Lesson Plan: The Civil Rights MovementLesson Basics

Class level: Beginning Topic: Civil Rights MovementLength: 2 hours

Objectives:The student will be able to: State whether they agree or disagree with a statement Understand vocabulary related to the civil rights movement including boycott and

segregation Talk about important people in the civil rights movement including Rosa Parks and

Martin Luther King. Read a simplified story about the Montgomery Bus Boycott Retell the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Evaluate what is good and what could be improved in their community

Language skill primary focus:

X Listening X Speaking _X Reading _X_ Writing

Benchmarks from Virginia’s Adult ESOL Content Standards: S3.1d Use simple expressions of satisfaction/ dissatisfaction and agreement/

disagreement. S3.4 Produce information using familiar vocabulary, strings of phrases, and simple

sentences; provide some elaboration. L3.3c Listen with a purpose for specific information in familiar non-face-to- face

contexts. R3.1c Understand connected text on a single topic with some unfamiliar

vocabulary that is not essential for comprehension of the meaning. R3.2b Comprehend a story or description containing familiar vocabulary. R3.3a Use visuals or other aids and real- world knowledge to predict content or

draw logical conclusions about text. W3.1a Write for a variety of purposes

Materials/Equipment: Handout 1 and 2 Online access UDL Book Builder: “The Montgomery Bus Boycott” Ted Ed Video Lesson PowerPoint for story retelling Post-its

Stages of the Lesson Plan

Warm Up/Review. Activity Steps:

Grouping Strategies:whole group

Materials Needed:Post-itsOnline accessVideo clip about segregation

Morality Spectrum:Draw a spectrum line on the board

‘No’ on one side, ‘Yes’ on the other. Ask students, Is it ever okay to break the law? What are

some times where it might be okay to break the law? Give students post-its and have them place their post-it how they feel on the spectrum

Would it be okay to break the law for: Emergency? Self defense? Moral reasons? Unfair law? Didn’t know about the law?- For example, not knowing about laws against having chickens in the town/city, or for number of unrelated people who can live together, etc.

We are going to learn about someone who broke a law on a bus.

Do you ever ride the bus? How do you get to class? to work? to the store? Did you ever ride a bus in your native country? On the bus, could you sit anywhere? Explain that in the United States in1876 to1965 there

were laws that black Americans had to be separate from white Americans. This was called segregation. (write segregation on the board)

Show a video clip about segregation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7eNRB2_0Q say, “Watch this video to see some pictures of what

segregation was like. The signs say ‘colored’ for African American people.” Show the first 40 seconds of the video, pausing to explain the signs. The first two signs say they will only let white people buy things. I would pause it at .38- ask what is happening, and guide student understanding if they have trouble.

Introduction/Presentation Segregation simulation and video activityGrouping Strategies: Whole group, flexible grouping

Materials Needed: Online access Link to the Ted Ed video and

activities: http://ed.ted.com/activity/lessons?lesson=QWiyoBE4&state=update Picture of Rosa Parks- see

Teacher Resources

Activity Steps: The United States Declaration of Independence states- ‘All men are created equal.’ In the 1890’s black Americans did not feel they were being treated equal to white people. Black people went to the courts to protect their rights. On May 18, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation- providing separate but equal services- was constitutional.Compete a simulation of bus segregation (see teacher resources for specific directions)

Stop simulation and debrief. Is this separate? Is this equal? A woman named Rosa Parks (show her picture- teacher resources) did not think this was equal.

Complete the Ted-Ed video activity. (See instructions in teacher resources) Before having students complete the discussion question, go back to the spectrum from the warm up activity. Some possible discussion questions: Did Rosa Parks do something wrong? Did she break the law? Was she violent? What would the result of violence have been?

Part 2: Presentation Story about the Montgomery Bus Boycott

Grouping Strategies:Individually or in pairs

Materials Needed:Online accessUDL Book Builder: “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”And/or UDL Book Builder: “The Montgomery Bus Boycott- Easy Version”

Story: Montgomery Bus Boycott Have students read the story about the Montgomery Bus

Boycott. Choose whether you want students to read it independently, or listen to the audio file, or read first, then play the audio. Students can click on underlined words to see a definition of the word. Some or all of your students can read the ‘easy version’ if appropriate for your unique students.

