Human Dignity

Unit	Community Building for Elementary Classrooms
Lesson Name	Human Dignity
Grade Band	Elementary (3-5)

Required Materials	Crisp Dollar Bill Dignity Heart.pdf Pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons Scissors
Standards / Competencies	SEL Core Competencies: Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking, Writing Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity
Recommended Time	45 mins

Required Materials

Crisp Dollar Bill
Dignity
Heart.pdf
Pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons
Scissors

Standards / Competencies

SEL Core Competencies:

Self-Awareness: identifying emotions, experiencing self-efficacy, linking feelings, values and thoughts, demonstrating honesty and integrity
Self-Management: managing one’s emotions, exhibiting self-discipline
Social Awareness: taking others’ perspectives, recognizing strengths in others, demonstrating empathy and compassion, identifying diverse social norms, showing concern for the feelings of others
Relationship Skills: communicating effectively, developing positive relationships, showing leadership in groups, resolving conflicts constructively, seeking or offering support when needed

ELA Standards: Listening and Speaking, Writing

Social Studies Theme: Individual Development and Identity

Recommended Time

45 mins

Essential Question	What is human dignity?
Learning Objectives	Students will define dignity as the value each human has simply because they are human. Students will recognize humans have inherent dignity.

Activating Prior Knowledge	Invite students to reflect about prior learning and reinforce previously learning terms and concepts: Identity Share our Similarities Learn from Differences Culture Community Explicitly state that today, we will be learning about dignity. Write the term dignity on the board. Pull out a crisp one-dollar bill and ask the students: What do I have in my hands? Students may respond, A dollar bill. Ask the students, How much is this dollar bill worth? They may say, One dollar. Fold the dollar bill in half. Ask, Now, how much is this dollar worth? Answer: One dollar. Continue to do this with the following while asking them how much the dollar is worth now: Crumble the dollar bill up Toss it away and then pick it up Put the dollar bill on the floor and step on it Adding dramatization to this will help reinforce teaching points. Ask students, What is the dollar worth now?! Students: A dollar! Define human dignity: The value each human being has simply because they are human. Say, This dollar is worth a dollar and will always have it’s worth no matter what it goes through. The dollar’s worth cannot be taken away from it. Just like this dollar, humans, you, you, you (point to students) have dignity and that is your human value simply because you are human. Ask students, How did you feel when I crumbled up the dollar, tossed it around and stepped on it? Students may reply, Uncomfortable, confused, angry, not good. Ask students, Did I value this dollar in front of me for what it is? Students may reply, No. Invite students to reflect on this thought, If humans, just like this dollar, have dignity or worth – how could we make them feel valued? Good place to incorporate humor: By stepping on them?! Goodness, no! This could be a time to reflect on any expected behaviors, classroom agreements, policies on dialogue for mutual respect.
Core Instruction	Begin by passing out the Dignity Heart Handout and read it together as a class. “I have worth simply because I am human. You have worth simply because you are human. Everyone has worth simply because they are human.” Reflect as a whole group. Each one of you is unique and special. We talked about connecting through our similarities and learning from our differences. Today, I want to invite you to think about what traits make you special and unique. But first, let’s get up and dance. Listen to the words closely as you dance along. Invite students to move their bodies and dance along to the rhythm as you play this What I Am video. An instructional strategy to use to support all learners is explicitly model filling your heart, encouraging meaningful contributions, heritage, culture, identity and for students to pull from prior learning experiences. Invite students to use colored supplies to “Fill their Heart” with what makes them unique and worthy. Then, cut their hearts out. Invite students to a carpet space, proactive circle, arrange seats to make a community circle. Begin by sharing some ground rules for our proactive circle. Active listening while someone is sharing. Speak from your heart. Be kind. A physical object to pass around or a talking stick can be helpful as a support. This is particularly helpful as a support for wiggly students or visual learners. Modeling a way to sign “connection” or “same” is also helpful for students who share similarities to further encourage making connections. Open by sharing one special thing about your heart. Pass on to the next student until each student has shared. Next, invite students to hold up their hearts. Each heart represents each incredible human being in this classroom just like the dollar bill, each one of you has dignity and deserves to be valued for who you are. Encourage students to take a look around the classroom. Doing this allows for students to visualize the abstract concept. Present a Wondering: How can we honor dignity and make sure we don’t crumble up, step on, or toss away any of the beautiful hearts in our classroom? Present suggested scenarios or craft your own using real life examples: Presenting real life examples make learning more meaningful to students when they can connect directly to the content. If I am welcoming you into the classroom and greeting you by your first name, am I honoring your dignity? Yes, I feel seen and valued. If I take away your water bottles for the rest of the day, am I honoring your dignity? No, water is a basic necessity and that would not be fair. If I invite a shy student to play with our group of friends at recess, am I honoring their dignity? Yes, because I am including them. (This may make their hearts feel happy). If I am making fun of someone, am I honoring their dignity? No, because treating someone poorly is not honoring them. (This may crumble or even tear their hearts).
Wrap-up	To close, invite students to share some ways to honor dignity. revisit the definition of human dignity.
Learning Beyond Classroom Walls	Many schools and classrooms have social emotional learning, positive behaviors and reinforcements building plans, and/or classroom agreements. Invite students to integrate “dignity” into their classroom agreement, daily reminders. For example: a building leader may say after announcements, “Be responsible, respectful and always ready to learn”. Invite students to build upon such existing routines and procedures to strengthen community within the classroom. An extension to civic engagement would be to intentionally initiate positive interactions with someone who is unfamiliar to them by inviting them to play, saying hello, remembering their name and something special about them.

