The Civil Rights Movement
A Teaching Unit for 4th Grade Students
Prepared By: Cassie Crumal
Wiki: http://cscrumal.wmwikis.net
Submitted as Partial Requirement for ED 405
Elementary and Middle Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction
Professor Gail McEachron
The College of William and Mary
Fall 2010
Contents
Historical Narrative: The Civil Rights Movement
Map/Globe Skills Lesson: Mapping the Movement – Historical Civil Rights
Landmarks
Critical Thinking and the Arts: Jacob Lawrence – African American Artist
Civic Engagement: Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Advocate
Global Inquiry: Civil Rights Today – Issues For Equity
Assessments: Objective and Essay
Bibliography
Appendix A: National and State Standards
Expenses
Historical Narrative
Introduction
Typically, when one thinks of the “Civil Rights Movement,” thoughts of desegregation
and the fight for African-American freedoms come to mind. It is often times however, that what
is excluded is how critical this moment was in history, not only for African-Americans, but also
for those who previously did not have such liberties. The Civil Rights movement not only gave
more freedoms to those of different ethnic backgrounds or religion, but it also provided
opportunities for those, such as women, to delve into new areas that were previously unexplored.
With the passing of Brown v. Board of Education, children were able to receive a fair and equal
education, independent of race. The Civil Rights Act “banned race discrimination in public
accommodations” (W G BH Educ at i onal Fou ndat i on, 2010) allowing non-whites
entrance into places such as theatres, restaurants, and hotels. And the founding of the National
Organization for Women served as a catalyst to “bring women into full participation in society –
sharing equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities with men” (T h e N a t i o n a l
Organization for Women, 2009).
It is important that students today come to learn about civil rights not only because it is a
part of our history, but also because it is an integral part of our modern society. The movement
itself has come to shape our society in regards to equity among race, gender, ethnicity, religion,
and class. The Virginia Standards of Learning require students to study important figures in the
Civil Rights era, particularly activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks in grades
one and two. They also ask that students understand the importance of diversity, equality issues,
and the effects these can have on national history. In fourth grade, students must discuss issues
related to the political and social effects of Civil Rights. By presenting various artifacts and art
forms created in and in response to the Civil Rights Movement, the Visual Arts Standards of
Learning may be addressed as well. The National Standards for History for Grades K – 4 align
with the study of Civil Rights by comparing and contrasting different sets of values and ideas.
Also, by identifying problems and solutions to the issue of civil rights, Standard 5 is met. The
use of primary documents as well aligns with Standard 2, where students must examine and
interpret the meaning of historical documents. (See Appendix A for a full list of standards.)
Key Ideas and Events
Back in the 1950’s prejudice and segregation was legal, and a distinct line was created
between whites and non-white people. African Americans were viewed as inferior and
handicapped compared to their white superiors. Particularly in the south, African Americans had
laws and rules that dictated where they could or could not travel, where they could or could not
eat, and who they could or could not socialize with (Turck, 2000, p. 8). Even at a young age,
African American children learned that they were not allowed to drink at “white” drinking
fountains or use “white” bathrooms.
All of these limitations on African Americans caused the founding of The National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People or NAACP. Created in 1909, in response to
a riot in Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in the death of 50 black people, the NAACP’s goals were to
ensure equality of minority groups through non-violence. Its two main objectives were to
increase voting and education (McWhorter, 2004). In order to disband segregation in schools,
the NAACP and its lawyers fought hard to score important Supreme Court victories. And one of
those major court cases was Brown v. Board of Education that took place in Topeka, Kansas.
The Brown v. Board of Education overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that
stated schools could be separate but equal – meaning schools could segregate themselves on the
basis of race if the education received was equal across the board. But in 1954, the Supreme
Court decided that this was not the case. Schools that were segregated racially were not equal to
those schools that taught all white children. Although this was a pivotal step forward for those
who promoted equality, schools still remained segregated for several years.
