The Civil Rights Movement

1
The Civil Rights Movement

• Heroes, Sheroes, and the Struggle for Equitable
  Citizenship

2
Unit Sketch

• Richard Scott Rennert. Hank Aaron. New York
  Chelsea House Publishers, 1993. General
  Collections. (9-26) Courtesy of Chelsea House

3
Time Frame

• This unit could take longer than six weeks.
  Ideally students would be allowed to investigate
  this topic for a full quarter.
• Time limits in specific lessons have
  intentionally been left out to allow for
  flexibility in planning specifics.

4
Essential Questions

• What are our civil rights?
• What was the Civil rights Movement about?
• How has the Civil Rights Movement impacted daily
  life, housing, schools, dining, entertainment,
  transportation, and employment?
• What do I have the right to do?
• How has society changed?
• Are changes still taking place?

5
Unit Standards Alignment

• Illinois Learning Standards
• 16.E.2c (US) Describe the influence of key
  individuals and groups, including Susan. B
  Anthony/suffrage and Martin Luther King/civil
  rights, in the historic eras of IL and the US
• 14.F.2. Identify consistencies and
  inconsistencies between expressed US political
  traditions, ideas, and actual practices (e.g.,
  freedom of speech, right to bear arms, slavery,
  voting rights).
• 16.A2a. Read historical stories and determine
  events which influenced their writing.
• 16A2c Ask questions and seek answers by
  collecting and analyzing data from historic
  documents, images and other literary and
  non-literary sources.
• 14F2 Identify consistencies and inconsistencies
  between expressed United States political
  traditions and ideas and actual practices (e.g.,
  freedom of speech, right to bear arms, slavery,
  voting rights).
• 18B2a Describe interactions of individuals,
  groups, and institutions in situations drawn from
  the local government (e.g., local response to
  state and local reforms).

6
Unit Standards Alignment

• National Standards
• Culture
• Time, Continuity, and Change
• People, Places, and Environments
• Individual Development and Identity
• Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Power, Authority, and Governance
• Global Connections
• Civic Ideals and Practices

7
A Variety of Instructional Methods

• Short term - Whole class/small group assignments
  conducted daily
• Long term Read The Watsons go to Birmingham
  1963 and other childrens literature in language
  arts.
• Long term - Students create a timeline
  identifying important events
• Timeline circles the room
• Includes pictures, drawings, and written
  descriptions
• Long term- Small Group Research Assignment
  culminating in a power point presentation,
  documentary, play, newspaper, or other
  presentation format
• Small group of three students choose a topic to
  study
• Synthesizes material
• Presents data
• Responds to questions from the audience (other
  students)
• Topics to choose from include Where were the
  Women?, Native Americans, Marches on Washington,
  Latinos/Latinas, Different Faiths/Same Cause,
  Freedom Singers, Freedom Riders, Freedom Summer,
  NAACP, SNCC, Black Power, Rainbow Coalition,
  Segregation, De facto Segregation in
  Champaign-Urbana, Freedom Schools

8
Freedom Film Festival

• Toward the beginning of the unit, there will be a
  film festival that is at least one day long.
• We recommend And the Children Shall Lead, Malcolm
  X, Mississippi Burning, Hoop Dream, and Guess
  Whos Coming to Dinner.
• This film festival will help students decide what
  they would like to study in their long-term group
  research project and will reach students with
  visual and auditory intelligences.

9
Music

• This unit will utilize the broad spectrum of
  music produced during and about the Civil Rights
  Movement.
• The unit will begin with students listening to
  and discussing several powerful songs.
• Questions
• What do you think these songs are about?
• What do you think the writers singers of these
  songs are feeling?
• What does freedom mean?
• What are rights?
• See the bibliography for suggestions. Some
  selections are included on this CD and may be
  downloaded for educational purposes.

10
Lesson Ideas - Constitutional Rights

• Description What are our constitutional rights?
• Using a series of readers theater dramatizations
  of letters and speeches written/spoken by civil
  rights activists and politicians, reading
  childrens literature, and viewing film of
  speeches on the history channel website (as
  listed in bibliography) have students examine
  their constitutional rights.
• What are your constitutional rights?
• What do I have the right to do?
• What was the Civil rights Movement about?
• How has society changed?
• Purpose
• Students will determine what their constitutional
  rights are by examining primary resources and
  question how some members of society may be
  denied their civil rights.

11
Lesson Ideas - Constitutional Rights (Continued)

• Stages of Inquiry
• Tuning in
• Preparing to find out
• Finding out
• Instructional Strategy
• Guided inquiry
• Assessment
• Formative assessment of group discussions
• Summative assessment of journal entries.