Activating Prior Knowledge

Invite students to reflect about prior learning and reinforce previously learning terms and concepts:

Identity
Share our Similarities
Learn from Differences
Culture
Community

Explicitly state that today, we will be learning about dignity. Write the term dignity on the board.

Pull out a crisp one-dollar bill and ask the students: What do I
have in my hands?

Students may respond, A dollar bill.

Ask the students, How much is this dollar bill worth?

They may say, One dollar.

Fold the dollar bill in half.

Ask, Now, how much is this dollar worth?

Answer: One dollar.

Continue to do this with the following while asking them how much the dollar is worth now:

Crumble the dollar bill up
Toss it away and then pick it up
Put the dollar bill on the floor and step on it

Adding dramatization to this will help reinforce teaching
points.

Ask students, What is the dollar worth now?!

Students: A dollar!

Define human dignity: The value each human being has simply because they are human.

Say, This dollar is worth a dollar and will always have it’s
worth no matter what it goes through. The dollar’s worth cannot be taken
away from it. Just like this dollar, humans, you, you, you (point to
students) have dignity and that is your human value simply because you
are human.

Ask students, How did you feel when I crumbled up the dollar,
tossed it around and stepped on it?

Students may reply, Uncomfortable, confused, angry, not
good.

Ask students, Did I value this dollar in front of me for what it
is?

Students may reply, No.

Invite students to reflect on this thought, If humans, just like
this dollar, have dignity or worth – how could we make them feel
valued?

Good place to incorporate humor: By stepping on them?! Goodness,
no!

This could be a time to reflect on any expected behaviors, classroom agreements, policies on dialogue for mutual respect.

Core Instruction

Begin by passing out the Dignity
Heart Handout and read it together as a class.

“I have worth simply because I am human. You have worth simply because you are human. Everyone has worth simply because they are human.” Reflect as a whole group.

Each one of you is unique and special. We talked about connecting through our similarities and learning from our differences. Today, I want to invite you to think about what traits make you special and unique. But first, let’s get up and dance. Listen to the words closely as you dance along.

Invite students to move their bodies and dance along to the rhythm as you play this What I Am
video.

An instructional strategy to use to support all learners is explicitly model filling your heart, encouraging meaningful contributions, heritage, culture, identity and for students to pull from prior learning experiences. Invite students to use colored supplies to “Fill their Heart” with what makes them unique and worthy. Then, cut their hearts out.

Invite students to a carpet space, proactive circle, arrange seats to make a community circle. Begin by sharing some ground rules for our proactive circle.

Active listening while someone is sharing.
Speak from your heart.
Be kind.

A physical object to pass around or a talking stick can be helpful as a support. This is particularly helpful as a support for wiggly students or visual learners.

Modeling a way to sign “connection” or “same” is also helpful for students who share similarities to further encourage making connections.