A few months after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, several hundreds of miles
away in Montgomery, Alabama, one African American woman named Rosa Parks refused to
give up her seat to a white passenger on a local bus. It was December 1, 1955 and this act of
bravery and rebellion became a turning point in history (McWhorter, 2004). By refusing to give
up her seat, fellow African Americans began to refuse to ride the Montgomery bus until the
company changed its ways. The boycott was a success causing the first “mass movement” for
freedom and became a starting point for fellow activists to emerge.
One of these activists went by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. Born in 1929, the
African American preacher and southerner became one of the most predominant figures in civil
rights history. As the chief of another non-violent group, the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference or SCLC, Martin Luther King Jr. led hundreds of marches to protest causes ranging
from black voting to the United States involvement in Vietnam (Dolan, 1995). One protest
occurred in Selma, Alabama where African Americans went to register to vote. Out of 15,000
eligible black voters, only 335 at the time were registered. This led to a “Freedom Day” where
blacks gathered at the courthouse to register. Those that attempted to register were either
arrested, refused registration rights, or harassed – and only a mere 50 African Americans were
successful at registering. Later that year, in attempts to guarantee that Selma would become the
focus of national and worldwide attention, Martin Luther King Jr. was invited by activists in
Selma. His prominence there led to a larger-scale protest and further sparked the passing of the
Civil Rights Act in 1964. Martin Luther King Jr.’s influential power over the civil rights
community dominated during the sixties and seventies. He inspired fellow activists to come out
of the wood works, demanded fellow African Americans to express their freedom to protest nonviolently, and drastically improved the direction in which the Civil Rights movement was going.
It’s apparent that there were several key ideas and events that shaped the Civil Rights
movement and led to an effort to improve humankind. The influence Civil Rights had in the
United States could be felt not only in the south, but also across the nation and among countries.
A shift in political ideology occurred in order to ensure equality for all independent of race or
culture. And by creating new opportunities for those who were previously denied access, an
increase in production occurred nationwide.
Men, Women, & Youth
The civil rights movement sparked a variety of people to become leaders and activists
and speak out for equality among all. They wanted to receive the same just and fair treatment
that their fellow whites had taken for granted for hundreds of years. Many of these people that
spoke out for change included not only African American men, but women and children as well.
Independent of race, religion, or social class, all Americans had the right to express their views
on equity.
One of the predominant leaders in the civil rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr.
A Baptist African American preacher, King spoke out against discrimination and segregation.
His platform was based around non-violence and his weapon was love (Patterson, 1969, p. 47).
Martin Luther King, Jr. faced plenty of confrontation and harassment while spreading the word
of non-violence to southern states that were dealing with civil rights issues. He expressed a view
that black Americans, as well as other disadvantaged Americans, should be compensated for
historical wrongs. Martin Luther King even said that “granting black Americans only equality
could not realistically close the economic gap between them and whites.” (Patterson, 1969, p.
64). By proposing a government compensatory program, King sought over $50 billion to all
disadvantaged groups. He stated, "it should benefit the disadvantaged of all races.” Martin
Luther King Jr. spoke for those that couldn’t. He gave a voice to those who didn’t or were too
afraid to (Patterson, 1969). But King also inspired others to express their voice, one in particular
being a man by the name Malcolm X. Malcolm X, formerly named Malcolm Little, helped
represent the voice in the north. Compared to King, X sought full equality by “any means
necessary” (Myers, 1991, p. 266). He also was a member of the Nation of Islam under the Black
Muslims. Malcolm X preached racial separation and pride in ones ethnicity. This pride drew the
attention of many young followers. Malcolm X’s new militancy was enticing, and young civil
rights followers believed that they could help with the effort if they joined X’s side. In the north,
segregation still existed and although it was outlawed, segregation in schools was still apparent
due to neighborhood geography.
