Civil Rights

A. Civil Rights Movement Brainstorming MLK Malcolm X Rosa Parks Thurgood Marshall Fannie Lou Hamer Ella Baker Segregation Emmett Till Integration Suffrage Court cases Freedom Summer of 1964 March on Washington

Constitutional Rights Voting Act of 1964 13th-15th AmendmentsRole of Government and Courts

in Preserving / Denying Rights Then and Now

Brown v. Board of Education Plessy v. Fergueson Executive OrdersPolitical Activism and Activists

Then and Now Martin Luther King Jr. Sit-ins Freedom Rides

MLK’s Birthday I Have A Dream Speech Bus Boycott Walk from Selma to Montgomery

Diversity White Flight Integration Racism Affirmative Action Quotas

Urban America Then and Now – Problems and Possibilities

Reparations Black Power

Champaign-Urbana and Illinois During the Civil Rights Movement

Bigotry KKK Black Power on Campus

B. Key Perspectives

Making choices and taking action: We will look at how people took a stand (some died, some were beaten, some were put into jail, etc.).  Students will discuss how important it is to stand up for what you believe in and some of the ramifications for doing so.  Students will learn about various approaches to taking a stand (i.e. non-violent approach).

Diversity and difference: Students will learn of the struggle of African American people as they fought for equal rights.  Students will get a close-up of how life was for African American people.

Justice, rights, and responsibility: Students will learn about the laws and bills surrounding equal rights fro African Americans.  They will go over the constitutional rights of African Americans before and after the Civil Rights movement, amendments that were changed/ratified during/after the Civil Rights Movement, and important court cases during that time.

Historically excluded people: Students will learn about the different ways that people are excluded. They will learn about social, economic and racial discrimination, both then and now. Students will learn about the different ways in which people justify racism. They will also identify ways in which exclusion has negatively affected that group of people.

C. Background Information and Perspectives Interview with a

Student Interview with a

Principal Interview with a

Teacher Interview with a

Community Member

D. Background Information on Unit Topic

Essential Questions: 1) What motivates a movement and how does one take place?

2) What is racism and how does it originate?

Enduring Understandings

Racism is an ongoing problem in our society with roots that extend back to the beginnings of the nation.

The present social climate is a result of past events and decisions, but social change can and will occur.

Perspectives from Academic Readings

Takaki Gives history of how the Civil Rights movement

came to be Starts when the first Africans were brought over End of slavery did not vitally change things for African Americans Migration to the North and the acquisition of jobs did not translate

into equal social status Employment consisted of jobs of servitude and other jobs created by

the onset of war Still felt enslaved, although technically free Students need to know why African Americans didn't have equal

rights from the beginning, so Takaki gives them insight into the history of the Civil Rights movement. (p. 340-369)

Zinn:

Zinn is a good source, because Zinn feels that students need to understand every aspect of what they are studying. Students won't just learn about Martin Luther King Jr. from Zinn's perspective, they will learn about Fannie Lou Hamer and why she was an important part of the movement; they will learn about the court cases that surrounded the Civil Rights movement; they will learn why African Americans were being lynched because they whistled at a white woman, and so on.  Zinn will give students a clear view of the event and not the sugar-coated version. We do not expect students to actually read Zinn, but we will use it as teachers to inform our instruction. (p. 435 – 459)

E. Rationale

This unit is designed for 5th grade students. It is important because these students are at a very impressionable age and it is important to understand other perspectives to make them well-rounded citizens. This theme is also very recent; its effects are still felt today. The students in our classrooms may feel some of these effects. Diversity is an overarching theme of social studies. Right now this theme is an undercurrent of society, but is rarely discussed except in relation to Affirmative Action. People are very uncomfortable with it, and as a result it is not really discussed in classroom setting except as a “flavor of the month” during Black History month.

This unit uses research and anecdotal evidence highlighting “best practices” to inform instruction. It relies heavily on Doing History and If This is Social Studies, Why Isn’t It Boring?, both of which detail multiple “best practices” of social studies in real classrooms. Our instruction will also be informed by our own practice; we will discover in the course of this unit what techniques work best for our particular group of students.

