S.S.: Resist-A-Resource – Charter of Rights and Freedoms (K and Gr 6)

Resist-A-Resource: K & Gr. 6

Janel, Colin, John, Sydney, Katrina

 

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Kindergarten & Grade 6

 

K – Curriculum:

Big Idea: Rights, roles, and responsibilities shape our identity and help us build healthy relationships with others.

Curricular Competencies: 

• Acknowledge different perspectives on people, places, issues, or events in their lives

• If two people have different perspectives or opinions, does it mean that one person is right and the other is wrong? Explain your answer.

• Identify fair and unfair aspects of events, decisions, or actions in their lives and consider appropriate courses of action

 

Content:

needs and wants of individuals and families

• needs (e.g., water, food, clothing, love and acceptance, safety, education, shelter)
• Do people agree on what are needs and what are wants?

rights, roles, and responsibilities of individuals and groups

• Do your rights, roles, and responsibilities change between home and school?
• Who makes decisions about what happens at home or school?

 

Using in the Classroom:

 

Introduction to Rights and Freedoms (Kindergarten): In order to assist young students in developing an understanding of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, invite the class to: 

• Create a charter for the class (ex. Everyone student or group of students has the right to be heard, has the responsibility to listen, has the right to finish their snack).

• Analyze and come up with lists of rights, freedoms, and responsibilities in classroom and at home
• Discuss voting and systems of law/punishment – are these fair systems? Always? (eg, What if there are 11 people in the class and 6 vote to have chocolate ice cream and 5 vote for vanilla – does that mean everyone has to have chocolate?) If we all vote to elect a class leader and then that class leader makes decisions we disagree with, what do we do?
• Look at the different cultures and characteristics present in the classroom: how can we include each one in our Charter? Are there any not included in the classroom that we need to think about?

 

Grade 6 – Curriculum: 

Big Idea: Systems of government vary in their respect for humans rights and freedoms 

Curricular Competencies: 

• Make ethical judgments about events, decisions, or actions that consider the conditions of a particular time and place, and assess appropriate ways to respond (ethical judgment)
• Construct arguments defending the significance of individual/groups, places, events, and developments (significance).

Content

• “global poverty and inequality issues, including class structure and gender”

“treatment of minority populations in Canada and in other cultures and societies you have studied (e.g., segregation, assimilation, integration, and pluralism; multiculturalism policies; settlement patterns; residential schools…”

 

How has the document perpetuated inequity, class structure and gender identities?

 

Using in the Classroom: 

 

Introduction to Rights and Freedoms (Grade 6): In order to assist young students in developing an understanding of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, invite the class to: 

• Create a charter for the class (ex. Everyone student or group of students has the right to be heard, has the responsibility to listen, has the right to finish their snack).

• Analyze and come up with lists of rights, freedoms, and responsibilities in classroom and at home
• Discuss voting and systems of law/punishment – are these fair systems? Always? (eg, What if there are 11 people in the class and 6 vote to have chocolate ice cream and 5 vote for vanilla – does that mean everyone has to have chocolate?) If we all vote to elect a class leader and then that class leader makes decisions we disagree with, what do we do?
• Look at the different cultures and characteristics present in the classroom: how can we include each one in our Charter? Are there any not included in the classroom that we need to think about?

 

Analysis Activity (Grade 6):

 Using the link below, a simplified version of the Charter, break students up into groups and ask each group to analyze a section of the Charter in order to summarize and then present their findings to the class. Throughout this activity encourage students to critically analyze the document to find injustices using prompting questions (ex. Are the rights of certain groups underrepresented).

 

Ask students whether they feel the following individual or groups rights are represented: 

• LGBTQ rights
• Rights for people of all races
• Gender rights
• Demonstrators/ political movements
• Religious Freedoms
• Language rights

 

Resource: https://www.lawlessons.ca/sites/default/files/handouts/Handout-1-3-1.pdf

 

Analysis Activity 2: 

Have students translate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms from legal jargon to everyday language. 

Uncritical use: Students read the document and practice interpreting the language to show understanding, without discussing its application, merits, and issues. 

Critical use: Open discussion and debate about possible short falls of the Charter. Critical discussion about how the charter has been “worked around” by the Candain government to oppress minorities, and how its literal interpretation may exclude minorities and define Indigenour people as “others”. 

Debate/Discussion: Canadians should be proud of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, they are better off and have more human rights than other countries because of it. 

Or 

The document has many flaws, promotes and enables the country to turn a blind eye to social inequities. 

 

CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS (1982): 

(some issues we found)

• “Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:”
• Nunavut just doesn’t exist (it did not exist at the time this was written but perhaps the charter should be updated) 
• What about Indigenous languages?
  • Language learning: “Provided there are enough people to warrant it” – who decides?
• “Justified in a free, [equitable!?], and democratic society.”
• Fundamental Freedoms: why is religion placed so high? Are there any missing (eg. self-determination?)
• Democratic Rights: there is nothing here about the right to dissent/resist as a participatory citizen
• Should the word ‘just’ be used rather than lawful?
• Mobility Rights: sucks if you’re poor/mentally ill/victim of other trauma
• Legal Rights: police carding? Who defines “reasonable”/”unreasonable”?
• Equality Rights: gender? Difference between sex/gender?
• General: 
  • why are “Aboriginal” rights only included here and do not have their own section? Language “Aboriginal” vs. “Indigenous”, rights and freedoms as recognized by Royal Proclamation of 1763 and land claims agreements (is that all? Is that enough??)
  • Rights guaranteed equally to “both” sexes (ALL sexes and genders)