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While the basic idea for a state-wide K-12 human rights learning initiative came from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center, they were not alone in the production of This is My Home. The model lessons and process models were created and reviewed by a group of dedicated individuals from all parts of Minnesota. Contributors included teachers, community educators, school board members, human rights activists, writers, interns, students, and a variety of non-governmental organizations.
Whose idea was This is My Home?This is My Home is a joint project of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the University of Minnesota Human Rights Resource Center. This is My Home is the K-12 education initiative that is part of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ campaign, “Educate to Eliminate”. This campaign is aimed at preventing human rights abuses before they occur.
What is This is My Home?This is My Home is a human rights education resource for primary and secondary students, which seeks to create peaceful, effective, and fun learning environments for all to excel in Minnesota schools. The This is My Home Tool Kit includes online model units for grades K-12, a unique student-centered education process, and a wide scope of additional resources to share emerging practices and tools. To learn more about what This is My Home provides visit the Teacher's Lounge of Hope.
What are “Emerging Practices”?Emerging Practices are the lesson plans and classroom tips that tell us what is working in human rights education, and have been collected from educators state-wide for inclusion in This is My Home. Some Emerging Practices can be found on This is My Home (www.thisismyhome.org) and in an Emerging Practices database with the freshest ideas in human rights education.
Why did you choose the lessons?The curriculum in This is My Home is divided into the following grade and topic groupings:
- Unit 1: Grades K-2 - Caring School Climate (PDF - 406KB)
- Unit 2: Grades 3-5 - Human Migration (PDF - 471KB)
- Unit 3: Grades 6-8 - Justice or Injustice? (PDF - 478KB)
- Unit 4: Grades 9-12 - U.S. History (PDF - 325KB)
These model lessons are examples that educators may use, but which are certainly not the only suitable topics for each grade grouping. These lessons were created in order to allow educators to fit any human rights topic that is important in their community, school, or classroom into the curriculum in a meaningful and seamless manner. Teachers working on these lesson plans decided on these four approaches for a number of reasons.
The first lesson, “Creating a Caring School Climate”, focuses on school atmosphere and was influenced by the idea that younger children are aware of their primary surroundings and think about being kind and taking responsibility to be a good friend to someone else.
The second lesson, “Human Migration”, involves a specific human rights issue and captures the concepts of multiple stories and self-identity. This lesson aims at linking identities to different stories in the community and trying to make sure that all voices are heard and respected. The word “migration” was used rather than “immigration”, in order to ensure that indigenous perspectives were also recognized and respected.
The third lesson, “Justice or Injustice”, addresses a core principle of human rights and aims at building social justice leaders. When recognizing discrimination and inequalities, avenues are provided for promoting and supporting students who are civically engaged and understand core concepts of human rights.
The fourth lesson, “U.S. History”, takes on a discipline approach to human rights. U.S. history was selected to acknowledge that oftentimes only one perspective is presented to students, so focusing on this discipline was aimed at helping present strategies to help teachers engage people to adopt a wider perspective regarding U.S. history which includes the sharing of multiple stories and experiences within a human rights framework.
What are Human Rights standards?Human rights standards have been established on a global level with the United Nations, on a national level through our U.S. Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution (originally based on the Iroquois constitution of democracy), and on a state level through the Minnesota Human Rights Act. Human rights standards have been developed and maintained to guide local, national, and global citizens to promote and protect human rights of all of its peoples.
Why did you integrate Minnesota standards?Minnesota teachers already have very full schedules and a wide range of topics to cover during the school year. This is My Home has integrated many of the Minnesota Education Standards into the model lessons so that teachers can see how simple it is to fit human rights education into the subjects that they are already required to teach their students.
Why is there a need for This is My Home?Recent studies show that Minnesota has one of the widest achievement gaps in the nation between white students and students of color. Minnesota schools also rank particularly high in teasing, bullying, and aggressive behavior.
This is My Home strives to create a positive change in:
- Community Partnerships
- Family Involvement
- School Climate
- Student Learning and Development
Each Unit in the This is My Home curriculum has a step in which students develop a “human rights action plan” carry it out. This terminology is used to indicate an action that is taken to promote human rights. In most of the model lessons, the specific action is left up to the students’ and the teacher’s discretion, but some examples of human rights actions include: letter writing campaigns, public education initiatives, service projects, and petitions to government officials.
What is a “Human Rights Framework”?The Human Rights Education Framework provides a developmental sequence for learning human rights language, principles, skills, and practices.
What is the “Process Model”?The Human Rights Process Model is a student-centered learning circle with 7 steps:
(1) Observe and Identify
the Human Rights Issue
(2) Describe and Share Stories
(3) Generate Human Rights Responses and Make Predictions About Their
Impact on the Community
(4) Select a Human Rights Response and Take Action
(5) Interview Community Members and Collect Information About the
Impact of your Human Rights Action
(6) Reflect on What You Have Learned About Promoting and Protecting
Human Rights and Draw Conclusions
(7) Communicate and Demonstrate HR Learning
This is My Home was created to address the needs of Minnesota's K-12 students, educators, families, and community members. In Fall 2005, Minnesota primary and secondary schools started receiving the This is My Home Tool Kit, which is also available online. More than 800 Minnesota schools have already registered at the This is My Home website and received the Tool Kits. Every school is encouraged to identify a Human Rights Representative and incorporate these resources into their lesson plans and school policies and procedures.
What is “Human Rights Literacy”?This is My Home strives to create a culture of human rights advocacy in every school. Through the implementation of This is My Home, students, teachers, families, and other members of the school administration and staff will incorporate human rights-related vocabulary into their everyday language and actions, and will be able to refer to major human rights documents and their contents as well. The incorporation of human rights literacy into schools will give everyone the tools to discuss and understand human rights on an on-going basis.