w w w. p d st . i e
Applying the three Es to develop
understanding of a case study
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1956
http://pdst.ie/postprimary
Syllabus principles
• Learning about the past involves a process
of enquiry
w w w. p d st . i e
• The results of our enquiry will depend upon
the available evidence
• Historical study needs to consider different
interpretations of the evidence in an openminded spirit of exploration
(G6)
Enquiry questions
• Give a clear focus to a series of lessons
w w w. p d st . i e
• Clarify the learning purposes
• Ensure that the sequence of lessons is
leading to improved understanding
Enquiry questions
w w w. p d st . i e
Should
• Capture students’
interest
• Be historically
rigorous
• Give prominence to an
aspect of historical
thinking
• Allow a strong
learning focus
• Result in a substantial
outcome activity
• Excite curiosity
• Have puzzle element
Choosing an enquiry question
• What were the causes and consequences of the
Montgomery bus boycott?
• How important was the Montgomery bus boycott in
the history of the civil rights movement?
w w w. p d st . i e
• How did the Montgomery bus boycott help to make
Martin Luther King, Junior, a national figure?
• Why did Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat
spark a national controversy?
Enquiry question
w w w. p d st . i e
Why did Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat
spark a national controversy?
Exploring the enquiry question
• The story of Rosa Parks’ arrest
w w w. p d st . i e
• Why did her arrest lead to a bus boycott?
• Why did the bus boycott become a matter
of national controversy?
Interrogating the sources
• What do we learn from the police report
about the circumstances of Rosa Parks’
arrest?
w w w. p d st . i e
• What can the report tell us about Rosa
Parks herself?
• Do the fingerprint card and bus illustration
add anything to our understanding of the
events of that day?
Exploring the enquiry question
• Why did the arrest of Rosa Parks lead to a
bus boycott in Montgomery?
w w w. p d st . i e
• Rationale for sorting exercises
Other people’s responses
w w w. p d st . i e
E.D. Nixon, whose
actions contributed to
the launch of the bus
boycott.
www.montgomeryboycott.com/
bio_ednixon.htm
Other people’s responses
w w w. p d st . i e
Jo Ann Robinson,
whose actions
contributed to the
launch of the bus
boycott.
http://www.aaregistry.com/af
rican_american_history/2012/
The Bus Boycott
w w w. p d st . i e
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03530u.jpg
Exploring the enquiry question
• Why did this particular bus boycott become
a matter of national controversy?
w w w. p d st . i e
• “Definites” and “maybes”
• Supporting evidence
Segregation unconstitutional
After the Supreme
Court judgement
w w w. p d st . i e
www.montgomeryboycott.c
om/bio_mlking.htm
Developing writing skills
• Bring it all together and write it up
w w w. p d st . i e
• Managing the general and the particular:
“big” points and “little” points
Forbairt
Foghlaim
Fís
www. pdst. ie
© PDST 2014
This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0
Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ie/. You may use and re-use this material
(not including images and logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike Licence.