Primary Source Exemplar: Human Rights, Conflict and Social Change

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Catherine Hart

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to explore the meaning, significance, and structure of a declaration.

Students will be able to analyze primary source documents to identify the significance of details.

Students will be able to summarize the meaning of the Preamble to the UDHR and provide evidence for their interpretations.

Students will be able to analyze the details of the Preamble to infer meaning and effect.

Standards Addressed

CCSS Math Content Standards, CCSS Math Practice Standards, CCSS ELA Reading or Writing Anchor Standards, CCSS ELA Standards, Next Generation Science Standard, History / Social Science Standards)

(RI.9-10.1) Students will be able to cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

(RI.9-10.2) Students will be able to determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it is shaped and refined by specific details.

(RI.9-10.4) Students will be able to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings, analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.

(L.9-10.4) Students will be able to determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grades 9-10 reading and content.

(W.9-10.1) Students will be able to write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence

Instructional Approach

Introduce the Lesson

The teacher should ask students to define the word declaration. The teacher should also ask students if they have ever made a declaration and if they know of any famous declarations.

The teacher should ask students to describe the characteristics of a declaration.

The teacher should ask students how a declaration might be structured and how it might be considered an argument.

Model and Demonstrate Desired Learning

The teacher should ask students to define “primary source document” and then discuss the significance of these resources. Prompt students to list examples of primary source documents and how they might be important.

Tell students that they are going to read a document about human rights and analyze it for its purpose and significance by looking at its details.

Provide Guided Practice

The teacher will provide students with a copy of the Preamble to the UDHR and ask students to read the text silently. Note: The teacher should ensure that the copy provided to the students includes the date and the author (the United Nations).

The teacher should ask students to read the text once for overall meaning. The teacher should tell students that this is a difficult text but that they are reading it this time just to get an overall sense of its meaning. They do not have to understand the details or all of the vocabulary at this point. Students should be challenged to write a sentence summarizing the argument of the declaration and providing evidence for their summary. Students should share their summaries and reasoning with one another or the whole class to ensure basic understanding.

Students should be required to read the text a second time and annotate as they read, specifically marking unfamiliar vocabulary and areas of the text they think are important as well as areas of the text about which they are confused or have questions.

After this second reading, the teacher should ask students to share unfamiliar words and phrases and guide the students in determining the meaning based on context. If necessary, the teacher should also provide dictionaries so students can determine the meaning of words that cannot be defined through context. The teacher should focus on words/phrases with structural and technical importance as well as words/phrases that are significant to the content (such as inherent dignity, aspiration, strive, etc.). Additionally, the students should share questions they have about the text. The teacher should guide the students in finding answers to those that are essential for an overall understanding of the text.

Finally, students will read the text a third time for more in depth analysis and inference. The teacher will provide students with a primary source document analysis handout. The teacher can create his or her own or use one of the following:

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/written_document_analysis_worksheet.pdf

http://historyexplorer.si.edu/PrimarySources.pdf (pages 12 - 14)

Students can work alone, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the analysis. If students work alone for this primary source document analysis, they should be given the opportunity to share their answers with a partner or small group before the whole class discussion.

The teacher should guide students in a discussion of their answers with an emphasis on textual evidence in the UDHR. The teacher should focus the discussion specifically on the details that impact purpose (argument) and tone.

To conclude the lesson, the teacher should ask students to write a paragraph that explains the purpose and tone of the Preamble. Students should be required to use specific evidence from the text to support their reasoning.

Integrate Formative Checks

The teacher will check understanding of the concept of human rights as well as the concept of primary source documents using the following checks:

One-sentence summaries
Class discussion
Text annotations
Universal Declaration of Human Rights primary source document analysis handout

Additionally, during discussion of the UDHR, the teacher will assess the use of specific and detailed evidence from the text as well as the impact of details and specific words on the development of the text as a whole.

Student Tasks

Literacy and Subject Specific Knowledge Tasks
Outline student tasks in the following areas:

Reading task

Indicate how students will approach the text (independent silent reading or read aloud), how students will question the text and how students will analyze details.

Students will initially read the text independently and then will re-read individually, in pairs, or in small groups based on the teacher’s assessment. Students will be asked to read the text first for an overall understanding of what the text says; however, subsequent readings will challenge them to make inferences regarding purpose and tone based on an understanding of textual details. Students will be asked to use annotations to promote engagement with the text, and they will also be provided with a primary source document analysis worksheet to guide their analysis of the text.

Vocabulary task

Indicate how student vocabulary and academic language will be developed.

Students will identify unfamiliar words and the teacher will guide students in a discovery of word meaning through an emphasis on contextual clues. Additionally, students will be encouraged to use a dictionary as necessary to define words that are not addressed through context. Students will look at words that are significant to the content of the text and also words that help structure the text.

Sentence syntax task

Indicate how students will learn to speak thoughtfully and with precision.

Students will be asked to share their understanding with their peers using partners, small groups or a whole group format. As they share their ideas, they will also be required to support their findings with evidence from the text.

Inquiry and analysis task

Indicate how students will build attention to detail and grow in analyzing, selecting and connecting detail.

The emphasis on annotating the text as well as the primary source document analysis worksheet will help students identify and analyze significant details in the text.

Writing (or other production)

Indicate how this task will help students learn to write. Example: “I think ___ because _____” (K-5).

Students will begin by writing a one-sentence summary of the stated meaning of the Preamble and provide evidence for their reasoning. At the end of the lesson, students will be asked to write a paragraph about the inferred meaning of the text (purpose and tone). Students will also write answers to the Primary Source Document Analysis questions using specific evidence to support their answers.

History | Social Science content area task

Outline how student interaction with the primary source set will be used to build student history and social science content knowledge.

Checking for Understanding

Note: A performance task will be included at the end of this series of lessons. Determine and outline how you will check for student understanding within this lesson, using some of the ideas here.

One-sentence summary and final analysis paragraph

Guided Questions and Discussions

Primary source document analysis handout

Text Annotations

Differentiation/Adaptations/Modifications

The teacher might choose to use an excerpt of the Preamble instead of the whole document.

The teacher might divide students into small groups and ask each group to paraphrase one paragraph of the Preamble. These paraphrased versions can be shared with the class before students read the Preamble as a whole.

Additional Supports

Outline adaptations that can be made for English Language Learners, Special Education Students, or other learning contexts.

Other language versions of the UDHR and a simplified version of the UDHR can be found online at http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/resources.shtml. These can be used as modifications for ELL students and for those reading below grade level.

To provide further support to students as they read and paraphrase the Preamble, the teacher might provide a set of Guiding Questions that point students to significant details of the text and support their understanding of what the text explicitly says.

(Refer to the EQuIP rubric for additional elements to consider)