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Name: Hillary Werner Number of Learners: 20 learners Date: 2/29/15 Estimated time: 60 mins. Grade: Fifth Grade Actual time: 60 mins. School/Town: Boston Curriculum Area: Social Studies
The Civil Rights Movement: Analyzing Tensions through Visuals
I. PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Prior to this lesson, students have begun a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. They have
studied major events, people, and places related to the Movement (ex. Montgomery Bus
Boycott). They have covered what the Civil Rights Movement is and the impact it had on
America.
II. CONTENT TO BE TAUGHT (NEW LEARNING FOR STUDENTS)
The content that will be covered in this lesson are the various tensions surrounding the
Movement and what it meant to be a protestor or bystander. Students will discuss if they
would have been active in the Movement or watching from the sidelines. Students will
also take a critical look at various pictures from the Movement to analyze the tensions
present in the photos.
III. RATIONALE This content is of value because the Civil Rights movement is a topic that is typically not
covered until high school. It is of high relevance to the Boston area and can help teach
kids about the various tensions that motivated much of the movement. This lesson will
help students “observe and identify details in cartoons, photographs, charts, and graphs
relating to an historical narrative” (MA HSS-5.CS.3). By teaching the Civil Rights
movement through visuals, it also exposes students to art and guides them towards using
critical thinking skills and considering multiple perspectives. Additionally, students will
foster analyzing skills as they unpack various photos throughout the movement. As the
students study the Civil Rights Movement of the past, it will help them recognize what it
means to be an active citizen as a way to have equal rights for everyone today. The Civil
Rights Movement is an important topic that students need to learn about and this lesson
provides them with the tools to understand the underlying tensions of the movement.
IV. GOALS
1. Students will be able to think critically about the tensions that existed during the Civil
Rights movement.
2. Students will be able to identify key details in photographs.
V. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES
1. Given a picture of the Civil Rights movement, the student will write a paragraph (a
minimum of 8 sentences) about being a protestor or bystander.
VI. MATERIALS
1. Pictures (Appendix A-I)
2. Picture Analysis Worksheet (Appendix J) VII. PROCEDURE
Inquiry question: If you were alive during the 1960s, would you have protested or watched
the Civil Rights Movement?
A. OPENER (15 mins)
1. Have students come and sit on the rug in front of the teacher
2. Explain to the students that new research has been released saying that children with blue
are better than children with brown eyes. This means that blue eyed children are smarter,
better behaved, more athletic, and deserve rewards for being blue eyed because brown
eyed children are always less intelligent, act out, and are not as successful as blue eyed
children. Because of this new research, the class will be divided based on eye color and
treated accordingly.
3. Have the children divide into their respective eye color groups. Any students who do not
belong to either eye color group will form a third group who do not receive any special
treatment, like the blue eyed children, but also do not receive the attention to the brown
eyed children do.
4. Go over to where the blue eyed children are and hand out a basket of candy because they
deserve it for being blue eyed. Praise them for being such good students and being blue-
eyed. Then, go over to the brown eyed children and have them solve various math facts
listed on the board, because they are brown eyed and therefore must need help in math.
Leave the third group alone.
B. DEVELOPMENT (35 mins)
5. Call the class back together and explain that this activity was originally an experiment
conducted by Jane Elliott after Martin Luther King Jr. died, and is meant to demonstrate
racial prejudice. Explain that each group was chosen arbitrarily and by means of
something they cannot control. There is no truth to one eye color being better than
another. Ask each group how they felt about being separated by eye color (how did it
make them feel, why did one eye color matter, etc.). Ask about tensions in the classroom
(student-student, student-teacher, within groups, across groups). What tensions did they
notice? Then say “we will be building on to our previous lessons about the Civil Rights
movement by studying it through different photographs. We will all have the chance to
analyze different photographs to understand the tensions that existed during the Civil
Rights Movement.”
6. Have students return to their seats.
7. Hand out pictures of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This event has been discussed in
previous lessons, so students should be familiar with it. Ask students what they notice in the
photo. How does this show or relate to tensions in the Civil Rights movement (racial,
political, etc.)? Model some examples for them (photographs show tensions between black
and whites, the boycott meant that people had to find other means of transportation which can
put a strain on supporters, etc.) Repeat this process for all three photos (Appendices A, B, C,
D).
8. Explain that each group will be given a different photograph of the Civil Rights movement.
As a group they should pick out key details in the photograph that explain or point out
tensions felt during the movement. Students will fill out a worksheet that will be passed out
along with the picture that asks prompting questions to help them consider and analyze the
pictures (Appendix j). Pass out the pictures and worksheets. All the events/people have been
covered in previous lessons. To connect to background knowledge and help students
remember, there is a brief description of each photo (Appendices E, F, G, H).
9. Allow time for groups to study the pictures, have discussions, and fill out the worksheet. As
students look at their photos, walk around the classroom and answer any questions they may
have.
10. Come back together as a class and have one person from each group explain the context in
which in the photo was taken, the details they picked out, and what it reveals about tensions in
the Civil Rights movement.