Discuss the story as a whole groupOptional- have students listen to the song which is linked at the end of the book- ‘Back of the Bus’

Guided Practice

Grouping Strategies:Individually or in pairs

Materials Needed:Handout 1a (easy version) or 1b

Activity Steps: Before class, cut up handout 1a, 1b or some of each.

(or have students do it). 1a is an easier version. Have students work in pairs, each student will get half

the pictures and text. Have students work together to match the pictures to the text, and then put them in order.

Model the procedure first. Review the pronunciation of some of the more difficult words.

Have students practice reading the story.

Communicative Practice

Grouping Strategies Pairs

Materials Needed:Powerpoint (link in Teacher Resources)

or Handout 2a (easy version) or 2b

Activity Steps: Have students find a new partner. Have students retell the story using pictures to guide them, taking turns talking about each picture. Copy and cut up Handout 2a or 2b, or use Powerpoint

pictures to guide students. (2a is the easy version)Discuss how the Montgomery Bus Boycott was part of the larger civil rights movement.

Application

Grouping Strategies: Whole group

Materials Needed:Examples of recent citizen action that resulted in change

Activity Steps: Discuss the nature of the bus boycott. Did the people protest in a violent or nonviolent way?

Why? Was this effective? How would things have been different if they protested with violence?

Who made the boycott happen? Rich? Powerful people? No, everyday people- the power of many

Discuss a recent example of citizen action: Bring in some pictures/articles about a recent example

of how ordinary people put pressure on a company, organization, or the government to change something or stop something from happening.

Perhaps a local example of citizens blocking cuts to schools, new roads, powerlines, a cell tower, or the bad policy of company.

Ask if students can share some examples.

Evaluation Grouping Strategies: various

Materials Needed:

Activity Steps If appropriate for your students, you can evaluate their

answers to the ‘think’ questions and the discussion in the Ted Ed activity in the presentation stage of the lesson.

Evaluate student understanding of the Montgomery Bus Boycott book during the guided practice stage.

Evaluate student’s retelling in the communicative practice stage.

Extension Grouping Strategies: Small groups

Materials Needed:Handout 2

Activity StepsOne of the leaders of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King, said in a speech “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Martin Luther King had a vision of how his community

and nation could be a better place. In small groups, have students brainstorm what is good about their

community and what could be better using a T chart. (Handout 2)

Share with the whole class, and use the student’s ideas to develop a service project for the class.

Additional Extension Ideas:

Civil Rights Songs

Share some of the songs sung during the civil rights movement. Talk about what people do to help them get through tough times- church, songs, family, etc.

Handout 1aDirections: Put the pictures and text in order to tell the story

Black people did not ride the bus. They walked.

Buses were not segregated. Black people could sit anywhere on the bus.

Rosa Parks did not get up. The police came.

Buses were segregated. Black people had to sit in the back of the bus.

Martin Luther King said, “Do not ride the bus.”

Black people had to get up if a White person needed a seat.

Handout 1bDirections: Put the pictures and text in order to tell the story

There was a boycott. Black people did not ride the bus. They walked.

Buses were not segregated. Black people could sit anywhere on the bus.

One day, a black woman named Rosa Parks would not get up to give her seat to a white man. The police arrested her.

Martin Luther King said, “We must protest without violence.”

Buses were segregated. Black people had to sit in the back of the bus. Black people had to get up if a White person needed a seat.

Some White people were mad about the boycott. They bombed 4 churches and some homes. Martin Luther King was put in jail for 2 weeks for starting the boycott.

Handout 2aTell the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

12

3 4

5 6

Handout 2b

Tell the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

12

3 4

5 6

Handout 3

Think about your community. Think about what services are in your community and how they are run. (Post office, library, schools, government offices, community center, etc.) Think about how people treat other people. How could the community be a better place to live? Make a list:

What is good?Community Strengths

What could be better?Community Problems

Look at your ‘What could be better” list. Share your ideas with the class. Choose something to work on as a class to make your community a better place to live.