12
Lesson Ideas - Role of Government

• Brown v. Board of Education
• Description Students will be placed into groups.
  Each group will study one of the cases in Brown
  v. Board of Education and will investigate the
  details of the case and present their findings to
  the class. As a class, students will discuss the
  decision and the impact the decision has had on
  education in the United States.
• Purpose To allow students to investigate the
  legalities involved in the Civil Rights Movement.
  
• Stages of Inquiry
• Tuning in
• Preparing to find out
• Finding out
• Sorting out
• Making connections
• Instructional Strategy
• Full inquiry
• Assessment
• Formative assessment of classroom discussion

13
Lesson Ideas - Political Activism Then

• Description If Not Us, Then Who?
• As an extension of the readings and discussions
  in the previous lesson regarding constitutional
  rights this project will give students the
  opportunity to research the life of a civil
  rights activist and groups and create a book or
  power point presentation to the class.
• Begin with student discussion and read from from
  The Civil Rights Movement for Kids (chapter 4 If
  Not Us, Then Who? Freedom Riders, 1961).
• View and discuss photos from If Not Us, Then
  Who?
• Stage student run reenactments.

14
Lesson Ideas - Political Activism Then (Continued)

• Lesson Continued
• Discuss essential questions
• How has the Civil Rights Movement impacted daily
  life, housing, schools, dinning, entertainment,
  transportation, and employment?
• How has society changed?
• Are changes still taking place?
• Purpose
• To provide students the opportunity to gain a
  deeper understanding of the sacrifices that the
  activist made in his/her fight for justice.
• Stages of Inquiry
• Sorting out
• Going further
• Taking action

15
Lesson Ideas - Political Activism Then (Continued)

• Instructional Strategy
• Full inquiry
• Assessment
• Formative assessment - discussions reenactments
• Summative - film reenactments organizing a
  protest

16
Lesson Ideas - Political Activism Then and Now in
C-U

• Discuss current civil rights issues in the
  Champaign with members of the community
• Begin this lesson with a discussion of What is
  stereotyping?
• Bring in two community members, one to discuss
  the school issue and one to discuss the police
  profiling issue
• This is be an introduction to oral histories.
  Students will interview these speakers, and then
  students will find others in the community to
  interview about this issue.
• Take Action Organize a demonstration/protest,
  write a letter to someone in power, or write a
  letter to the editor of the local paper.

17
Lesson Ideas - MLKs Birthday

• Lesson
• Description Listen to MLK Jr. speeches from MLK
  tape while reading them print outs of the text.
  Students will highlight areas that they feel
  important/moving and relevant to their research.
• Purpose Students need to hear the power,
  passion, and conviction in MLKs voice to fully
  grasp the magnitude and impact of his words.
• Stage of Inquiry
• Finding out
• Making connections
• Instructional Strategy Focus on auditory and
  visual intelligences.
• Assessment Formative assessment of classroom
  discussion.

18
Lesson Ideas - Diversity within the Civil Rights
Movement

• Lesson pick who you are mask and persons name
• Description Each student will randomly pick a
  mask from a bin. Each mask be painted a
  different skin color representing a different
  race and will also have a name written on it.
  There will be a wide range of races represented
  in the selection. The student will have to
  research this person and assume the attitudes and
  actions of this person during a class reenactment
  dealing with issues/events related to the civil
  rights movement.
• Purpose Students will not be able to choose
  their race and will place in the position of
  experiencing life in someone elses skin.
  Students will gain an understanding of the
  diversity within the Civil Rights Movement and
  the common injustices that they experienced.
• Stage of Inquiry
• Going further
• Instructional Strategy Guided inquiry
• Assessment Formative assessment of reenactments,
  research, and discussion

19
Lesson Ideas - Urban America Then and Now

• Lesson Newspaper Media Inquiry
• Description Have students bring in newspaper
  articles that deal with an issue of
  discrimination and compare these articles to some
  newspaper articles from the civil rights era.
  Student will interview each other and respond to
  the following
• What do I have the right to do?
• Compared to the 1960s
• How has society changed?
• Are changes still taking place?
• Where do we go from here?
• Purpose Compare and contrast the civil rights
  issues (racism) then and nowin order to
  ascertain where we as a society are at and where
  we need to go from here.

