
- understand the importance of honesty, trust, respect and tolerance
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Points to note |
- This section could be linked with unit 5 'Living in a diverse world'.
- The children may raise sensitive issues during these activities. This is a good opportunity to address such issues openly, but teachers should be aware of children's feelings and be prepared to intervene appropriately.
- Link with English: En1 S&L 4c in the key stage 2 programme of study.
- Link with history:
unit 9 'What was it like for children in the Second World War?'.
- Specific work on refugees may be a good idea for schools that have refugee children in them, but sensitivity is needed in involving them.
- A good source of information for teachers and children is the Refugee Council's website.
- Teaching material on Anne Frank can be found on the Anne Frank Educational Trust's website.
- Link with geography: 3d, 3f, 3g, 5a, 5b, 7b in the key stage 2 programme of study, especially in the context of other parts of the world.
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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of
activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by
moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
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