Secondary School Classroom activities

This resource has been developed to help equip teachers - particularly those teaching levels 4-6 social studies of the New Zealand Curriculum - with some key tools to develop the human rights learning essential to effective citizenship in the 21st century.

Children develop a group ‘constitution’ stating their rights and responsibilities. Through designing rules for their own group, students learn about democracy, citizenship and how to reach a group consensus for the common good. Suitable for Years 5-9 students. (Part of Compasito Human Rights Handbook).

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A creative activity requiring students to write and film a T.V advertisement for children's rights. Through choosing one right to advertise and thinking about their target audience - students practice critical thinking with regards to human rights and the advertising industry. Communication, participation and production skills are also employed, such as acting, film production and editing, story telling, singing and public speaking.  (Part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook)

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An easily adaptable activity for Year 3-9 students deepening student understanding of bullying. Possible strategic actions against bullying will be discussed as well as support options children have if they find themselves being bullied. (Part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook)

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In this activity children act as reporters and research human rights issues in their community. By identifying and researching human rights issues around them children develop an awareness of human rights in their everyday life and develop collaborative skills for active participation to defend rights and violations. Suitable for children in Years 6-9 (Part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook).Download as PDF 250KB)

An activity involving story telling and discussion, adaptable for students in Years 4-9. Children read three different accounts of the same experience and discuss mistaken judgments about people. The activity aims to enhance empathy and understanding of the subjectivity of individual experience for children - and incorporates broader themes of health and welfare, poverty and social exclusion (part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook).

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An activity suitable for students Years 7-9. Introduces children to democracy and aims to show the possibilities of citizen participation. Through simulating fair elections students become aware of the right of each person to participate in his/her government, either through holding office or electing representatives (Part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook).

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This activity is part of the Compasito Human Rights Education Handbook. Children to speak about situtaitons where they have observed or experienced violence. They are then asked to think about solutions and a helping behaviour for such situations. Observing that everyone experiences violence in different ways throughout their lives leads to reflexion about the responsibility to help and defend each other.

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