20
Lesson Ideas - Urban America Then and Now
(Continued)

• Stage of Inquiry
• Making connections
• Sorting out
• Instructional Strategy
• Guided inquiry
• Students respond and document responses to
  essential questions using video.
• Assessment
• Formative - ongoing classroom discussion
• Summative - media inquiry documentation

21
Assessment

• Summative Assessment - Formal -
  culmination/summation of learning from inquiry,
  could be done in a power point presentation,
  written as a newspaper article, poetry,theatrical
  performance
• Formative Assessment - Informal, ongoing
  assessments made during lessons based on students
  understanding of subject, can be used to
  modify/adjust/change course of lesson
  small/large group discussions.

22
Unit Bibliography - Teacher Literature

• Bode, J. The Colors of Freedom - Immigrant
  Stories.Grolier Publishing. (1999.) New York,
  NY.
• Hine, D. C., William C. Hine and Stanley Harrold.
  The African American Odyssey, Vol. 2 since
  1865. 2nd ed. (Ch 21 The Freedom Movement
  1954-1965 Ch 22 The Struggle Continues
  1965-1980)
• Best as reference for teachers and it also has CD
  with music and speeches.
• Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities
  Childrens in Americas Schools. Crown
  Publishers,
• Inc. (1991.) New York, NY.
• Levstik, L.S. and Keith C. Barton. Doing
  History Investigating With Children in
  Elementary and Middle Schools Second Edition.
  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. (
  2001.) Mahwah, NJ.
• A resources that explains how inquiry is used to
  teach History.
• March, C. Celebrating Black Heritage. Gallopade
  International. (2003.)
• A collection of activities for teaching
  African-American history.
• Mazel, E. (selected and Arranged .) And don't
  call me a racist!" A treasury of quotes on the
  past, present, and future of the color line in
  America.
• Parker, W.D. Social Studies for Elementary
  Education Twelfth Edition. Pearson - Merrill
  Prentice Hall. (2005.) Upper Saddle river, NJ.
• Steffey, S. and Wendy J. Hood. If This Is Social
  Studies, Why Isnt It Boring? Stenhouse
  Publishers. (1994). Portland, ME.
• A narrative resource that provides strategies for
  teaching history and making it relevant and
  meaningful to students.

23
Unit Bibliography - Teacher Literature (Continued)

• Turk, M. C. The Civil Rights Movement for Kids
  A History with 21 Activities. Chicago Review
  Press, Incorporated. (2000). Chicago, IL.
• A collection of background information and
  activities for teaching and learning about the
  Civil Rights Movement.
• Welton, D.A. Children and Their World
  Strategies for Teaching Social Studies Eighth
  Edition.Houghton Milffin Company. (2005.) Boston,
  MA
• A resources that provides strategies and lesson
  plan ideas for teaching Social Studies.

24
Unit Bibliography Childrens Literature and
Resource Books

• Andryszewski, T. The March On Washington 1963
  Gathering To Be Heard. The Millbrook Press.
  (1963.) Brookfield, CN.
• Birdseye, D. H. and Tom Birdseye. Under Our Skin
  Kids Talk About Race. Holiday House. (1997.)
• Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes Ruby Bridges.
  Scholastic Press. (1999.) New York, NY
• Curtis, C. P. The Watsons Go to Birmingham -
  1963. Delacorte Press Bantam Doubleday Dell
  Publishing Group, Inc. (1995.) New York, NY.
• The story of an African-American family that
  takes a trip from their home in Flint, Michigan
  to visit family in Birmingham, Alabama. The
  story takes place during the height of the Civil
  Rights Movement, in 1963.
• Englebert, P. and Betz Des Chenes (Editors.)
  American Civil Rights Primary Sources (Volume 1).
  U.X.L. The Gale Group. (1999.) Detroit, MI.
• A primary sources Cooks that provides nineteen
  documents. This book reflects the diversity with
  in the Civil Rights Movement.
• Grimes, N. Talkin About Bessie The Story of
  Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Orchard Books -
  Scholastic Inc.. (2002.) New York, NY.
• Historical fiction is used tell the story of the
  live of Bessie Coleman
• Haskins, Jim. I Have a Dream The life and
  words of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Millbrook
  Press. (1992). Brookfield, CT.
• Haskins, J. Freedom Rides Journey for Justice.
  Hyperion Books for Children. (1995.) New York,
  NY.
• Howard, M.S. The Civil Rights Marches. ABDO
  Publishing Company. (2004.) Edina, MN.
• .

