Is free speech hate speech?

Megan | Jul 10, 2024Jul 10, 2024

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this speaking lesson on free speech are to:

• discuss free speech and the ethics of censorship;
• watch and discuss a video about different perspectives on freedom of speech;
• talk about the impact of controversial statements.  

In this lesson, students talk about free speech considering different perspectives. They learn the definitions of ‘free speech’ and ‘hate speech’ and discuss their opinions on the impact of free speech, hate speech laws, and censorship. Students also watch part of a video (4 minutes) about freedom of speech, talk about their viewpoints on the topic and discuss the consequences of provocative statements in different scenarios.

WARM-UP AND VIDEO

This speaking lesson on free speech begins with a warm-up where students read a quote about free speech and discuss its meaning. Then, they state whether they agree with it and explain their answer. Following that, students look at the definitions of ‘free speech’ and ‘hate speech’ and discuss questions about their opinions on those definitions and their application. Afterwards, they watch part of a video in which three speakers discuss freedom of speech showing different perspectives. Students explain which viewpoint resonates with them most. Then, they choose viewpoints about the impact of free speech, hate speech laws, and censorship (e.g. Polarization is/isn’t the result of free speech.), complete them and provide details about their answer.

DISCUSSION

In this part of the speaking lesson on free speech, students look at examples of censorship (e.g. cutting books out of school curriculums, banning religious symbols from workplaces, etc.) and discuss questions about the effects and ethics of censorship. Then, they do a task in which they read different scenarios (e.g. A corporation fires an employee for expressing xenophobic views outside the workplace.). They answer questions on the impact of controversial statements, consequences for public figures, personal reactions to differing views, and workplace speech regulations.

WORKSHEETS

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