Teacher Facilitation Guide

Program Overview
Freedom and Justice is a research-based curriculum that explores the concepts of 'freedom' and 'justice.' Students view video interview segments featuring five successful people from various fields and their thoughts of freedom and the American dream. These interviews serve as a springboard for students' own research. A list of online resources is provided to support student research.

Viewing/Facilitation Strategies

Introduce the Freedom and Justice topic and video segments. Ask students to share examples of their current knowledge, experiences, and questions related to the Pledge of Allegiance, the First Amendment and the National Endowment for the Arts, censorship and the net and human rights around the world.
View the video segments as a class, in small groups, or individually.
Facilitate student selection of one of the research projects listed below which fits their interests and grade level.

Research Project Overview

Grades 7-9

Student Academic Standards

Students understand the sources, purposes, and functions of law for the protection of human rights.
Students understand issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights.
Students understand the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Students understand what it is they stand for.
Students understand the intent of the First Amendment.
Students understand the history of various Communications Acts.
Students understand how to apply the First Amendment to current debates about censorship and the Net.
Students gather and use information for research purposes.

Projects and Investigations:

I Pledge Allegiance To...
How many times have you recited the Pledge of Allegiance? Most of us have repeated the words "with liberty and justice for all," hundreds of times, but how many times have we really considered what those words mean? Many might say that the concepts of "freedom" and "justice" are the foundations upon which America and the American dream are built. Of course, there is more then one interpretation of the "American Dream." In the video segments, Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel defines the American Dream as the possibility "that every minute can be the beginning or the end of an adventure." Take a moment to write out the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. Underline all of the important words, such as pledge, allegiance, republic, indivisible, liberty, justice, etc... Use a thesaurus and/or a dictionary (provided in Resource Links) to help you analyze what these words mean. Think carefully about the intent behind each sentence. What does it mean to pledge your allegiance to something? Then, compose your own pledge of allegiance, focusing on the things you believe in and stand for.

Censorship and the Net
One of the primary freedoms safeguarded by the First Amendment is the freedom of speech and expression. Using the Resource Links, reread the First Amendment. Then, investigate the debates surrounding the Communications Decency Act of 1966, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the current controversy over censorship and the Internet. Use your research on the Communications Decency Act and the Telecommunications Act as background information for a position paper on today's Internet debate. Some questions to ponder are: Should certain types of information be censored? What types of information might be dangerous (i.e. bomb making instructions)? Should people be allowed to write whatever they want about each other, even if it isn't true? Should people be fined for using inappropriate language? Learn as much as you can about this issue, and be sure to carefully consider both sides before you come to your own decision.

Grades 9-12

Student Academic Standards

Students understand the sources, purposes, and functions of law for the protection of human rights.
Students understand issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights.
Students understand the intent behind the Bill of Right, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other documents.
Students understand the status of human rights in a particular region of the world.
Students understand the intent behind the First Amendment.
Students gather and use information for research purposes.

Projects and Investigations:

Human Rights Project
"...We need to respect each other, including our difference," says past president of Spelman College Johnnetta B. Cole in the video segments. The preamble of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." The US Constitution and the Bill of Rights were also created in order to protect individual rights. Yet, from slavery to World War II internment camps, groups of people in America have been denied access to these rights time and again. Using the Resource Links, investigate the status of human rights in a particular country or part of the world. Create an interactive online report, documenting the status of human rights in the area. Your report should include your summary of the situation, with an illustrated timeline covering events in the country or area over the last fifty years. Since it is an online report, it should also include links to organization that are involved with the issues, as well as links to geographical, cultural, economic and political information about the area.

The First Amendment and the NEA
One of the primary freedoms safeguarded by the First Amendment is the freedom of speech and expression. Using the Resource Links, reread the First Amendment. Then investigate the current controversy regarding the First Amendment and the National Endowment for the Arts. How is freedom of expression protected by the First Amendment, especially for artists? Is funding for the arts an appropriate government activity? How does freedom of expression apply in the context of federally funded activities? Are the executive and judiciary branches of the government qualified to determine aesthetic value? Research recent events in which an artist's controversial work brought the NEA's purpose into question. Create a timeline that documents these instances over the last ten years. Finally, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper expression your opinions on this topic. Make sure you understand both sides of the argument before you take a stand.

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