25
Unit Bibliography Childrens Literature and
Resource Books (Continued)

• January, B. Witness to History Civil Rights.
  Heinemann Library - Reed Elsevier, Inc. (2003.)
  Chicago, IL.
• McKissack, P. C. Goin Someplace Special.
  Antheneum books for Young Readers Simon
  Schuster Childrens Publishing Division. (2001.)
  New York, NY.
• A young African-American girl living in the south
  takes a trip to the library. It is the one
  public facility where everyone (regardless of
  their race) is welcome.
• McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. The Civil
  Rights Movement in America from 1865 to the
  Present, 2nd Ed. Childrens Press. (1994.)
  Chicago, IL.
• McWhorter, Diane. A Dream of Freedom Civil
  Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968. Scholastic
  Inc. (2004.) New York, NY.
• Morrison, T. Remember the Journey to School
  Integration. Houghton Mifflin Company. (2004.)
  Boston.
• Munoz Ryan, P. When Marian Sang. Scholastic
  Inc. (2002.) New York, NY.
• A biography of opera singer Marin Anderson. She
  sang for royalty in Europe but in her own country
  the color of her skin prohibited her from
  achieving the same success.
• Parks, R. Rosa Parks My Story. Dial Books.
  (1992.) New York, NY.
• Pinkney, A.D. Let It Shine Stories of Black Women
  Freedom Fighters. Gulliver Books-Harcourt, Inc.,
  (2000.)New York, NY.
• Short biographies of ten African-American women
  whos actions helped shape U.S. history and
  improve the lives of African Americans
• .

26
Unit Bibliography Childrens Literature and
Resource Books (Continued)

• Raines, Howell. My Soul is Rested Days in the
  Deep South Remembered. Penguin Books. (1983).
  New York, NY.
• Rappaport, D. Martins Big Words The Life of Dr.
  Martin Luther King, Jr. Jump At The Sun -
  Hyperion books for Children. (2001.) New York,
  NY.
• Summer, L. S. Rosa Parks Journey to Freedom The
  African American Library. The Childs World,
  Inc. (2000.) Chanhassen, MN.
• Thomas, J. C. (editor) Linda Brown, You Are Not
  Alone The Brown v. Board of Education Decision.
  Jump At The Sun - Hyperion Books For Children.
  (2003.) New York, NY.
• A collection of writings by children,s authors
  who experienced the changes brought forth by the
  Brown v. BOE decision. The authors share their
  viewpoints and experiences in this collection

27
Unit Bibliography Childrens Literature
(Continued)

• Venable, R. The Civil Rights Movement. The
  Childs World, Inc. (2002.) Chanhassen, MN.. .
• Walsh, F. The Montgomery Bus Boycott. World
  Almanac Library - Discovery Books. (2003.)
  Milwaukee, WI.
• Woodson, J. The Other Side of the Fence
• Zinn, H. A People's History of the United
  States, 1492 to Present. (Ch. 17 "Or Does it
  Explode?") HarperCollins. (1999.) New York,
  NY.
• Zinn, H. The People Speak American Voices,
  Some Famous, Some Little Known.
• HarperCollins. (2004.) New York, NY.

28
Unit Bibliography - Music

• India Arie. Intro (cuz of you change gonna
  come).
• Tracy Chapman. Freedom Now, Material World,
  Subcity
• Billie Holiday. Strange Fruit also sung by Nina
  Simone.
• Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, and
  Pete Seeger. "We Shall Overcome.
• Nina Simone. Mississippi Goddamn.
• Sweet Honey in the Rock.. Ellas Song, More
  Than A Paycheck, Crying for Freedom in South
  Africa, Im Gon Stand, Seven Principles.
• Blood, P. Patterson, A. Rise Up Singing The
  Group Singing Book. Sing-Out Publications,
  Bethlehem, PA. (1992.)

29
Unit Bibliography - Internet Resources

• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart
  9.html
• Hank Aaron quote/ photo from web site - Richard
  Scott Rennert. Hank Aaron. New York Chelsea
  House Publishers, 1993. General Collections.
  (9-26) Courtesy of Chelsea House
• http//www.historychannel.com/classroom/brownvboar
  d/
• The History Channel has film clips of Charles
  Houston's film documentation of inequality of the
  educational system The site includes other film
  clips of critical events that took place during
  the Civil Rights Movement.
• http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aointr
  o.html
• The Library of Congress - African American
  Odyssey - A internet documentary regarding the
  struggle of the African-American for equity and
  justice.

30
Unit Bibliography - Internet Resources

• http//www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline
  1.html
• This web site has a timeline that includes
  current civil rights issues (affirmative action).
• http//www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/index.
  htm
• This website provides an introduction/overview of
  the Civil Rights Movement and lists historic
  sites (written documentation, photos, and maps)
  associated with the Civil Rights Movement.
• http//www.usdoj.gov80/crs/pubs/prevyouhatecrim.h
  tm
• This article addresses hate crimes and provides
  suggestions as to how hate crimes can be
  prevented.

