Elle Feig's blog
Title: Unit 4: Lesson Plan
Read Ishmael Beah’s “A Long Way Gone.”
After finishing the book, identify and list at least three basic human rights that were violated. Be specific and use quotes from the book to support your list.
How did these violations transform the characters in the book? Discuss and be specific.
Read the UN Declaration on Human Rights. After reading the declaration, write a speech that will be “delivered to the UN Assembly” that discusses the importance of at least one of the basic human rights or freedoms outlined in the declaration. Use specific examples from the book to support the importance of these rights.
An additional lesson plan:
Watch VJ Burman.
Write a letter to your local congressperson referencing the UN Declaration on Human Rights and the rights you saw violated in the film. Identify why it is important to protect these rights; be specific and use support.
Hi Ellen,
Thank you for submitting this assignment, which is a great practical application of human rights education. It is also a great demonstration of how peace education can be integrated into other subjects. In this case, you are clearly addressing other core competencies that students need to meet through writing, while also integrating knowledge about human rights and critical thinking. Nicely done!
I encourage you to share this on the TWB Peace Education Groups site: http://groups.teacherswithoutborders.org/en/peace-education/node/11191
All the best,
Stephanie
Ellen,
I have to echo Stephanie's comments about what a great human rights lesson plan this is--I hope you will post it on TWB, if you haven't already. I clearly have another book and another film to add to my growing list of books to read/films to watch!
Thank you!
Jill