II. Instructional Strategies

Using Oral History – It is important for students

to be exposed to primary sources and students can ask questions of their choice.

Using Role Play/Debate/Simulation

– These activities allow students to experience multiple perspectives.

Small groups– Learning in this format

allows students to hear the perspectives of others and allows for more in-depth discussion.

Structured Brainstorm– The students get to

organize their thoughts and it lets the teacher know what misconceptions the students possess.

Show connection to modern-day events through modern media

– This is a prevalent tool that students can use to show that this theme is relevant to their lives.

Multimedia– Students will build a lasting understanding through multi-

sensory exposure to dramatic materialThink-pair-share

– Learning in this format allows students to hear the perspectives of others and allows for more in-depth discussion.

Field Trip - Boxes and Walls– Fields trips have been demonstrated to promote lasting

impressions of a given topic and they foster active engagement.

Instructional Strategies – Background InformationFrom schoolFrom studentsFrom teachersFrom community

members

Instructional Strategies - School

Although the school does not teach a unit on the Civil Rights Movement, it does have a wide variety of resources to teach it. The library has a whole section dedicated to the Civil Rights Movement, including literature, movies, and lesson plan activities. They also encourage bringing experts (or people who have experienced the Civil Rights Movement) into the classrooms to give presentations or interviews on the subject.

Many of teachers in the school use KWL’s as a way to ascertain what students already know and what they want to know. The school recognizes this strategy and important and necessary for effective teaching.

Instructional Strategies – Students

In interviewing a 5th grade boy I learned that students enjoy hands on learning better than sitting at their desks listening to the teacher talk for a long time. The student also said that he enjoys participating in field trips and activities where the class goes outside. He said that group work was fun, but sometimes he does not like working with certain people.

Instructional Strategies - Community

“I think making connections is important when working with the students in Champaign.  They are taught a lot of things that they can’t apply to their outside life and therefore they don’t retain it.  I’m not a teacher, so I don’t know many more.  I would assume that letting the students work in groups would be effective.  I work with children and the big thing now is kids learn better from one another.  When they work together they reinforce what they know by explaining it to their group and the people who don’t understand might learn better from their peers.” - Urban League Worker

Instructional Strategies - Teachers Oral histories/interviews

Connects history to real life If something that they know and love has experienced something

then can learn through storytelling Discrimination Simulation

Connects history to their own real life History is so abstract that any time you can make it real Their world is so small, they are still so self-centered

Small groups Especially if it’s a heterogeneous group it works really well They can learn from each other and bounce ideas of off each other

Structured Brainstorms If you follow through with them to the end Eighty percent of the time, teachers don’t follow it through to the end Activates prior knowledge

Show connection to modern-day events through modern media Text-to-world Their world is so small, any time you can show relevance it brings it alive a

little bit or makes it more relevant Multimedia

The students can be told about something, but if there’s a really good image it can conjure up other images and help them make connections

Think-pair-share It makes them better listeners to their partners More effective than just pair share Powerful, makes them accountable

Field Trip Always great, but always costly

Instructional Strategies – Academic Readings

Doing History If This is Social Studies, Why Isn’t It Boring?

Instructional Strategies - Doing History KWL charts are a great and easy way to ascertain what

the students know as well as setting the tone for the rest of the unit. The teacher can base the rest of the lesson based on what the students want to know. Finally, KWL charts can be used as a way to document the students progress by comparing what they know to what they have learned.

“To understand information – not simply repeat it – students must connect it to their previous understanding…. KWL charts, in which students discuss what they know, what they want to know, and (later) what they have learned, are one way to activate this prior knowledge.” Pg. 12

Role Play and Simulations

“Using role play and simulations as opportunities to play out different interpretations or constructions of events can support the development of historical perspective-taking.” Pg. 145

Simulations can help students understand why some people acted the way they did during the 1950’s and why these actions led to the Civil Rights Movement.

