Students engage  in reading a variety of books and other resources which focus on the Civil Rights movement in the 60’s and also look at conditions for African American people prior to the movement. Resources include biographical, nonfiction,  historical fiction, picture books and chapter books to support a variety of student interests and reading levels. Writing, note taking, use of close reading strategies and response to reading tasks offer an opportunity for students to think deeply about the historical events and notable people of the civil rights era.

This unit works particularly well when taught in conjunction with a Social Studies unit on the Civil Rights Movement.

This study may run 4 to 5 weeks.

GRADE
6-8

THEME
Four Freedoms

LENGTH
4-5 weeks

DISCIPLINE
Social Studies; Language Arts: Reading; Language Arts: Writing

VOCABULARY
Civil rights; Integration; Segregation; Movement; Equality; Inequality; Desegregation; Klu Klux Klan; Activist; Freedom Riders; Rebels; Jim Crow; Sit-ins; Protests; Demonstrations; Boycott; Marchers; Racist; NAACP

1. Abolishing slavery did not give the African American citizens freedom.
2. Jim Crow laws in the South greatly affected the lives of African Americans living in the southern states.
3. People of all ages were responsible for the success of the Civil Rights Movement which lasted for many years.
4. The Civil Rights Movement made gains through important events that occurred throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
5. The Civil Rights Movement continues to have implications in today’s society.

• What is the Civil Rights Movement?
• What events in the history of the United States impacted on the Civil Rights Movement?
• Who were the important participants in the movement? What impact did they have on the movement?
• How is this movement relevant in today’s society?

• Students read from a collection of fiction and nonfiction texts and view videos related to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Students participate in book talks and group discussions, sharing supported thoughts and insights from their readings.
• Students identify events and people from the Civil Rights Movement that impacted the advancement of civil rights for African American citizens.

The abolishment of slavery brought on new challenges for the African American people. They could no longer be owned by others, however, former slaves and their families living in the south had very few rights. Jim Crow Laws enforced segregation of all public facilities. These laws mandated “separate but equal facilities and accommodations” for African Americans in the south. In effect until 1965, these laws prohibited African American people from eating at restaurants with white patrons, using public restrooms and water fountains not designated for “blacks,” or sitting in certain areas on public transportation. In addition, their children could only attend schools designated for people of their own race. However, southern state and town governments were pushing to maintain the status quo.

The NAACP, an organization founded in 1909, was fighting the hardest to eliminate Jim Crow Laws. In the 1950s, the civil rights movement joined the fight. The courts were slowly ruling against racially-biased laws, requiring desegregation in the south. Through peaceful marches, sit-ins and lawsuits, civil rights organizers and their fellow citizens provided the final push to overturn Jim Crow Laws. By the end of the 1960s, all citizens of the United States, whether they lived in the north or south, no matter their skin color had inclusive, equal rights.

In 1963, Norman Rockwell stopped creating artwork for The Saturday Evening Post after forty-seven years. He was interested in creating artworks that would have an impact, and through his work, began to explore ways to support the civil rights movement, which had gained momentum. Commissioned by Look in the 1960s, Rockwell created three iconic paintings reflecting the impact of racial bias in our country. The artist’s 1964 painting titled The Problem We All Live With gently presents an assertion on moral decency. This first assignment for Look magazine was an illustration of a six-year-old African-American schoolgirl being escorted by four U.S. marshals to her first day at an all-white school in New Orleans. Ordered to proceed with school desegregation after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Louisiana lagged behind until pressure from Federal Judge Skelly Wright forced the school board to begin desegregation on November 14, 1960. In 1965, Rockwell illustrated the murder of civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and in 1967, he chose children, once again, to illustrate desegregation, this time in our suburbs.

In an interview later in his life, Rockwell recalled that he once had to paint out an African-American person in a group picture since The Saturday Evening Post policy dictated showing African Americans in service industry jobs only. Freed from such restraints, Rockwell seemed to look for opportunities to correct the editorial prejudices reflected in his previous work. The Problem We All Live With, Murder in Mississippi, and New Kids in the Neighborhood ushered in that new era for Rockwell.