Meanwhile, while Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were becoming the voice of the
movement, women were starting to emerge as leaders and they too partook in the fight for
equality. Women in the civil rights movement wanted not only equality in the political arena,
but in the social one as well. Women sought to be seen as superior as their male cohorts. During
the time, the job of a wife was tiresome and full of work. Taking care of families and children
was their primary concern (Myers, 1991). But after years of this oppression, some women stood
up and made a voice for themselves. Ella Baker was a charismatic labor organizer and longtime
leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She believed the movement should not
place too much emphasis on leaders, but rather in the idea of "participatory democracy"
(Associated Press, 2005). The meaning of this was to bring together a new formulation for the
traditional appeal of democracy with broader participation. There were three primary emphases
to this new movement: (1) an appeal for grass roots involvement of people throughout society (2)
the minimization of hierarchy (leaders), and (3) a call for direct action as an answer to the fear of
isolation and intellectual detachment. By creating this new ideology, more men, women, and
youth became interested and involved in the movement because they were able to have direct
participation in their efforts.
Often called the “queen mother” of civil rights, Septima Poinsette Clark was an educator
and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People activist decades before the
nation’s attention turned to racial equality. With her strong educational background, Clark
developed “citizenship schools” (Associated Press, 2005). These schools taught reading skills to
adults throughout the south. While it served to increase literacy, it also was an impetus to
empower African Americans and their communities. With an increase in education, more local
leaders for the movement emerged, and many African American southerners pushed for the right
to vote. This push further pushed the civil rights movement along and this empowerment
strategy was the core of the movement.
Sometimes it isn’t always the Martin Luther King Jr.’s or the Rosa Parks that are read
about in textbooks that can be seen as important people in the civil rights movement. The most
predominant and influential group also happened to be the ones without a formal voice. The
children of the civil rights movement had greater power on persuading others than they thought.
It was often however that a child’s voice was heard once it was too late. Emmett Till was a
fourteen-year-old boy who had gone to visit family in Mississippi. The Chicago native
unfortunately was brutally murdered by two white men after being accused of disrespecting a
white woman. (Bolden, 2001). The nature of the crime was so brutal, it made international
headlines. After being beat, shot, and choked with a wire, Emmett’s mother insisted on an open
casket to show the world what had been done. When the murderers were found not guilty by an
all white jury, outrage ensued and the campaign for social justice begun.
Later, as the civil rights movement was at its peak, four Birmingham children became the
martyrs for the cause of racial justice (Bolden, 2001). Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair,
Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley died when the Ku Klux Klan planted a bomb in their
church. On a Sunday morning as the girls were in school, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
exploded, killing the girls and injuring countless others. For every child that was maimed or
murdered by racists, there were hundreds more that were emotionally scarred by the news of
what happened.
But fortunately there were several occasions where black youth did heavily influence the
movement due to their group actions. Groups like the Black Panthers were in favor of
desegregation but often looked askance to integration (Bolden, 2001). Even though the civil
rights movement was Christian-based, some black children that belonged to secular or other
religious organization thought racial separatism was a good thing. An emphasis on Black Power
encouraged children to embrace their African heritage and ethnicity. Many children wore their
hair naturally in Afros or braids and they wore African clothing such as the dashiki (Bolden,
2001). On school rosters, names such as Aisha (life), Jamila (beautiful), and Malik (master)
appeared. Parents wanted to foster a sense of identity and pride in their children, celebrated
Kwanzaa, and in doing so they encouraged a new generation of activists to be made.
Closing and Legacy
With the civil rights movement and the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, many
African Americans, as well as women and children, found the hope they had been searching for,
for nearly 20 years. The civil rights movement was a period in history that aimed to give African
Americans the same citizenship rights that whites took for granted. After some victorious
legislation against discrimination in public accommodations, African Americans could now
engage in society more freely. But even with this success, it was not all complete. Many still
had to combat job and housing discrimination and when equality was wanted there, the battle
ensued. But those that took full advantage of the new opportunities were middle-class blacks.
This caused a departure from their formerly all black neighborhoods to all white ones. This left
their old neighborhoods not to be segregated racially, but rather by class. The problem of
poverty, drugs, crime, was not solved by the civil rights movement.
Today, inequality remains. The average income of black families is still well below that
of whites. Even college-educated blacks earn less than their white counterparts. The civil rights
movement did not achieve complete equality, but greater equality. It brought the reality of
Virginia closer to the promise articulated by Virginian Thomas Jefferson when he wrote, "that all
men are created equal."