Levstik, Linda, and Keith Barton.  2001.  Doing history: Investigating with children in Elementary and Middle Schools.  Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

Instructional Strategies – If This Is Social Studies, Why Isn’t It Boring?

Inquiry is stressed - students are encouraged to to explore and investigate topics, sometimes of their choosing

“I describe how I began to move away from textbook-dominated teaching and teacher-dominated learning to a more learner-centered approach” (Page 46)

Students explore primary and secondary sources and make connections to their lives

“…I knew that one of the surest ways to help children make new information meaningful is to connect the new information to their lives” (Page 4)

Learning is accomplished through presentations and group projects

Primary assessment based on presentation and communication of knowledge

“In the democratic classroom, there is a deliberate component of social action, a social agenda to improve and change classroom life. This is achieved through classroom activities that reveal social inequalities and encourage student participation in the design of alternatives” (Page 100)

III. Literacy Link

Books (fiction, non-fiction, poetry)Newspapers/JournalsWriting Speaking/listening

Primary Sources

Books

Fiction – It is a great way for students to get a deeper understanding of how someone would have felt or acted during that time period.

Non-fiction – It is a good source of background information. It contains factual information that students can analyze and use for other activities, such to prepare for interview questions.

Poetry – Poetry written at that time is a great primary source that students can use to analyze the feelings and concerns of people during that time.

Newspapers and Journals

First, students can look at newspapers and journals from the 1950’s and 1960’s as primary sources to read what events were going on and the media’s interpretation of these events.

Second, students can look at newspapers and journals from the present day and find examples of discrimination that still occurs today and other civil rights issues.

Writing

Students will conduct an interview where they will write down the questions they will ask and will write down the person’s answers. They will then analyze the information and write down what they learned.

Students can also write in a journal about interesting facts they learned and how they feel about the events and people they are learning about.

Speaking/Listening

Students will conduct an interview where they will practice the skills of both speaking and listening.

Students may give a presentation where they will explain an event or person. The rest of the students will listen.

Students will also use their listening skills when watching movies or listening to music during that time period.

Critical Perspectives

Teacher– Literature: Motivating for children, but should not be overused– Newspapers and Journals: Helps connect the students to the world

around them and shows them the relevance of the past to their lives Librarian

– Picture books: Get the students engaged into unfamiliar topics, get straight to the point of the book without having to sift through minor details.

– Chapter books: Can also be good for older learners, can keep a child’s interest over an extended period of time. A student will be engaged in a good book and anxious to find out what is going to happen next. Also, they go into detail a lot more than picture books, and older learners can practice identifying story elements.

Community Member - Urban League Worker“I think children’s literature is important because students get tired of reading text books, so adding non fiction and fiction texts to the curriculum can engage them.  Students also need to see books with characters that look like them, so African American texts would be a nice addition.”

Academic Readings“A variety of good literature, combined with careful teacher facilitation, can help students see and understand…historical perspectives” (Doing History, p.

Doing History - Books

– “The structure of narrative encourages readers to recognize the human aspects of history and, with some help, to develop a better sense of its interpretive and tentative aspects.” Pg. 120

– Books are useful and interesting resources that help students to personalize historical events.

Doing History - Speaking/Listening“Interviewing…is an accessible and comfortable way

for students to move beyond their own experiences, and yet it allows them to see how accounts may differ, how sources can vary in reliability, and how conflicting accounts can be reconciled.” Pg. 48

Through interviews, students can personalize what they want to learn about and get a personal and first-hand account about what happened during the Civil Rights Movement. This experience will make the events more real and concrete if they hear about stories from someone who actually experienced them.

Doing History - Writing

“Writing is an important way in which …classmates construct their own historical interpretations…. Writing encouraged students to think about what they knew and could support.” Pg. 11-117

Writing is a great way for students to critically analyze, interpret, and synthesize what they have learned about a specific event or person during the Civil Rights Movement.

