Student Inquiry: Using Civil Rights Movement Curricula to Extend Students’ Ideas about Human Dignity and Human Rights

Abstract

Human dignity is a complex, though essential, concept for students to master. Inserting human dignity into existing curricula provides students with more opportunities to consider the problems of vulnerable classmates and the status of human dignity and rights in the United States and around the world. Using parts of the US modern Civil Rights Movement curricula, as an example, this lesson exposes students to activities and research sources that support their critical thinking about human dignity, real-life discrimination, and human-rights violations. The article includes (a) an inquiry-based learning framework borrowed from the College, Career, and Civic (C3) Life Framework for Social Studies Standards; (b) National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards; and (c) a lesson plan/unit structured within The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Blueprint™. The lesson plan/unit is teaching-ready. All resources are prepared and ready for teachers and students, including some suggestions for useful, current digital tools. Ultimately, the lesson aims to reach educators who aspire to facilitate students’ conceptual understanding of human dignity and question the effects of discrimination.