Fatma UNAL
In the most general sense children’s rights can be defined as benefits which are protected by legal rules so that the child can grow up in a healthy, normal way and in freedom and dignity with the aspects of physical, cognitive, sensual, social and moral. The most important document regulating children’s rights is the “Convention on the Rights of the Child” accepted by United Nations. In order to teach their rights to children, all the lessons in school curriculum, for example in life sciences, social studies and Turkish classes, should include the subject of rights and responsibilities. The aim of this study is to reveal to what extent the subject of children’s rights is included in primary school in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade life sciences textbooks which were published and delivered to schools to be taught during the academic year of 2011 to 2012 by the Ministry of National Education. In the study, qualitative research method was preferred and the texts in all themes of life sciences textbooks of 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade were studied with content analysis. In analysing data, frequencies and percent were used. In the study, it was found that terms related to children’s rights were used in the 2nd grade life sciences textbooks at most in parallel with the lesson curriculum. It was suggested that in the gains of life sciences classes children’s rights should be taken into consideration and the textbooks should be rearranged.
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