In this lesson, students will explore what teen rights actually are. They will also read about some recent cases where teens felt their rights were violated. Students will debate the nature of rights and will discuss what they believe are appropriate rights for teens.
Adolescence is a time of great transition, partway between childhood and adulthood. While definitely not children anymore, teenagers are also not considered adults and therefore don’t often have the rights that many adults have. This can lead to struggles for many adolescents. All too often, teens who don’t seem to fit in with the mainstream can find their rights being violated.
Professional Development
Objectives
Activities will help students:
Essential Questions
Glossary
rights | rahyts |
(noun) the
individual freedom to do something (or not to do something)
violate | vahy-uh-leyt |
(verb) to break (as in rules)
Additional Resources
GLAAD [4]
American Civil Liberties Union [5]
Activities
1. (Write the following words on the board: Life, Liberty, Happiness.) Work with a partner to discuss the following questions:
a) What do the words “life, liberty, and happiness” usually represent? (If students struggle, lead them to the answer that many people consider these to be basic human rights.)
b) Are there any other human rights?
c) Do these rights apply only to adults?
d) What are teen rights?
e) Create a list of what teens can and can’t do.
(If students have difficulty with this activity, offer the following examples of what many teens can’t do: drink, vote, drive.)
2. Some people do not think teens should have the same rights as adults for different reasons, such as “teens are too immature to handle too much responsibility” or “teens should be protected.” Conduct a dialogue (see The Magic of Dialogue [6] for a list of 15 strategies for successful dialogue) about teen rights. Form groups of four. Choose two students in your group to fully examine the points of view of Side 1. The other two students should fully examine the points of view of Side 2.
Side 1: Adult rights and teen rights should be the same.
Side 2: Adult rights and teen rights should be different.
For each side:
a) Plan your strategy. List at least three reasons to support your position.
b) Side 1 has two minutes to state its position.
c) Side 2 then has two minutes to offer its position.
d) Now hold a dialogue between both sides, and attempt to find common understanding and value in the other position: an agreement.
e) Reflect on your process.
3. Now you will read two articles. Both articles are examples of times when people felt that teen rights were violated.
a) The first article, Constance McMillen, Focus of “Lesbian Prom” Fight, Wins Discrimination Settlement [7], discusses the teen right of taking part in school activities. After you’ve read about Constance McMillen, turn to your partner and discuss the following:
b) The second article, 6 Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate’s Suicide [8], deals with harassment at school:
After you’ve read about Phoebe Prince, turn to your partner and discuss the following:
4. The articles you just read are two examples of cases involving teen rights. Read the following article (originally published by Scholastic’s The New York Times Upfront magazine): 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know [9].
5. After examining the court cases about teen rights, work with your partner to decide what you think teen rights should be. Together write a list of teen rights. Use the articles you read as inspiration.
6. Post your team’s list around the room to share with your class. As a class, discuss:
a) How were all of the lists of teen rights similar? How were they different?
b) What other teen rights can you think of to add to your lists?
c) How can you promote an environment (in your home, school, and community) that protects and promotes these teen rights?
Extension Activities
Standards [10]
Activities and embedded assessments address the following standards (McREL 4th edition)
Language Arts
Standard 4: Gathers and uses information for research purposes
Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes
Standard 10: Understands the characteristics and components of the media
Civics
Standard 9: Understands the importance of Americans sharing and supporting certain values, beliefs, and principles of American constitutional democracy
Standard 11: Understands the role of diversity in American life and the importance of shared values, political beliefs, and civic beliefs in an increasingly diverse American society
Standard 25: Understands issues regarding personal, political, and economic rights
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/identifying-and-responding-bias-incidents
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/contract-bullying
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/anti-gay-discrimination-schools
[4] http://www.glaad.org/
[5] http://www.aclu.org/
[6] http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/disorders/dialogue.html
[7] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20011117-504083.html
[8] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30bully.html
[9] http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20080915monday.html
[10] http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp