Elementary (Grades 3-5)

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

• Have chart paper and markers.

• Print on separate pieces of chart paper Articles 2, 16, and 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

  • Article 2: Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.(Without distinction means it includes everyone.)

  • Article 16: Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (Without limitation means without being controlled or stopped. Dissolution means closing down. This means all adults are entitled to equal rights in who they marry, during marriage and if the marriage ends.)

  • Article 18: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. (Conscience means an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior. Manifest means display or show.)

• Print the definition of persecution on chart paper. Persecution is hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of race or political or religious beliefs or non-religious beliefs. (Hostility is unfriendly or warlike feeling. Ill-treatment is cruelty.)

• Have copies of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one for each student with additional copies as needed.

CASEL Core Competencies

• Social Awareness

• Relationship Skills

• Responsible Decision-Making

Common Core ELA-Literacy Standards

• Speaking and Listening

• Reading Informational Text

NCSS Social Studies Themes

• Culture

• Groups and Organizations

• Civic Ideals and Practices

• Understand the meaning of “without distinction,” dissolution, manifest, persecution, hostility, ill treatment, and conscience

• Identify three articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that address freedom of religious and non-religious beliefs

• Describes the rights for religious or non-religious beliefs provided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Explain why they think freedom of religion was included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Persecution

Ask: What American document does the United Nations’
Universal Declaration of Human Rights remind you of? What do the two
documents have in common? What are some examples of rights that are
familiar to you from your study of American history? Chart all responses.

Post Article 2 chart and read the section that mentions religion again:

“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” (Without distinction means it includes everyone.)

State: The aim of using the phrase “without distinction of any
kind” is to guarantee the rights of all people no matter what a person’s
nationality, sex, language, race, or color is. (Some examples include: It doesn’t matter what language you speak; It doesn’t matter what your race is; It doesn’t matter what religious or non-religious beliefs you follow; It doesn’t matter what nationality you are.)

Ask: So, if a country agrees to abide by the Universal
Declaration of Human rights, what should that mean for me as a citizen
of the country? Generate a list of rights from student responses.

Ask: What other articles in the Declaration of Human Rights
mention religion? Give students time to find Articles 16 and 18.

Post the chart paper with Article 16, which includes definitions in italics of words or phrases that may be difficult for students to understand. Read it aloud:

“Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (Without limitation means without being controlled or stopped. Dissolution means closing down. This means all adults are entitled to equal rights in who they marry, during marriage and if the marriage ends.)”

Ask: Why would this right be important to you?

Ask: What examples do you know about either from TV news or from
your reading where people from any place in the world have been
controlled or stopped from marrying someone because of race,
nationality, or religion? You can provide examples either from history or from current events. Chart student responses on chart paper in two columns, one labeled History and the other Current Events.

Post this version of Article 18 which includes definitions in italics of words or phrases that may be difficult for students to understand. Read it aloud:

“Article 18.

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” (Conscience means an inner feeling or voice viewed as acting as a guide to the rightness or wrongness of one’s behavior. Manifest means display or show.)

Ask: If I live in a country that has signed the Declaration,
according to Article 18, how will I be treated if I decide to change my
religion? If I have non-religious beliefs? If I wear special clothing or
symbols that are outward displays of my religious beliefs?

Ask: What are one or two examples of times in history, before the
Declaration was written and signed in 1947, when people did not have the
rights described in Article 18?

Ask: Why do you think the representatives at the United Nations
approved of including religion in these three articles?

Ask: Can you think of times when these rights have been violated
since 1947?

Timeline: Have students create a visual timeline of key moments in history related to religious freedom and persecution. They can include images, symbols, and short descriptions for each event.

Some key moments to consider include:

• The Magna Carta (1215)

• The Protestant Reformation (16th century)

• The American Revolution (1776)

• The French Revolution (1789)

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

• Recent events related to religious freedom and persecution around the world

Additional instructions:

• Students should be encouraged to use a variety of resources, including textbooks, websites, documentaries, and primary sources.

• Students should be encouraged to be creative and to use their own voices in their timelines.

• Students should be encouraged to reflect on the significance of the events they have included in their timelines and to consider the impact of these events on religious freedom today.