Human dignity is a complex, though essential, concept for students to master. Inserting human dignity into existing curricula provides students with more opportunities to consider the problems of vulnerable classmates and the status of human dignity and rights in the United States and around the world. Using parts of the US modern Civil Rights…

This study investigated how racism was represented in a unit on civil rights in three 11th-grade U.S. history classes. Using qualitative methods, I observed classroom lessons in three teachers' classes, collected curriculum and student work, and interviewed teachers and students to document and explain how racism was represented during the Civil…

In a fifth grade classroom at The University of Texas Elementary School (UTES), a unit on the Constitution sets the stage for a year of integrated learning. The very next unit of study focuses on the civil rights movement. Teaching UTES students, who come from diverse backgrounds, means exposing them to many points of view so that they may form…

In preparation for her school's celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Elizabeth Brown developed an integrated language arts and social studies one-week unit of study on the civil rights movement, where she reinforced reading, writing, and speaking skills. The overarching goals for the five-day lesson on Dr. King's "I Have a…

This paper uses classroom observations of two high school social studies teachers' units about the U.S. civil rights movement and interviews with students in each class to explore the relationship between teachers' practices and students' understandings of history. The paper's analysis suggests that, while there is not sufficient evidence to…

This lesson plan teaches students about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr. Students listen to a brief biography, view photographs of the March on Washington, hear a portion of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and discuss what King's words mean to them. Finally, they will create picture books about their own dreams of freedom for…

This teaching unit, "Civil Rights Movement," is the tenth in a series of 10 units about Alabama state history, part of a project designed to help teachers integrate the use of primary source materials into their classrooms. Although the units are designed to augment the study of Alabama, they are useful in the study of U.S. history,…

Students may not be as familiar with the Asian American struggle for equal rights as they are with the black struggle for equal rights. But Asian Americans' civil rights have also been challenged and/or denied throughout their history in the United States. This curriculum module contains six lessons and can be used as a supplement to history…

Presents a lesson for secondary Asian studies, U.S., or world history classes comparing U.S. and Chinese concepts of individual freedom. Students study and write essays on U.S. court cases concerning privacy. They discuss two articles about Chinese concepts of self and privacy and the role of Chinese study groups in resolving disputes. (AM)

Discusses instances of departure from the rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the Bill of Rights. Describes the internment of Japanese-Americans during the Second World War and other incidents in which the government denied individual rights. Details teaching activities intended to increase student understanding of such events. Proposes student…

This unit focuses on the development of national sovereignty in the United States, the nature of American citizenship, the psychological roots of allegiance, and the relationship of all of these to Constitutional change. The student is asked at the outset to explain the meaning of Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Successive sections then explore…

Focusing on the forcible relocation of West Coast Japanese-American citizens during World War II, the unit poses the question: Can democratic ideals and processes survive the conditions of total war? Some aspects of this episode considered are: public and official reactions to the Pearl Harbor attack; racial antipathies underlying the decision for…

As early as 1848, women organized into groups to assert their rights as citizens. In 1969, the National Organization for Women developed a Bill of Rights. The document is presented here, accompanied by learning activities, discussion and debate questions, and research topics for use with high school students. (RM)

The purpose of this packet of six lessons is to make it easier for teachers to include substantial instruction about the Northwest Ordinance in their secondary school courses. Each lesson includes a lesson plan for teachers and a lesson for students to study. The lessons are concise and can be completed in one or two class meetings. Each lesson…

Social studies readings and activities designed primarily for low achieving students are presented. Objectives are to help social studies classroom teachers develop goals which are clear to students, suggest activities which work toward stated goals, offer evaluative measures particularly designed for low achieving students, and present readings…