Unit Sketch

Unit Essential Questions What motivates a movement and how does one

take place? What is racism and how does it originate?Unit Enduring Understandings Racism is an ongoing problem in our society

with roots that extend back to the beginnings of the nation.

The present social climate is a result of past events and decisions, but social change can and will occur.

Unit Standards: Alignment with State Standards

16.A.2b Compare different stories about a historical figure or event and analyze differences in the portrayals and perspectives they present.

16.A.3b Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources.

16.A.2c Ask questions and seek answers by collecting and analyzing data from historic documents, images and other literary and non-literary sources.

16.A.3c Identify the differences between historical fact and interpretation.

16.C.3b (US) Explain relationships among the American economy and slavery, immigration, industrialization, labor and urbanization, 1700-present.

16.D.2c (US) Describe the influence of key individuals and groups, including Susan B. Anthony/suffrage and Martin Luther King, Jr./civil rights, in the historical eras of Illinois and the United States.

18.C.3a Describe ways in which a diverse U.S. population has developed and maintained common beliefs (e.g., life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; the Constitution and the Bill of Rights).

18.C.3b Explain how diverse groups have contributed to U.S. social systems over time.

Unit Standards:Alignment with National Standards

I. Culturee. Articulate the implications of cultural diversity, as well

as cohesion, within and across groupsII. Time, Continuity, & Change. b. Identify and use key concepts such as chronology,

causality, change, conflict, and complexity to explain, analyze, and show connections among patterns of historical change and continuity

d. Identify and use processes important to reconstructing and reinterpreting the past, such as using a variety of sources, providing, validating, and weighing evidence for claims, checking credibility of sources, and searching for causality.

e. Develop critical sensitivities such as empathy and skepticism regarding attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in different historical contexts

f. Use knowledge of facts and concepts drawn from history, along with methods of historical inquiry, to inform decision-making about and action-taking on public issues.

IV. Individual Development & Identity a. Relate personal changes to social,

cultural, and historical contexts

c. Describe the ways family, gender, ethnicity, nationality, and institutional affiliations contribute to personal identity

f. Identify and describe the influence of perception, attitudes, values, an beliefs on personal identity

g. Identify and interpret examples of stereotyping, conformity, and altruism

h. Work independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals

V. Individuals, Groups, & Institutions e. Identify and describe examples of tension

between belief f. Describe the role of institutions in

furthering both continuity and changeVI. Power, Authority & Governance a. Examine persistent issues involving the

rights, roles, and status of the individual in relation to the general welfare

f. Explain conditions, actions, and motivations that contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among nations

h. Explain and apply concept such as power, role, statue, justice, and influence to the examination of persistent issues social problems

IX. Global Connections f. Demonstrate understanding of concerns,

standards, issues, and conflicts related to universal human rights.

X. Civic Ideals & Practicesc. Locate, access, analyze, organize and apply

information about selected public issues – recognizing and explaining multiple points of view.

e. Explain and analyze various forms of citizen action that influences public policy decisions

g. Analyze the influences of diverse forms of public opinion on the development of public policy and decision-making.

h. Analyze the effectiveness of selected public policies and citizen behaviors in realizing the stated ideals of a democratic republican form of government.

Lesson 1: Tuning In

Purpose: To spark curiosity about the civil rights movement To begin to talk about racism and its causes.Activity: During this lesson, the students will listen as the

teacher reads the book Going North. This activity will be followed by a discussion on the reasons that the family went North and what they encountered on the way. Students will make predictions about what the family might encounter in the North. This will spark their curiosity and give them something look into in the the coming weeks.

Lesson 2: Preparing to Find OutPurpose: The students will gain background information on

the Civil Rights Movement The students will develop their interview skillsActivity:

The teacher and the students will work together to complete a KWL chart about the Civil Rights Movement. They will also read excerpts from Oh Freedom! and come up with questions for an interview to be completed during the next lesson. Students will also examine other primary sources, including virtual ones that may be found at **library gov**

Lesson 3: Finding Out

Purpose: The students will gain information through conducting

an interview The students will begin to understand the social

climate that has promoted racism in the past and that continues to promote it

Activity:The students will conduct an interview with an individual

who lived through the era of the civil rights movement and who was effected by it directly. The students will use the questions that they developed during the previous lesson to guide this interview. Following the interview, the students will write about what they have learned in their reflection journals.

