1. Unit 1: Grades K-2 Caring School Climate

3. Grade Level: Kindergarten-Grade 2 Topic: Caring School Climate Unit Goal: Students study Article 1 (Right to Equality) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and explore issues of kindness, equality and brotherhood. Students distribute kindness coins to friends and family and create a flower quilt and Unity Book.

4. Discuss why Article 1 (Right to Equality) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is important and why it is a human right. Role-play equality Role-play kindness Describe and/or respond to the concept of “Right to Equality” in a reflection journal. A. Observe and identify the human rights issue What is at the heart of this human rights issue?

5. B. Describe and share human rights stories How have our ancestors worked to promote and protect this human right? Who within our schools, families, and communities promote and protect this human right? Participate in a read-aloud story. Discuss the story using the Think/Pair/Share strategy. Respond to and describe the story in the reflection journals.

6. C. Generate human rights responses and make predictions about their impact on the community What could we do? What will happen if we do that? Discuss possible ways (solutions) to treat people with kindness every day and make predictions about their effectiveness. Role-play the solutions. Discuss the concept of kindness coins and make predictions regarding how people will respond to being given such a coin. Discuss the idea of the flower quilt. Discuss the creation of a Unity Book.

7. D. Select a human rights response and take action What is the best response or position? Practice ways to show kindness in the classroom and other places. Obtain kindness coins and distribute them. Create class quilt and display it. Create a Unity Book. Hold a kickoff celebration for the Unity Book before beginning circulation.

8. E. Interview community members and collect information about the impact of your human rights action What happened when we took action? Whose lives did we impact? Collect information about treating others with kindness. Collect information about the kindness coins. Collect information about the class quilt. Collect information about the Unity Book

9. F. Reflect and draw conclusions on what you have learned about promoting and protecting human rights What did we learn? Did our action have the intended impact? Share experiences about showing kindness to others, the kindness coins, the quilt and the Unity Book. Review Article 1 of the UDHR. Revisit the class quilt and Unity Book.

10. G. Communicate and demonstrate your human rights learning How can we share what we learned within our schools, families, and communities? Make a kindness sharing time in class each day. Make the Unity Book into a slide show for multi-media and/or online display.

11. Unit 2: Grades 3-5 Human Migration

13. Grade Level: 3-5 Topic: Human Migration Unit Goal: Students study human migration in an interdisciplinary unit. They identify and take action on issues related to human migration, immigration, or refugees and present the results in a class newsletter.

14. Create Origin Stories about their families or people with whom they live, and meet in pairs to share drafts. Read a diverse selection of migration stories. Read Origin Stories in a classroom storytelling festival. A. Observe and identify the human rights issue What is at the heart of this human rights issue?

15. B. Describe and share human rights stories How have our ancestors worked to promote and protect this human right? Who within our schools, families, and communities promote and protect this human right? Read articles about immigration issues relevant to the community or state and generate a working definition of human rights. Use Fact/Fiction Activity to develop awareness of migration issues. Collect a variety of information about migration and compile it into a Migration Journal. Participate in a Mock Human Rights Commission meeting. Compile a class Migration Word Chart. Be Creative!

16. C. Generate human rights responses and make predictions about their impact on the community What could we do? What will happen if we do that? Select migration issues and form task forces to work to improve human rights based on areas of interest. Work in a task force to develop a plan of action. Meet with another task force to get feedback about their plan of action..

17. D. Select a human rights response and take action What is the best response or position? Present their plan of action to their classmates in a town meeting. Revise and finalize their plan of action based on feedback from their classmates. Implement a plan of action and make adjustments as necessary during implementation.

18. E. Interview community members and collect information about the impact of your human rights action What happened when we took action? Whose lives did we impact? Observe results, collect information, and take pictures during the implementation of their plan of action.

19. F. Reflect and draw conclusions on what you have learned about promoting and protecting human rights What did we learn? Did our action have the intended impact? Prepare a summary report and write articles to be included in a class newsletter.

20. G. Communicate and demonstrate your human rights learning How can we share what we learned within our schools, families, and communities? Compile and distribute class newsletter to other classes and the community at large. Participate in a closure activity.