Free Speech
Lesson Plan
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Free speech is a central issue in American politics, one that people on all sides of the political spectrum have advocated for at different points in history. When people disagree about free speech, we can often trace their conflict back to different ideas about the essential purpose of freedom of speech. How can we best protect free speech? How do we distinguish between disagreement, bullying and hate speech? Are there areas of common ground to be found? This lesson will allow students to analyze the different modern perspectives on free speech, and express what free speech means to them.
Estimated Time: Two class periods
Level: 8th – 12th grade
Skills Focus:
Civil Dialogue & Critical Thinking
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, students will have learned:
- Critical analysis: students will gain a deeper understanding of the origins of different political perspectives.
- Collaboration: students will work together and learn from each other through discussion.
- Civil conversation and conflict resolution: students will learn how to listen, understand and respect one another’s views, especially when there are differences of opinion and background.
See how this program complies with Common Core standards.
Tools & Resources Provided By AS4S & Our Partners
Red Blue Dictionary
The AllSides Balanced Dictionary reveals how different people from across the political spectrum think and feel about the same term or issue.
AllSides Topic Pages
The AllSides Topic Page on Free Speech provides students with historical background information on the topic.
Mismatch Platform
The Mismatch platform allows students to engage in structured conversation with another classroom.
Suggested Curriculum / Class Plan
Background
First, students need to understand the issue’s viewpoints from across the political spectrum. Utilize the following resources to familiarize your students with the political discourse surrounding free speech. We suggest going through some of these links as a classroom, so that students establish a shared understanding of the facts.
1. Free Speech Topic page on AllSides:
Give your students a good overview of free speech as a historical issue. The AllSides Topic page provides important background information, as well as current news and opinions on the issue.
2. Balanced Dictionary:
The AllSides Balanced Dictionary reveals how different people from across the political spectrum think and feel about the same term or issue.
For this lesson, you can utilize the following terms: Freedom of Speech, Brave Space, Freedom of Religion/First Amendment Rights, Tolerance and Safe Space
3. AllSides Balanced Search:
Find interesting news stories about free speech using the AllSides Balanced Search Engine. This search engine quickly and easily shows you recent articles that display different perspectives on an issue. Google and other search engines often only give you the most popular perspective, burying or leaving out alternative viewpoints.
In Class
Next, you want the students to participate in a healthy, collaborative dialog regarding free speech. There are a few different options you can choose from.
Participate in an Online Video Dialog:
Mismatch.org: Connect with students across the country with different backgrounds and political perspectives for a respectful video conversation regarding free speech.
Engage in conversations in person:
Alternatively, you can use one of the following conversation guides to hold an in-class discussion. This will allow students to develop their personal perspectives on free speech and learn to respect the opinions of their peers.
Living Room Conversations
Bill of Rights Institute
- Debating Free Speech on Campus
- Free Speech VS Privacy: Snyder v Phelps
- More lesson plans, materials and conversations
Optional Homework Assignments
- Have students write a 300 word reflection after the Free Speech class discussion — what did they learn? Did they have any interesting disagreements?
- Have students write a short description of what they think about free speech, and an analysis of how those that disagree with them think. Why do these people think the way they do? How are they defining free speech? Is there any consensus between the two sides?