Open by sharing one special thing about your heart. Pass on to the next student until each student has shared. Next, invite students to hold up their hearts. Each heart represents each incredible human being in this classroom just like the dollar bill, each one of you has dignity and deserves to be valued for who you are. Encourage students to take a look around the classroom. Doing this allows for students to visualize the abstract concept.

Present a Wondering:

How can we honor dignity and make sure we don’t crumble up, step on, or toss away any of the beautiful hearts in our classroom?

Present suggested scenarios or craft your own using real life examples:

Presenting real life examples make learning more meaningful to students when they can connect directly to the content.

If I am welcoming you into the classroom and greeting you by your first name, am I honoring your dignity?

Yes, I feel seen and valued.

If I take away your water bottles for the rest of the day, am I honoring your dignity?

No, water is a basic necessity and that would not be fair.

If I invite a shy student to play with our group of friends at recess, am I honoring their dignity?
Yes, because I am including them. (This may make their hearts feel happy).

If I am making fun of someone, am I honoring their dignity?
No, because treating someone poorly is not honoring them. (This may crumble or even tear their hearts).

Wrap-up

To close, invite students to share some ways to honor dignity.
revisit the definition of human dignity.

Learning Beyond Classroom Walls

Many schools and classrooms have social emotional learning, positive behaviors and reinforcements building plans, and/or classroom agreements. Invite students to integrate “dignity” into their classroom agreement, daily reminders. For example: a building leader may say after announcements, “Be responsible, respectful and always ready to learn”. Invite students to build upon such existing routines and procedures to strengthen community within the classroom.

An extension to civic engagement would be to intentionally initiate positive interactions with someone who is unfamiliar to them by inviting them to play, saying hello, remembering their name and something special about them.

Supplementary Resources

We All
Deserve Dignity Short video clip chosen by the Council of Europe
to promote dignity, diversity and democratic practice in K-12 education.
Ability, disability.

Dignity
Mural.pdf Mural of the word “dignity” written in multiple,
frequently spoken languages.

The
Story of Human Dignity This video uses illustrations to connect
human dignity to Social Studies, local government, promoting the common
good, reinforces that each person has inherent, equal
worth.

Instructional Content Adaptations

Mini Lesson (10 mins):

All humans have inherent dignity simply because they are human. Students engage in a teaching demonstration where a dollar bill is representative of maintaining its worth. Students are encouraged to connect learning to self and their peers. I have human worth simply because I am human.

Teachable Moment (6 mins):

Class discussion: Explain that we all, as humans, have inherent dignity simply because we are human. Dignity is not something that can be taken from us, we all have it. Students connect to self through making hearts and “filling them up” with unique and individual traits. As a class, the teacher facilitates a whole group discussion where students share about their hearts and connects each heart to the dollar bill. Each heart in the classroom is representative of each individual. Class discussion on honoring human dignity follows.

Diverse Learning Profiles

Some students may need help with the abstract idea of “dignity” and may need additional scaffolding or discussion. An additional way to model the concept of dignity is to give students wearing the color “red” preferential treatment. For emerging readers and multilingual learners, allowing students to draw pictures instead of writing words may be appropriate, even encouraged. Modeling the activity and sharing your own pictures may be more engaging and meaningful for these students.
For students who are able to dive into this content more deeply in a language arts/social studies class, teachers may invite them to collaboratively write a poem or song centering around human dignity, valuing each other and community. This type of lesson allows for interdisciplinary learning.

Visual Supports and Concrete Examples:

Use visual aids, such as posters or images, to represent concepts like identity, similarities, differences, culture, and community.
Provide concrete examples or objects to represent abstract ideas. For example, use a variety of objects to illustrate the worth of the dollar bill.

Differentiated Instruction:

Differentiate discussion questions based on individual abilities. Use simpler language or provide visual support for those who may struggle with verbal communication.
Offer choices for responses during activities, such as drawing or using visual aids.

Alternative Means of Expression:

Allow for varied ways of expressing understanding, such as drawing, using manipulatives, or acting out concepts.
Use a variety of multimedia resources or interactive tools to cater to different learning styles.

Real-Life Examples and Personal Connections:

Choose real-life examples that are relatable to the students’ experiences.
Encourage personal connections by asking students to share their thoughts and experiences related to dignity, teachers can also connect this with making connections grade level standards.

Download this lesson to access handouts.

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