31
Unit Bibliography - Film

• And the Children Shall Lead
• Malcolm X
• Mississippi Burning
• Hoop Dream
• Guess Whos Coming to Dinner.

32
Reflections on Process

• The ability to work with others whom I have
  already shared many positive work experiences
  with dramatically increased my motivation and the
  amount I learned during the writing of this unit.
  Its really amazing to me how much three minds
  and bodies can get done when communication,
  support, and understanding are strong and honest.
  Working with others who are as interested in
  civil rights and equality was also inspirational.
  I truly learned from this process.
• This has been the most engaging group project
  that I have experienced during my course of study
  at UIUC. I had the opportunity to work with two
  individuals (both masters cert students) that
  welcomed my ideas and challenged my thinking.
  There was never any doubt that the assignment was
  ours and that everyones input was valued.
• This was a fabulous process since I got to work
  with two other graduate students and the synergy
  that was created was so much fun and so
  inspiring. The power of three minds working
  together generates a lot of interesting ideas.

33
Reflections on Content

• I was born in 1963, in the north, to biracial
  parents of Caribbean ethnicity. Perhaps it was
  my overprotective parents or the fact that I was
  so young that I dont have and distinct memories
  of events that were taking place while I was
  growing up. This unit made me more aware of the
  extent to which people went to fight for
  equality. Every day people were heroes and
  sheroes. There is so mush that I take for
  granted that I now feel a bit ashamed. Men,
  women, and children laid down their live to fight
  for not only their civil rights but the rights of
  people that they world never know.
• I have been interested lately in learning more
  about the Civil Rights Movement, especially
  through the eyes and lives of women and African
  Americans. I will be the mother of a child of
  color and was embarrassed by my knowledge of this
  important period of American history. Although I
  still have much to learn, I feel I am armed with
  the resources necessary to teach myself and to
  learn from my students.

34
Reflections on Content (continued)

• There is so much to be studied and learned on
  this topic. A teacher could spend years working
  with all these source books and literature. I
  find this so exciting and am sure that I could
  easily inspire students to feel this excitement
  as well!!!! There are so many lessons to be
  learned and applied to todays society. We still
  have very separate worlds in our country. Our
  education system favors upper-class white
  Americans at the expense of all other races and
  classes. The war in Iraq and post 9/11 America
  show the glaring need for tolerance and
  acceptance of all peoples. There is so much
  obvious racism that we hear about and see in our
  country!! The more we expose students to the
  ideas of tolerance and accepting others, the more
  we move our country forward to being a healthier
  and happier place.

35
Reflections on Pedagogical Influences

• The difference between teaching social studies
  using direct instruction, reading our of a text,
  and doing worksheet activates that do not require
  critical thinking and teaching social studies
  using inquiry is like comparing night and day.
  Even thought I have not taught any of these
  lessons I know that the level of engagement
  increases when students are involved in their
  learning. Entire class discussion where student
  use what the know and explore topics using a
  variety of media increase their engagement. I
  have seen it happen. When the student have
  choices, when material is taught in a context
  that is relevant to their lives the classroom
  comes alive. The concern becomes having enough
  time to hear all the voices of the student who
  want to participate in the conversation. This is
  quite different than the disengaged students that
  I see using outdated text that speak only partial
  truths. Making it real and taking action will be
  how I teach.
• I am a visual and auditory learner and was
  thrilled to be able to incorporate these
  intelligences into the unit. Students need to
  feel the Civil Rights Movement, not just read
  about it.

36
Reflections on Pedagogical Influences (continued)

• I hope as a teacher to be able to expose my
  students to ways of thinking of their society as
  a nurturing community for all. I fear that we
  are bombarded with media messages of rich, white
  people so frequently that the idea of a
  multi-cultural and diverse America is so often
  lost. The role of a teacher is to expose young
  minds to new ways of thinking and understanding
  everyones importance and rights. I would hope
  to show students the struggles that they will
  benefit from Civil Rights, Womens Rights, etc.
  There are so many battles still to fight to make
  sure that our country is a fairer place for all
  of its citizens and everyones voice is
  recognized by our government. The idea of
  fighting for ones rights is so essential for the
  ongoing process of democracy. I would hope to
  help all children see that they will be active
  members of society and that they will have
  responsibilities to express their needs for the
  benefit of not only themselves, but everyone in
  their community.