Lesson​: Hate Vs.

Freedom of Speech

Course​: Grade 11 Comprehensive English

Brief Description​: Students will explore various textual forms and discuss how they
relate to an individual’s freedom of speech. Students will then be given the chance to
respond in various ways to what they are discovering or curious about.

Previous Lesson Connections​: This lesson will be a part of a greater unit around
the theme of perspective. This lesson would most likely used as an opening to more
lessons on cultural perspective.

At the end of this lesson, students will​: be able to determine when someone’s
expression infringes on their rights of free speech or other individual’s rights

Curricular Connection:
Express Ideas (1.1.1) Connect ideas, observations, opinions, and emotions through a
variety of means to develop a train of thought and test tentative positions.

Connect Self, Texts, and Culture (2.2.2) Respond personally and critically to ideas
and values presented in a variety of Canadian and international texts.

Access Information (3.2.4) Access information using a variety of tools, skills, and
sources to accomplish a particular purpose.

Relate Texts to Culture (5.2.2) Identify and examine ways in which culture, society,
and language conventions shape texts.

Materials/Resources Needed: ​Students will need access to internet. Most students

have access to WiFi with their smartphones, some students may need chromebooks
or laptops. If this is the case these will be provided prior to the class.

Teacher Setup: ​Get laptops for beginning of class, if laptops are not available
tangible documents can be made for the different articles

Timeframe: Detailed Description of Teacher and Student Activity During Lesson

Activate: (5 min.)
● Teacher will lead a brainstorming session with students to see what they
already know surrounding the topic of hate sites, hate speech, and freedom of
speech
● Students will be prompted to share different words, ideas, thoughts, or
experiences
● This brainstorming session may become quite broad in topical nature, this is
fine as students may wish to explore some of the connected topics further
Acquire: (35-40 min.)
● Students will be given a link to a sutori page
(​https://www.sutori.com/story/speech-and-expression​).
● Think: They will be given time to explore the contents of the sutori as well as
post any questions that they have to the Todaysmeet page (10-15 min)
● Pair: Students will connect with other students and share what they have
discovered as well as what they could add to the class brainstorming session
(5 min.)
● Share: As a class we will edit our brainstorming web, adding or subtracting
elements which may apply or may not apply (5-10 min.)
● As a class we will discuss how we think freedom of speech may interact with
the articles that we have read. Topic questions that we will attempt to answer
will be “what does/doesn’t freedom of speech protect?”, “what should/shouldn’t
freedom of speech protect?” (5-10 min.)

Application: (15-20 min.)

● Students will then be given the chance to create or respond to what has been
discussed in class. Students will be encouraged to respond formally by a text
response to one of the articles/videos that was previously addressed in the
lesson (a formal response will help prepare students for provincial
examinations)
● Students may wish to respond in a less conventional way (ex. Poetry, short
story, quick website etc.)

Forms of Assessment:
● In order to accommodate the various forms of response that may be created,
students will be assessed using an inclusive text response rubric.

5 - Insightful 4 - Thorough 3 - Adequate 2 - Marginal 1 - Inadequate

Insightful and Thorough Adequate Marginal Response

well-crafted response with response with response reflects
response that strong support limited reflects inadequate
extends from the text. elaboration minimal understanding
beyond the and support understanding of the text
obvious from the text. of the text, but and/or the
interpretation lacks support. task.
of the text and
offers strong
support from
the text.
References Used in Lesson:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

Branch, L. S. (2018, February 08). Consolidated federal laws of canada, Access to

Information Act. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html

News, C. (2011, October 12). When is it hate speech?: 7 significant Canadian cases.

Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/when-is-it-hate-speech-7-significant-canadian-cases-1.1

036731

North, A. (2017, June 01). The Scope of Hate in 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/opinion/hate-crime-lebron-james-college-park-mu

rder.html

Number Hate Sites Increase Online. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/intelligence-report/1998/number-hate-sites-incre

ase-online

P. (2017, August 19). Tech companies shut down white nationalist sites. Retrieved

February 22, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqJzpLsnXtI

Xia, R. (2017, June 5). Hate speech vs. free speech: Where is the line on college campuses?

Retrieved February 22, 2018, from

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-berkeley-free-speech-20170605-story.html