Teacher Resources 1

Image from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c4/Rosaparks.jpg/421px-Rosaparks.jpg

Teacher Resources:Warm Up/ Review:

Video about segregation (pictures of segregation signs, with background music) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-7eNRB2_0Q

Introduction/Presentation: Bus segregation simulation: Line up rows of chairs to simulate a bus- with not enough seats for everyone. Leave room for

a ‘door’ in front and a door towards the back. Make 2 tent signs using card stock paper- blue only and red only- put the red sign at the front of the ‘bus’, put the blue sign about halfway back. Randomly have students choose a red or blue ribbon or piece of yarn. Have them tie the ribbon on their wrist.

You will be the driver (or choose a student and tell them the rules to enforce) Have students get on the bus and pay the driver. If they have a blue ribbon, they must then

step off the bus and enter at the back. The people who have blue ribbons must sit at the back of the bus.

At some point the reds will fill their section- then the driver moves the sign and tells any blues sitting there they must get up and move so the reds can sit down.

Ted Ed Video Activity link: http://ed.ted.com/activity/lessons?lesson=QWiyoBE4&state=update Ted Ed is a site where you can create activities around a video. You can add questions (with video clip

prompts), a discussion, and extension resources.

Preview the Ted ED video and accompanying activities and decide:oWill your students complete this activity in small groups, pairs, or individually?oWill your students do all the activities or only some?,oWhat level of scaffolding do you need to provide to help your students understand the content? If

needed, have a whole group discussion after the video, before the ‘think’ questions. Or go through the questions as a whole group, with students voting for their choice of the correct answer.

oWill students answer the ‘discuss’ question individually in writing, or in pairs, small groups, or as a whole group?

Navigating Ted Ed: Be sure to preview the activity before class. It is easy to navigate, but it might take a few minutes to figure out the controls and layout of the lesson. You may need to create an account to access the lesson. Use the activity headings on the right to navigate through the lesson. (Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, etc.) Feel free to pick and choose which activities are most appropriate for your unique students.

Guided Practice:Online book about The Montgomery Bus Boycott at UDL Book Builder. Access by going to the public library section of the site here: http://bookbuilder.cast.org/library.php Search for the title “The Montgomery Bus Boycott”. Or go to: http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=share&book=ebc0d72d2d21a6567bdd2e5cccba194b&sid=17612 (Easy version) or http://bookbuilder.cast.org/view.php?op=share&book=163cafdae47928d57e2fa851dec9cdf1&sid=17613 (More difficult version)

Communicative Practice: Handout 1, or use Powerpoint pictures to guide student retellings:

Regular Version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxnwTyxcFX9fNUczNF9NeDk2Q0E/edit?usp=sharing

Easy Version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxnwTyxcFX9faVBwLU84alVDSE0/edit?usp=sharing

Application: Find a recent, and ideally a local example of how non-violent citizen action

made a change.

Extension: Civil Rights Protest Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YHWnlo_Pdk A Change is Gonna Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-4I18JFFU (pictures of struggle of the civil rights movement) We Shall Overcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUkOLGLgwg History of Freedom Songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKWo7oMCOLQ

Suggestions for adapting the lesson to higher levels:

Warm Up:Your discussion can be in more depth. Students can watch a longer clip of the video and

discuss what segregation in all aspects of life would be like.

Introduction/Presentation: Higher level video about Rosa Parks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNzQW_lwOko Have students read about the bus incident in Rosa Parks own words (below)

Guided Practice: Students can read the story independently. Higher level videos and reading: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott Have students read Martin Luther King’s Boycott Address (below)

Communicative Practice: Have students retell the story, then have them write the story in their own words.

Application:Bring in several articles about recent citizen action, do a jigsaw activity where students form

groups to read the different articles, then form new groups to share what they read.

