United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Background Information and Inquiry Assignment

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Background Information and Inquiry Assignment is a comprehensive resource designed for educators teaching in grades 5-10. Its aim is to prompt academic curiosity in students, help foster inquiry skills, and teach students about this significant global document: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

How to Use:

1. First, students are given a one-page handout with questions about the UNDRIP. They will learn when it was created, how many articles it contains, and they will reflect on why it was needed to be created in the first place. You can go through this sheet with your class as a whole, or you can assign the task as a research assignment for pairs and small groups.

2. Next, students will be given their task: "Your teacher will assign one of the articles to you. Read it carefully and paraphrase its meaning in your own words. Then, research to find an example(s) of when it was NOT upheld. Next, find a separate example(s) of it being upheld since the UNDRIP was adopted.  A brief sample is shown below. Yours should have more details and depth."

3. They will examine the sample to learn how to complete their own inquiry.

4. Students will complete research into their assigned article from the UNDRIP. They will find current or historical examples of it being both upheld and broken.

5. Students can present all of their articles to the class to learn from one another. They could create a short PowerPoint presentation to showcase their learning.

What's Included:

5 page PDF:

Title Page

Question Sheet

Research Sample

Research Graphic Organizer

Answer Key

Grades to Use With:

This lesson is designed for students in grades 5-10 who are learning about human rights, indigenous issues, or current events in social studies classes.