A Conversation with Ruby Bridges Hall
Norman Rockwell Museum

Rosa Parks- Ride to Justice

Ruby’s Shoes/Walk in the Shoes

• Two or three baskets to hold the book collection
• A wide selection of historical fiction texts, picture books, and nonfiction texts, including but not limited to:
  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham– 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein (Picture Book)
  • A Picture Book of Rosa Parks by David Adler (Picture Book Biography)
  • My Story by Rosa Parks with Jim Haskins
  • I Have a Dream (Book and CD) by Martin Luther King
  • Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford
  • DK Readers L4: Free at Last: The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Angela Bull
  • Witness to Freedom: Young People Who fought for Civil Rights by Belinda Rochelle
  • A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School by Carlotta Walls Lanier et al.
  • Cracking the Wall : The Struggles of the Little Rock Nine by Eileen Lucas
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
  • Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
  • Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor
  • The Friendship by Mildred D. Taylor
  • The Gold Cadillac by Mildred D. Taylor
  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
  • One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • The Paperboy by Vince Vawter
  • Freedom Riders by Jean Young Kilby
  • Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Graphic History of Civil Rights Movement) by Gary Jeffrey
  • Thurmond Marshall: The Supreme Court Rules on “Separate But Equal” ( Graphic History of the Civil Rights Movement) by Gary Jeffrey
  • A Picture Book of Thurgood Marshall by David Adler
  • The Little Rock Nine and the Fight for Equal Education ( Graphic History of the Civil Rights Movement) by Gary Jeffrey
  • White Socks Only by Evelyn Coleman (Picture Book)
  • The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson (Picture Book)
  • Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles (Picture Book)
  • Freedom on the Menu by Carole Boston Weatherford (Picture Book)
  • Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paula Young Shelton and Raul Colon (Picture Book)
  • If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights Movement by Gwendolyn Hooks
  • Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
  • The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Cole (Picture Book)
  • Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe
  • The Little Rock Nine: A Primary Source Exploration of the Battle for School Integration by Brian Krum
  • The Little Rock Nine: Struggle for Integration by Stephanie Fitzgerald
  • Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue and Corrine J. Naden
  • Goin Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack
  • The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C. McKissack

• Optional related resources:
  • Rosa Parks: Life After the Bus (edhelper.com)
  • Henry Ford Museum Digital Resources: What If Rosa Parks Didn’t Move to the Back of the Bus? (Story and artifacts)
• ABCs of the Civil Rights Movement activity sheet
• Civil Rights Reading Guide, as a Class Chart and/or individual copies
• Reading notebooks
• Post-it notes
• Related videos:
  • The Ruby Bridges Story (1:30:03)
  • The Watsons Go to Birmingham (1:25:59) based on book by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • Rosa Parks: Ride to Justice (6:32)

• Prior to introducing this unit, students view and discuss  Norman Rockwell’s illustration, The Problem We All Live With.
• Initiating activity: Distribute the activity sheet,  ABCs of the Civil Rights Movement. Individually or in small groups.
  • Allow students about 10 to 15 minutes to record as many words and names that they associate with the Civil Rights Movement.
  • Pull students together to share and discuss their responses before they lose interest. They will have the opportunity to continue to work on this activity throughout the unit of study.
  • Gather students to share words and names they have brainstormed. (A class chart may be created to record contributions now and as they are engaged in the study.)
  • Have students give a connection of word/name as they are offered. Accept all responses. Misinformation will be corrected as study progresses.
• Shared experience: View one of the videos listed above. While either one will give a feel for life during this time, The Watsons Go to Birmingham is based on the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham published in 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. After viewing the video, read the book aloud and engage students in comparing differences between different versions of a text (RL.9). These shared experiences support what will be an ongoing conversation over the course of the unit.
• Book Baskets: Depending on the number of students in the class, create 2 or 3 baskets of books related to the Civil Rights Movement. If possible include at least two copies of each book. Multiple copies provide opportunities for students to meet and have deeper discussions of a specific text as they are reading.
• Ongoing Work: While students are reading, encourage them to use post-it notes to stop and jot important information about characters, settings, events, questions, surprises, emotional moments, words and/or phrases that are confusing or give important insights. It works well for students to keep these notes posted on the specific text they refer to so that during partner or book talks they both share ideas, ask questions, and refer to text evidence. When students have finished work with the book, they may place notes in their reading notebooks or equivalent workspace as reference points for continued study and reflection. Do integrate reading, reflection and discussion of texts with classroom routines around writing.
• Partner talk/ Book talks: Schedule book talks to give students reading the same text opportunity to discuss and reflect on what they are learning about the Civil Rights Movement and the historic implications. These talks may be scheduled by students or designated days can be established for students to meet and discuss readings. Students should give text evidence supporting ideas/ thoughts discussed.  Consider having students write reflections in their notebooks following their talks as well.
• Class discussions: Schedule discussions offering students opportunity to pull together thoughts and understandings gleaned from the various texts being read. New words and names may be added to the ABC chart at this time. Students should be able to give evidence supporting the inclusion of new words and names. In addition, misinformation added in the beginning should be corrected. If an earlier response has been given that is not being confirmed from texts in the study, a research team could be assigned to investigate the validity of the information.
• Exit task: Completion of the Civil Rights Movement reading guide serves as the final task.
• Optional: There are additional videos available on YouTube focusing on the civil rights movement. Some are listed above. Access to these videos at the discretion of the teacher can be made to students individually or as a group.

• Are students prepared for and participate in book discussions?
• Are students justifying responses with relevant text support?
• Are students able to identify individuals who impacted the Civil Rights Movement and explain their contributions?

This curriculum meets the standards listed below. Look for more details on these standards please visit: ELA and Math Standards, Social Studies Standards, Visual Arts Standards.