Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Universal Declaration of Human Rights Lesson PlanUniversal Declaration of Human Rights Lesson Plan
Publisher
PBS
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
7th - 12th
Subjects
English Language Arts
6 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Instructional Strategies
Discussion
2 more...
Technology
Video
Internet Access
Usage Permissions
Fine Print
Lesson Plan

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Universal Declaration of Human Rights lesson plan also includes:
  • Lesson Overview
  • Eleanor Roosevelt Early Years
  • Eleanor Roosevelt's First Step into Politics
  • Eleanor Roosevelt Strikes Out on Her Own
  • Eleanor Roosevelt after FDR
  • Worksheet
  • Graphic Organizer
  • Rubric
  • Join to access all included materials

What rights are guaranteed to learners? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they believe students in America should enjoy after conducting research on Eleanor Roosevelt, learning more about historical examples of movements for civil and social rights, and investigating the limits of the rights they are protecting.

70 Views 59 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

the universal declaration of human rights, franklin d. roosevelt, eleanor roosevelt, human rights, persuasive arguments, persuasive speeches, famous women, women's history, women's history month, civil rights

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Form a cross-curricular assignment between social studies and language arts
  • Have class members present their arguments to school officials or members of their local government

Classroom Considerations

  • Discussion of safety in schools, student activism, and the right to bear arms is relevant to current issues and learners' lives
  • Based on Ken Burns' documentary The Roosevelts: An Intimate History; links to relevant video clips are included

Pros

  • Provides a rubric that addresses group research, proficiency with presentation software, and speaking and listening skills
  • Includes project tips about group dynamics and learning environments
  • Extension activities are available for older or advanced class members

Cons

  • None

Common Core

W.7.1.a W.7.7 W.8.1.a W.8.7 W.9-10.1.a W.9-10.7 W.11-12.1.a W.11-12.7 SL.7.4 SL.7.5 SL.8.4 SL.8.5 SL.9-10.4 SL.9-10.5 SL.11-12.4 SL.11-12.5

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

Civil Rights of Japanese-American Internees

NPR
Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...
9th - 12th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Equal Rights? The Women's Movement from Suffrage to Schlafly

University of California
If you've never heard of the Equal Rights Amendment, it's probably because there isn't one in the United States Constitution. Delve into the contentious history behind the ERA, its founders and supporters, and reasons for its political...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Rights Auction

Close Up Foundation
In an engaging activity on universal and unalienable rights, learners work in groups to establish a democratic nation and determine what principles they want to protect to ensure a democratic society. They conduct a "rights auction" in...
7th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Improving My Community Through Social Action

Museum of Tolerance
Action is the heart of change. Encourage class members to not only identify critical social justice issues in their school or community but to take action as well. As individuals or as groups, they research a situation, develop a...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Civil Rights or Human Rights?

Stanford University
Young citizens consider the American civil rights movement as part of the global struggle for human rights. After using a timeline activity to learn about the major events in the civil rights movement, class members study...
6th - 12th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Observing Human Rights Day

Stanford University
How much intervention is appropriate for America to take in cases of human rights violations? Class members ponder a question that has lingered since the birth of America with a series of primary sources that reflect the degree to which...
6th - 12th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

The Rights of the Child

Advocates for Human Rights
Don't be fooled by the size of the resource: these few pages provide the blueprint for a substantial, thoughtful unit on children's rights and the different philosophies and approaches that the United States and other countries have...
8th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Declaration of Independence

Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Give budding historians a guided exploration of the Declaration of Independence, historic photos, videos, and more as they deepen their understanding of the American Revolution and the attitude of the colonists leading up to...
6th - 8th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Unit Plan

Civil Rights Historical Investigations

Facing History and Ourselves
The murder of Emmett Till, the Selma to Montgomery march, and the desegregation of Boston schools are the focus of three units that ask class members to investigate why these events were so key in the struggle for civil rights....
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Unit Plan

Preserving the Bill of Rights

Bill of Rights Institute
Consider how America's founding fathers and their experiences contributed to the rights we all enjoy today. A collection of reading, writing, and collaborative exercises prompt high schoolers to think about the ways their current lives...
8th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Designed
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use