C. CLOSURE (15 mins).
11. Have the class come back together and reflect on the lesson. Did this lesson change their
perception of the Civil Rights Movement? Do the tensions that existed back then still exist
today (Black Lives Matter, Ferguson, etc.)? Where any groups left out of the movement
(reference the third group students in the opening activity and how many other groups of
people, like Latin Americans and Native Americans who have also fought for equal
rights)?
12. Have a discussion about joining protests or watching. Would they have joined the Civil
Rights Movements? What about movements today? If not, what are way they can still be
involved without directly protesting?
VIII. ACCOMMODATIONS
Students on IEPs will have their own accommodations as needed and specified by the
IEP. For Emergent Bilinguals, I will have one student from the class repeat back
directions before students begin working. I will then quietly conference with each
Emergent Bilingual to make sure they understand the directions. They will also have help
from their peers as they are working in groups. As a class, students will be allowed to use
cooperative learning if needed.
XI. EVALUATION
The class will be shown the photo “Soiling of Old Glory” (Appendix I). Explain that this
photo was taken in Boston in 1976 as a reaction to the desegregation of school buses. Each
student will write a paragraph stating what their role in the picture would have been if they
had been there. Would they be protestors or bystanders? Their paragraph, which should
be a minimum of 8 sentences, will be turned in to the teacher to be graded on the student’s
ability to identify their role in the photograph and any connections made to the movement.
This will be done at the end of the lesson and collected, but if a student needs more time
they may take the picture home with them to be completed and turned in the next day.
X.EXTENSION
If students finish early, they will research and write about how to be involved, either
actively or passively, in movements like the Civil Rights. They can research past or
current movements.
XI. REFERENCES 1. Cobb, C. & Peters, W. (Writer) & Peters, W. (Director). 1985. A Class Divided. (Television broadcast). In W. Peters (Producer). Boston, Massachusetts: Frontline. 2. Freeman, A. (Photographer). December 5, 1955. Holt Street Baptist Church (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/381.pdf. 3. Cravens, D. (Photographer) Digital Image. Retrieved from http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/381.pdf 4. Cravens, D. (Photographer) Digital Image. Retrieved from http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/381.pdf 5. Villet, G (Photographer). February 1956. Church members celebrate the release of the arrested boycott leaders (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://www.sites.si.edu/exhibitions/381.pdf.
6. Counts, W. (Photographer). September 4th, 1957. Elizabeth Eckford (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/07/us/gallery/iconic-civil-rights/.
7. Moore, C. (Photographer). 1963. Firemen hose protestors (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/03/charles_moore.html 8. Hiller, H (Photographer). 1964. Malcolm X interview (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-assassination-of-malcolm-x-50-years/19/. 9. Davidson, B. (Photographer) 1962. Time of Change (Digital Image). Retrieved from http://flavorwire.com/249320/10-essential-civil-rights-movement-photographers/3 10. Forman, S. (Photographer) April 5, 1976. Soiling of Old Glory. Retrieved from http://stanleyformanphotos.com/pulitzer.html.
XII. Appendix
Appendix A:
Photo of Holt Street Baptist Church. African Americans gathered in the Holt Street
Church to plan for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and for the first meeting of the Montgomery
Improvement Association. The boycott was one of the first large scale demonstrations against
segregation. Appendix B: Photo of a man helping commuters. During the bus boycott, the African American community came together to help one another continue about their lives.
Appendix C: Photo of an African American man being written up by a white police officer. During the boycott, officials harassed many locals. Many also lost their jobs. Appendix D: Photo of a crowd cheering. Boycott leaders were arrested on conspiracy charges because of an anti-boycott state law. Both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were arrested. As those arrested were released, they were met with crowds of cheering people. Appendix E: Photo of Elizabeth Eckford being harassed by Hazel Bryan. As desegregation of schools occurred, white students attacked many African American students. Here, Elizabeth Eckford is shouted at by Hazel Bryan and others as she tried to enter the school.
Appendix F: Firemen hose down protestors in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, protestors launched the Birmingham Campaign, which was a series of sit-ins, marches, and boycotts against segregation laws. While many of the demonstrations were peaceful, they were met with violent reactions. Appendix G: This photo shows an interview of Malcolm X. He was an activist during the Civil Rights movement who advocated for African Americans to protect themselves against white aggression by whatever means necessary. His leadership is often contrasted to Martin Luther King Jr., who advocated for non-violent measures. Appendix H: Photo entitled “Time of Change.” This photo depicts an African American woman and a white woman sitting next to each other at a lunch counter. Even as desegregation occurred, African Americans still faced harsh treatment.
Appendix I: This photo is entitled “Soiling of Old Glory.” Following the mandated desegregation of bussing in Boston, there were violent reactions by citizens. Appendix J:
Picture Analysis Worksheet Directions: Answer each questions based on the picture your group received.
1. What event/person is the subject of your group’s photo? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What details do you notice in the photo? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. What do these details reveal about the tensions during the Civil Rights movement? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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