A black and white photograph of members of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights drafting committee sitting on chairs and couches in a television studio.

Lesson Plan

Human Rights 101: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights​

In this lesson, students will learn how human rights differ from civil rights and gain introductory knowledge of how the international community united to define and defend human rights.

About this lesson

Following the devastation of two world wars, leaders around the globe were searching for a way to prevent similar horrors being repeated in the future. In 1945 the United Nations (UN) was established with a mission, in part, to “reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.” But what exactly does the phrase “human rights” mean and could the international community come to an agreement on the rights that all humans should be guaranteed? The UN established the Commission on Human Rights to debate and decide on these questions. Committee member Eleanor Roosevelt was chosen to lead the Drafting Committee that would create the first “International Bill of Human Rights.” After two years of work, in December of 1948, the UN adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).​

Grade Level

  • Grade Level

    Sixth, Seventh, Eighth

  • Subject

    Civics, Social Studies, World History

  • Duration

    90 minutes

  • Class Period Structure

    Two 45-minute class periods

  • Activities, Background Essay, Biographies, Glossary, Primary Sources, Rubric, Secondary Sources, Timeline

  • At the end of this lesson students will be able to:

    • Define human rights and explain the difference between human and civil rights.
    • Understand how the UDHR was created and adopted by the United Nations.

  • It will be helpful for students to have prior knowledge about: 

    • World War I 
    • World War II 

  • Georgia

    SS6CG1 Compare and contrast various forms of government (Latin America).

    SS6H3 Explain conflict and change in Europe.

    SS6CG3 Compare and contrast various forms of government (Europe).

    SS7CG1 Compare and contrast different forms of citizen participation in government.

    SS7H2 Analyze continuity and change in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

    SS7CG3 Compare and contrast various forms of government (Southwest Asia).

    SS7H3 Analyze continuity and change in Southern and Eastern Asia.

    SS7CG4 Compare and contrast various forms of government (Southern and Eastern Asia).

    SSWH18 Examine the major political and economic factors that shaped world societies between World War I and World War II.

    SSWH19 Demonstrate an understanding of the global political, economic, and social impact of World War II.

    SSWH20 Demonstrate an understanding of the global social, economic, and political impact of the Cold War and decolonization from 1945 to 1989.

Supporting Materials

Primary Source

Glossary

  • Civil Rights –

    The nonpolitical rights of a citizen, especially the rights of personal liberty guaranteed to U.S. citizens by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution and by acts of Congress.

  • Human Rights –

    Rights regarded as belonging fundamentally to all persons.

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