Learning Outcomes

The child shall be enabled to:

1. begin to distinguish the difference between wants and needs.
2. identify and name basic rights e.g. the right to food, water, shelter, health, play, to be safe, not to be hurt etc.

Introduction

1. Begin by introducing the WALT/TAFF by stating that today we are learning about children’s rights
2. Start the lesson by introducing the concept of rights by stating that ‘rights are things that all people should have and be able to do everyday’.
3. Allow the children the opportunity to give some examples before stating them aloud for the class: clean water, food, love, play, opinions etc
4. Have the children gather in a circle. Using a prompt statement “We have the right to…..’ support the children to think of the rights they have or what they think the rights of all children are.
5. Use a beanbag to pass from one student to the next, each stating a right they think all children have/should have.
6. The teacher at this time should record their answers on a flipchart.
7. Encourage open conversation in the class at this time, highlighting common rights or themes emerging from their work. The following are prompts that may encourage children to identify the links or themes themselves. (How many answers had something to do with learning, home, family, feeling safe).
8. Encourage children to speak openly stating if they agree or disagree with the answers given in class.

Development

1. In groups of fours or fives, have the children create a list of rights they believe each child should have under the title “Children have a right to….”
2. Once complete, have the children place their A3 sheet of paper on a table. Encourage them to circulate the room, reading the lists while listening to some background music.
3. Once the music is paused the children must sit at the table closest to them. This should be a different table from where they started.
4. Each new group must now examine the rights written on the A3 sheet and decide whether or not they should add to the list.
5. The music should be played several times, allowing the children to sit at a different table each time.
6. With the teacher as facilitator, record an agreed class list of children’s rights. This should be based on the children’s work.

Plenary

1. Display the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in the class. Explain to the children, that similar to what we have done today in class, countries all over the world have an agreed list of children’s rights.
2. Using the Interactive White Board open the PDF of the poster available on the OCO’S website.
3. Encourage the children to compare their collective class list of children’s rights with the rights listed on the poster. Questions such as “What rights are on our class list that we can’t see on the poster?”  “What rights are on the poster that are not on our class list? If so, what are they and should we add them to our class list?
4. Reflect on the questions ‘What have we learned?’ and ‘What would we like to learn more about?’ addressing the WALT/TAFF.