Fairness, Justice & Rights

Understanding fairness, dignity, and rights, and noticing where they are honored or denied.

K–12 objective ladder

• K D09.S2.K.01 Tell when something is fair or unfair in a simple situation like sharing or taking turns.
• 1 D09.S2.01.01 Describe a fair way and an unfair way to share a toy or snack and say which is fair.
• 1 D09.S2.01.02 Name one thing every person in the class needs to feel safe and treated well.
• 2 D09.S2.02.01 Explain why treating everyone the same is not always fair, using an example like different needs.
• 2 D09.S2.02.02 Name a right that children have, such as the right to play or learn, and why it matters.
• 3 D09.S2.03.01 Tell the difference between a need and a want and explain why meeting needs fairly matters.
• 3 D09.S2.03.02 Identify a situation where someone was left out or treated unequally and describe how to make it more fair.
• 4 D09.S2.04.01 Explain what dignity means (being treated as a person of worth) and give an example of it being honored or denied.
• 4 D09.S2.04.02 Evaluate whether a rule or practice is fair to everyone it affects and explain the judgment.
• 5 D09.S2.05.01 Explain what a right is, where some rights come from (such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), and why they apply to all children.
• 5 D09.S2.05.02 Compare how fairness was or was not honored in a historical or story example, and who benefited.
• 6 D09.S2.06.01 Distinguish between fairness (what people deserve) and justice (correcting wrongs and protecting rights), using examples.
• 6 D09.S2.06.02 Explain how rules, laws, or systems can treat some groups unfairly even when no one person intends harm.
• 7 D09.S2.07.01 Analyze a case of inequality or injustice, identifying who is affected, who benefits, and what would make it more just.
• 7 D09.S2.07.02 Explain what human rights are and analyze a case where they were honored or violated.
• 8 D09.S2.08.01 Compare different ideas of justice (such as equal treatment, need, and restitution) and apply them to a real case.
• 8 D09.S2.08.02 Analyze how power and access shape who gets their rights protected and who does not.
• 9 D09.S2.09.01 Analyze a systemic injustice, tracing how individual actions, rules, and structures combine to produce unfair outcomes.
• 9 D09.S2.09.02 Evaluate the idea of human rights across cultures, including critiques that they reflect some traditions more than others.
• 10 D09.S2.10.01 Analyze global justice questions, such as who bears responsibility for climate harm or poverty, and weigh competing answers.
• 10 D09.S2.10.02 Evaluate how technology and data can expand or limit rights, such as privacy, and argue for protections.
• 11 D09.S2.11.01 Analyze the relationship between justice, power, and law, and argue for how an unjust law or system should be changed.
• 11 D09.S2.11.02 Evaluate competing theories of justice (such as those centered on freedom, equality, or care) and apply them to a current issue.
• 12 D09.S2.12.01 Weigh a real, contested question of justice and rights, locally and globally, and defend a reasoned position that accounts for multiple perspectives.
• 12 D09.S2.12.02 Reflect on their own responsibilities to fairness and justice in their communities and in the wider world, and how they will act.

Taught in