Lesson #3—Barbara Rose Johns: A Civil Rights Hero Lesson Preparer: Caily Bridgeland
Audience: 4th Grade
Time: 1 Hour
Whole Group Instruction: 25
students
Standards:
VS.9: The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia
by c) identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and
Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history.
VS.8: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of Virginia following the
Civil War by b) identifying the effects of segregation and “Jim Crow” on life in Virginia for
whites, African Americans, and American Indians.
VS.1: The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and
responsible citizenship, including the ability to h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in
writing.
SOL 4.7 a: The student will write cohesively for a variety of purposes by identifying intended
audience.
Objectives: 1) Using a word bank and graphic organizer, student will develop the concept of
civic engagement, and what it means to be a “hero” fighting for the common good. 2) After
instructional input about Barbara Johns’ life in the form of a short PowerPoint presentation,
along with a video clip with highlights from the persuasive speech she gave to her classmates,
students will write their own persuasive speech about why Barbara Johns is a hero of the Civil
Rights movement, and how they themselves can be influenced by her to become civically
engaged and work for the common good in their own communities.
Materials: handout with word bank and list of definitions, white board, graphic organizer,
computer and projector, http://vimeo.com/anforea/trailer-us- with clips from Barbara Johns’
motivational speech to her classmates, PowerPoint presentation, desk space for individual
student work, handout with list of social issues facing students today, homework assignment
handout, multiple choice question, whole class (25 students); one hour
Introduction: Give students handout with a word bank and eight (fourth-grade friendly)
defined vocabulary words, along with a copy of the “What is a Hero?” graphic organizer.
Break students into small groups, and have them jointly decide on which of the four given
categories for “Hero” (“Civically Engaged,” “Leader,” “Brave” or “Generous”) each
vocabulary word fits into. Return to whole group instruction, having the class consolidate and
decide upon one class graphic organizer which will be drawn on the board. (See attached).
Content Focus: Show students the “Barbara Johns: The Making of an Icon” trailer to depict
Barbara Johns’ heroism in the Civil Rights Movement, and to show students parts of the
persuasive speech she gave to her classmates before the strike. Next, present a short
PowerPoint presentation highlighting the history and legacy of Barbara Johns. Finally, have
students write a persuasive speech of their own convincing the audience as to why they
believe that Barbara Johns is a hero of the Civil Rights movement, incorporating all eight of
the vocabulary words that they learned at the beginning of class.
Closure: End with a whole group discussion calling on students to share why they believe
Barbara Johns was a hero of the Civil Rights Movement. Ask students how Barbara Johns
could influence them to be civically engaged in their own lives. Create a list generated by the
students of problematic issues facing students in their lives today where they could “protest,”
and take a stand for the “common good” the way Barbara Johns did. For homework, have
students pick one of these issues and write a reflective paragraph of how they could become
civically engaged with this issue in a peaceful way.
Formative: Assess students’ understanding of the vocabulary words presented by taking note
of which category they place them into in the graphic organizer.
Summative: Assess students’ understanding of why Barbara Johns’ strike was important to
the Civil Rights cause through the multiple question. Assess student comprehension of the
historical content they learned about Barbara Johns by reading the persuasive speeches they
created. Read homework reflection to assess student understanding of how Barbara Johns’
civic engagement and heroic acts can relate to civic engagement in students’ own lives and
communities.
Background Knowledge: Barbara Rose Johns is considered to be a Civil Rights heroine for
her courage in leading a student strike that aimed to gain equal educational rights at Moton
High School in Farmville, Virginia during a time of racial segregation and discrimination. In
1951, at the age of 16, Barbara Johns spoke to 450 of her fellow students, asking them to
protest against the unsafe and overcrowded conditions of their school. She met with members
of the NAACP and persuaded lawyer Oliver Hill to file the Davis v. County School Board of
Prince Edward County case, which demanded an integrated school system. This case was one
of five that was consolidated into the Brown vs. Board of Education case that eventually
declared the unconstitutionality of separating public schools based on race. Barbara Rose
Johns was commemorated for her heroic acts in a Virginia Civil Rights Memorial, which
includes a sculpture of her and eighteen other Civil Rights activists in Virginia, and exhibits a
quote from her persuasive speech, stating: “It seemed like reaching for the moon.”