Lesson 4: Sorting Out

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/parvis/Discrimination%20Simulation.doc

Lesson 5: Going Further

Purpose:The students will critically analyze the media as primary

source materialThe students will explore the institution of racism and

the social movement that it spurred through this material

Activity:The students will examine a number of primary sources,

from photographs to poetry to diary entries to song, in order to try to gain a richer understanding of the social climate at the time of the Civil Rights Movement. The students will analyze and evaluate primary source material by paying attention to its audience and purpose.

Lesson 6: Making Connections

Purpose: The students will explore the social climate of racism,

then and now The students will reflect on and synthesize what they

have learned throughout the unitActivity: The students will explore modern media in order to

make a comparison between the social climate then and the present social climate. They will draw conclusions about what they have learned throughout the unit about how the Civil Rights Movement has effected the modern social climate.

Lesson 7: Taking Action

Purpose: The students will gain research skills The students will find out about the different instances of social injustices

like racism, gender, or class discrimination that goes on in and around their lives

The students will find a way to apply this knowledge to work for social justice

Activity: The students will make connections through

observing the media, their community and theirschool looking for examples of discrimination, or social injustices they want to take a stand on. Students will write a composition explaining the social injustice they have chosen to address. Students will also research their topic, looking for pictures, books, and other resources that give background information. Students will write a short letter to a person they think has the power to help stop the social injustice that they feel strongly about.

Appendix

Interview with a StudentInterviewing a student about what he knew about the civil rights movement was

interesting. At first, I was a little nervous because I had to give him so many prompts and clues to what I wanted him to tell me about. It seemed as if he had no knowledge of the civil rights movement, just names such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. It seriously frightened me that this 11 year-old boy may not have been taught anything about the civil rights movement. However, my fears soon subsided when he began to tell me how Black people were treated in the 1960’s. He told me that Blacks had to use different water fountains, bathrooms, and restaurants. He also said that schools were separated and that the Black schools got no books, and White schools had all kinds of things. He also mentioned that Blacks did not get good jobs and received a very low quality of healthcare.

The young boy mentioned that African Americans got killed because of their skin color. For example, he said that the houses of Black people often got bombed. He stated that White people called Black men boys even if they were grown men. On a brighter note, he knew that Rosa Parks was put in jail for refusing to give up her seat to a White person. He also knew that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a minister who fought for civil rights in a non-violent way. He said that Martin Luther King wanted equality for all people, Black and White, man and woman.

I was very surprised to hear such knowledge of the civil rights movement, especially after I thought he knew very little. Not only did he talk about the laws that were in place, such as segregation of public places and schools, but he knew how Blacks were treated. This knowledge is key, and something that may not be in textbooks. He also knew about the leaders of the civil rights movement that are always studied, like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. I also asked where he learned this information. He said he learned these things in 2nd and 3rd grade by reading books about the civil rights movement.

Interview with a Principal

In 4th grade, students study Black History Month, which “gets at” discrimination and civil rights. In 5th grade they go to a play about the Underground RR and study the Holocaust. Character Counts is done across the building, which he believes falls under the broad category of civil rights.

When asked what understandings students bring to the table, he responded that they bring a basic understanding of right and wrong. They also learn from parents and adopt some of their attitudes. “We build on a basic idea of treating people fairly,” he says. The school doesn’t tolerate name-calling or degrading other people with racial slurs.

There are three girls in 3A who play at school and in the neighborhood. One girl said that her mother told her that shouldn’t be playing with the little &%^&*($# girl. The principal says that statements like these are “hard to overcome”. He feels that the civil rights education at that school is appropriate at their level and locale. He says that if it’s an issue it needs to be addressed. It’s not always an issue, so civil rights are not always addressed.