It is critical that all students in social studies classes learn about this monumental time in
our history. By developing a conceptualization for the struggle that these people had to endure,
students will learn to appreciate each other’s difference. They will also develop civic
competence and see that we are all the same independent of race, religion, ethnic background,
social class, or disability. The civil rights movement can still be felt today, and its impact seen
everywhere. Currently, there is a battle for sexual orientation equality and the right to marry who
we want. Perhaps by learning about civil rights in the classroom, the future leaders and activists
for our country can be produced leading to an overall improved future.
Lesson # 1
Mapping the Movement
Purpose: Students will gain knowledge about the pertinent marches that took place during the Civil
Rights era and will construct a map of related historical landmarks.
Grade Level/Time/Space: 4; 1 hour; whole group (approximately 25students)
Standards: Social Science Standards of Learning in Virginia
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;
US II.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the key domestic and international issues
during the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by
a) examining the Civil Rights Movement and the changing role of women;
Objectives:
1. Given a handout on the Civil Rights era, students will identify six major events and their
corresponding landmarks as a collective.
2. Given a map of the southern United States, students will place these six major events with
their corresponding location with 80% accuracy.
3. Given a variety of resources including play doh, toothpicks, and writing utensils, students
will label and describe the six landmarks and explain with 80% accuracy the effects these
events had on history.
Resources:
Chalkboard/chalk or overhead projector/screen, Civil Rights handout (attached), assorted colors
of play doh, cardboard bases with map outline (one for each student), scissors, toothpicks, tape,
markers, pens/pencils, example of completed project.
Procedure:
Introduction: Review historical context of the Civil Rights movement. Explain that the Civil Rights
movement had to come along way to get where they are today – for twenty years African Americans
had to endure abuse and harassment, until they finally got the equality they so long pursued. All
across the southern United States, many key events took place that impacted how we live today. Ask
students to compare how school might have been in the 60’s if they were still segregated. Ask
students to discuss, “How do we determine if something in history is historically ‘important’? If you
were to map out the key events of the Civil Rights Movement, what events would you pick?”
Content Focus: Objective and Purpose: Tell students they will be creating a map of the historically
important landmarks and events that took place during the Civil Rights era. Instructional Input: In
order to map these key events and be able to describe them in some detail, students will need to know
when and where specific events took place. Pass out the Key Events in the Civil Rights Era handout.
Introduce vocabulary: segregation, riots, desegregation, boycott, and assassinate. Invite the students
to first guess what these words mean and how they may be pertinent to the time. Clarify that today,
segregation no longer exists by law, however people still fight for their civil rights. Modeling: Tell
students that they are going to prepare to make a map of some of the key events that are provided in
the handout. By selecting a minimum of six events, demonstrate how they might make a small square
out of play doh to represent Washington, D.C. and Congress. Then place it on the cardboard map
provided, carefully write out some of the events that happened in this area, when, and it’s
significance on a “flag”, tape it to a toothpick, and place the toothpick into the play doh square.
Ask students what important events should be included. Checking for Understanding: Distribute
building materials to students. While they work in small groups, ask groups to look over the handout
and choose six events that they think are most important/influential to our history. Regroup the entire
class and make a list of all the groups’ responses. As a collective, have the entire class vote on which
six they want as their final choices. Guided Practice: Distribute blank maps, and review the parts of a
map (title, compass rose, legend). Students can make their own legend according to their play doh
creations, but go over with the entire class that there must be a symbol for each part (green play doh
square means Congress/Act passed, or yellow sphere = riot). Have students determine the location of
the events they picked, and where they are on their own maps (have a map available in the front of
the class so students can find exact locations). Tell students to create the play doh symbols,
toothpicks with flag information, and place them on their maps. Independent Practice: Have
individual students volunteer to present their final creation. As one student presents, have the other
students brainstorm questions to ask the presenter about his/her map. Why did they choose the
symbol they did? What inferences can be made about the location of these events? How would
history be different if the Civil Rights Movement was farther north? West? Students will continue
this process until no fewer than 50% of the class has presented.
Closure: As a class, review vocabulary segregation, riots, desegregation, boycott, and assassinate.