Key Terms:
NAACP: an African-American Civil Rights Organization
Davis vs. County School Board of Prince Edward County: the case that Barbara Johns
persuaded lawyer Oliver Hill to file from Farmville Virginia, demanding the integration of
public schools
Brown vs. Board of Education: the case that declared that segregated public schools were
unconstitutional
Segregation: the separation of white and black children in schools based on the color of their
skin
Civic Engagement: working to make a difference to develop knowledge, skills, and
motivation to address and change issues of public concern.
Common Good: the idea of working for the larger community to create the greatest possible
life for the greatest number of people
Civil Rights: the right of people to enjoy the same freedoms, without discrimination
Altruism: the practice of unselfish concern and devotion to the welfare of others
Service: to work for others
Discrimination: poor treatment of others based on the color of their skin
Persuasive Argument: the process of convincing and motivating people to take action or stand
for certain beliefs through moral argument
Protest: an action that expresses disapproval of a situation in an attempt to fix or change it
Word Bank
Civic engagement
Service
Altruism
Civil Rights
Common Good
Protest
Discrimination
Persuasive Argument
Civic Engagement: working to make a difference to develop knowledge, skills,
and motivation to address and change issues of public concern.
Common Good: the idea of working for the larger community to create the
greatest possible life for the greatest number of people
Civil Rights: the right of people to enjoy the same freedoms, without
discrimination
Altruism: the practice of unselfish concern and devotion to the welfare of others
Service: to work for others
Discrimination: poor treatment of others based on the color of their skin
Persuasive Argument: the process of convincing and motivating people to take
action or stand for certain beliefs through moral argument
Protest: an action that expresses disapproval of a situation in an attempt to fix or
change it.
What is a HERO?
• Persuasive
Argument
• Common Good
• Civil Rights
• Service
• willing to
Protest
• combating
Discrimation
Civically
Engaged
Leader
Brave
Generous
• Altruism
Informational Powerpoint Presentation
Slide 1:
Slide 2:
Slide 3:
Slide 4:
Slide 5:
Slide 6:
Slide 7:
Slide 8:
Slide 9:
Multiple Choice Question
Why was Barbara Johns’ strike important to the Civil Rights
movement on a National scale?
a) She was the only student to ever lead a strike in the United
States
b) It led to one of five cases that resulted in the Brown vs.
Board of Education Case that outlawed all desegregation of
public schools in the United States
c) She was the first African American to protest against
discrimination
d) A sculpture was created of her with a quote by her on it
about the Civil Rights Movement.
(Answer: b)
Name: ____________________
Date:_________________
Based on what you learned today about the history of Barbara
Rose Johns, write a persuasive speech about why she is a hero to
the Civil Rights Movement. Be sure to incorporate the vocabulary
words you learned today provided in the word bank below:
Civic engagement
Service
Altruism
Civil Rights
Argument
Common Good
Protest
Discrimination
Persuasive
Homework Reflection
Name: ________________
Date: ____________________
Choose one of the following problematic issues in the word bank
below that students face today and write how it poses a threat to
the “Common Good.” Explain how you will take a stand like
Barbara Johns to help resolve this issue in your classroom and
larger community.
Bullying
Religious Discrimination
Cliques
Inappropriate Competitiveness
Violence
Gender Discrimination
Fights over Money
Resources:
Masoff, Joy. (2001). Our Virginia: Past and Present. (2nd ed.). (2011.) West Palm, FL: Five
Ponds Press.
http://vimeo.com/47994996
http://www.biography.com/people/barbara-johns-206527
http://discoverblackheritage.com/virginia-civil-rights-memorial/
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/index.shtml
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-aftermath.html
http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Moton_School_Strike_and_Prince_Edward_County_Sc
hool_Closings
http://www.motonmuseum.org/
http://rotj.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/virginia-civil-rights-memorial-at-capitol-square/