He claims that discrimination is a two-way street. There is a lot of black against white discrimination from (Town name) towards students in his town. He alleges that people in (Town name) have ideas about these students from an incident a few years ago.

At a junior high basketball game, a “black grandma” from (Town name) went after an official. There were allegations the the students in this district had called the (Town name) students racially charged names. The principal believes that there is no truth to this allegation.

The school in this district tried to meet with the middle school in (Town name), but were not met halfway in their efforts to do so. The principal says, “We did our part” and indicates that the other school did not do theirs.

He talks about another incident in which the (white) son of the superintendent was benched for cursing during a basketball game, and the superintendent allegedly mouthed to his son, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” The African-American coach got fired. There was a backlash in which the Black Firefighters’ Union showed their support for the coach, and he got reinstated. The principal thought that what the superintendent did to the coach was not right, regardless of skin color.

Interview with Two 5th Grade Teachers

The first teacher did not really teach any Social Studies because her students are struggling readers. She says she is lucky if she gets to cover one topic. Since the Civil Rights Movement is not in the Social Studies curriculum that she is teaching, it is not taught at all. She might inadvertently read a book about Martin Luther King around his birthday or during Black History month, but that is the extent of it.

The other teacher is the 5th grade gifted teacher. When asked which topics she teaches in her class, she answered that she focused mainly on earlier U.S. history such as the American Revolution or about Native Americans. She also said that she teaches a little about the Civil Rights Movement during Black History Month. At that time, they might watch a movie about Rosa Parks or read about book about a certain theme, such as black inventors, authors, musicians, etc. When asked how she would feel about teaching the Civil Rights Movement, she was very excited. She would be glad to have the chance to teach something that was more recent, that the students can relate to.

Interview with a Community MemberHow do you feel about the current Social Studies curriculum in (Town name)? I feel that the current curriculum doesn’t address African American rights.  I feel that African American, as well as other students are being cheated on their education because of the lack of African American history in the schools.  

Did you know the current curriculum doesn’t have a Civil Rights section? I didn’t know that the current curriculum doesn’t have a section on Civil Rights, I thought it was included but not touched on as much. Do you think students would enjoy a unit on Civil Rights? I think they would love it.  It is something they are not familiar with and the students will feel more connected to what they are learning.

Reflection - Process

We were surprised to discover that the civil rights movement is getting so little attention in the social studies curriculum. There is a vast quantity of information available about the civil rights movement, which makes the fact that the schools focus on it is so little even stranger.

The bulk of what students know about the civil rights movement is taught by their parents or is the result of their personal research. Their knowledge on the topic is either rich or very shallow (they know that Martin Luther King Jr. was a “good guy who had a dream.”)

Working with a group was easy in our case because the topic was easily sectioned off. Working in a group helped us to get through the interview process far more efficiently than we would have individually.

The current teachers helped up to learn about the importance of this assignment by letting us know how little focus is put on this subject. They also let us know how eager they are to teach it.

It is easier to plan a lesson in the context of a larger unit, particularly when you are trying to get students to understand big ideas. Also, unit planning involves more thinking because lessons must be linked to know another, not just taught in isolation. This integrated process builds, and will thus scaffold students’ learning.

Reflection - Implications for the FutureThis will influence our future work with children

by encouraging us to integrate the civil rights movement into our classroom, since it is so clearly lacking in the local schools’ curriculum. It also helps us to see how students can be personally connected to this topic. In studying the civil rights movement, the students will broaden their perspectives of the larger world.

Bibliography

1)Student Bibliographyhttps://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nolsen/shared/Civil Rights Bibliography/Student Bibliography.doc

2)Teacher Bibliographyhttps://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nolsen/shared/Civil Rights Bibliography/Teacher Bibliography.doc

3) Web Bibliographyhttps://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nolsen/shared/Civil Rights Bibliography/Web bibliography.doc

4) Images Bibliographyhttps://netfiles.uiuc.edu/nolsen/shared/Civil Rights Bibliography/Images Bibliography.doc