POSTED ON BEHALF OF BETH JIMERSON

http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/2012/01/universal-human-rights-month/

I found this online source while searching for human rights activities for the high school class that I teach. This website shares a number of great books for students of all ages regarding varied human rights issues. It also provides links to other sources on human rights and proposes ideas for activities to promote understanding of human rights.

These are great resources for teaching at any age and in any context. They could be used in formal schooling in conjunction with Language Arts/English/History/Geography or Social Studies class, at home with parents or in any kind of non-formal setting such as at church, daycare, after school programs.

The children’s books could be used during story time at school or bed-time at home. The books for older children could be used during Language Arts, History, Social Studies, Geography or English classes to explore the issues presented. The large variety of books provides a wide range of opportunities for talking about peace and human rights. Students can be engaged through dialogue about the book and projects further related to the readings. The books could be used as an engaging way to practice skills such as reading comprehension or inference based around the idea of human rights.

The books and resources can engage a variety of the pillars of peace education. They can inspire community building through activities related to the readings and dialogue created after or during the readings. They can nurture emotional intelligence through fostering reflection and empathy through reading about human rights. Through dialogue of the various subject matters presented in the books, we can explore approaches to peace. Learning about events in history and their relationship to human rights can help reframe history, and the dialogues and activities based around the books can help us brainstorm ways of transforming conflict nonviolently.

Have any of you read these suggested books? Could you think of others to add to the list? Do you have any further ideas of engaging students in discussions about human rights?