Evaluation: In the Ted Ed Lesson, have students independently complete the questions in the think

section, and respond to the discussion.

Extension: Perhaps have students form service project groups around common interests.Martin Luther King Speech and pictures “We Shall Overcome” We Shall Overcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=130J-FdZDtY

US Citizenship Questions addressed in this lesson:

84. What movement tried to end racial discrimination? o civil rights (movement)

85. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?* o fought for civil rightso worked for equality for all Americans

100. Name two national U.S. holidays. o New Year’s Dayo Martin Luther King, Jr. Dayo Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day

This lesson could be extended to include the following question: 77. What did Susan B. Anthony do?

o fought for women’s rights, fought for civil rights

Rosa Parks Story in her own words:

When that day came, I was ready. That white bus driver walked back toward me. He waved his hand and ordered me to get up. Right then I wrapped my determination around my body like a quilt on a winter night. I felt protected from all the meanness of every white driver I’d seen through the years who had been ugly to me and all the other Negro people.The police came. One policeman picked up my purse. The second one picked up my shopping bag. They arrested me, they led off the bus, and escorted to the squad car. In the car they returned my personal belongings to me. The did not put their hands on me or force me into the car. As they were driving me to the City Hall, one of them asked me, “Why didn’t you stand up when the driver spoke to you? I did not answer. I remained silent all the way to City Hall.After my arrest, the NAACP called for a boycott of the buses to protest. And a few days after my arrest, almost all Negros in Montgomery, Alabama stopped riding the buses. Those who were scared, those who gave up, those who were silent – well they all put aside their fear and their silence and they said enough is enough, “Until the laws change, we won’t ride the buses.There were 17,000 Negros who rode the buses each day. That was over 3⁄4 of the riders. When we boycotted, the bus company lost so much money they had to close down many of their routes.And the boycott wasn’t just one day or one week. That bus boycott lasted more than a year, 381 days. Getting around wasn’t easy. The NAACP set up 300 scheduled car pools, but mostly we walked. Some walked more than an hour and a half each way to work. Through all kinds of weather, we walked. We walked because we believed what we were doing was important.Finally, just recently, after a year of walking, the United States Supreme Court declared segregation on ALL public transportation was illegal. I have to tell you, it still amazes me that it took so long for such a basic right to be granted to Negros. But at least I know that the Negro people of Montgomery, Alabama walked for 381 days so that ALL Negros in the United States of America could sit on any train, any trolley, and any bus, anywhere we pleased.

It was not easy, but it was worth it.Excerpt from lesson found at: http://www.racebridgesforschools.com/LindaGorham/Rosa-Parks.pdf

Boycott Address Given By: Martin Luther King, Jr.

There comes a time that people get tired. We are here this evening to say to those who have mistreated us so long that we are tired--tired of being segregated and humiliated; tired of being kicked about by the brutal feet of oppression.. . For many years we have shown amazing patience. We have sometimes given our white brothers the feeling that we like the way we are being treated. But we come here tonight to be saved from that patience that makes us patient with anything less than freedom and justice. One of the great glories of democracy is the right to protest for right. . . If you will protest courageously and yet with dignity and Christian love, when the history books are written in future generation the historians will pause and say, "There lived a great people a black people who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization." That is our challenge and our overwhelming responsibility. (Eyes on the Prize, page 76)

We shall overcomeWe shall overcomeWe shall overcomeWe shall overcome some day

Refrein:Oh deep in my heart I do believe We shall overcome some day

We are not afraidWe are not afraid We are not afraid today

We’ll walk hand in hand We’ll walk hand in hand We’ll walk hand in hand some day

We shall live in peaceWe shall live in peaceWe shall live in peace some day

The truth will make us free The truth will make us free The truth will make us free some day

We shall brothers beWe shall brothers beWe shall brothers be some day

We shall once be freeWe shall once be freeWe shall once be free some day

The whole wide world around The whole wide world around The whole wide world around some day

We shall overcomeWe shall overcomeWe shall overcome some day

El Alma de la Raza Series. © 2001 Denver Public Schools