Ask students to share reasons as to why the Civil Rights Movement was important and how it
affected our history.
Assessment:
Formative: Listening skills, participation in activities, following directions, making contributions to
discussion.
Summative: Maps Multiple choice questions.
Background Information:
In the late 1950s in the United States, the use of nonviolent protest began to break the
pattern of racially segregated public facilities in the South. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld
“separate but equal” facilities for the races in Plessy v. Ferguson. But during the late 1940s and
early 1950s, lawyers for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) pressed a series of important cases in which they argued that segregation meant
unequal education for blacks. The case Brown v. Board of Education declared that separate
educational facilities were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional. This historic
decision began a mass movement on the part of blacks to try to end segregation particularly in
the South (Teaching For Change, 2010).
After a black woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested for refusing to move to the African
American section of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, blacks staged a one-day local boycott of
the bus system to protest her arrest. After the boycott of the Montgomery bus company,
picketing and boycotting spread rapidly to other communities (Feldmeth, 1998).
During the period from 1955 to 1960, some progress was made toward integrating
schools and other public facilities in the upper South. In May 1961 the Congress of Racial
Equality sent “Freedom Riders” of both races through the South to test and break down
segregated accommodations in interstate transportation (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010).
The movement reached its climax in with the massive March on Washington, D.C., to
protest racial discrimination and demonstrate support for major civil rights legislation. In 1964,
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act which forbade discrimination in public accommodations. A
year later in 1965, the Voting Rights Act led to increases in the numbers of black registered
voters in the South.
Up until 1966, the Civil Rights Movement had united the black community. After the
assassination of King and further rioting, the movement disintegrated, with a broad spectrum of
leadership. (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010).
Multiple Choice Question:
1.
What does boycott mean?
a. to arrest someone who broke a law
b. to refuse dealing with an organization in protest
c. to pass an act in Congress
d. to support segregation in schools

Student Handout
Civil Rights Vocabulary
Segregation
- Separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups, in places
such as schools or public facilities, especially as a form of discrimination.
Riots
-
A disturbance created by a large number of people for a common purpose.
Desegregation
- The process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to
races.
Boycott
- To refuse dealing with an organization in protest
Assassinate
-
The murder of a prominent or public figure, usually by surprise attack, and
for political purposes.
Student Handout
Key Events
the Civil Rights ErA
1950 – 1970
Event
Date
Location
Significance
14th
Amendment
passed
1868
Washington, D.C.
Constitutional amendment forbids any state
from depriving citizens of their rights and
privileges and defines citizenship
Plessy v.
Ferguson
decision
1896
Washington, D.C.
Supreme Court rules that separate but
equal facilities for different races is legal.
Gives legal approval to Jim Crow laws
Chicago, Illinois
Over 25 race riots occur in the summer of
1919 with 38 killed in Chicago. 70 blacks,
including 10 veterans, are lynched in the
South
Washington, D.C.
Supreme Court reverses Plessy by stating
that separate schools are by nature unequal.
Schools are ordered to desegregate "with
all deliberate speed"
Race riots and
lynchings
1919
claim hundreds
of lives
Brown v.
Board of
Education of
Topeka
decision
1954
Little Rock
Central High
School
desegregated
Fall 1957 Little Rock, Arkansas
After Little Rock school board votes to
integrate schools, National Guard troops
prevent black children from attending
school. 1000 federal paratroopers are
needed to escort black students and
preserve peace. Arkansas Gov. Faubus
responds by closing schools for 1958-59
school year
Montgomery
bus boycott
19551957
Rosa Parks ignites 381-day bus boycott
organized by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Freedom riders
oppose
1961
segregation
Montgomery, Alabama
Washington, D.C., through
Richmond, Virginia,
Greensboro, North
Blacks and whites take buses to the South
Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, to protest bus station segregation. Many
Birmingham, Alabama,
are greeted with riots and beatings
ending in Jackson,
Mississippi
Event
Date
Location
Birmingham, Alabama
King and SCLC (Southern Christian
Leadership Conference) oppose local laws
that support segregation. Riots, firebombing, and police are used against
protestors
Washington, D.C.
More than 200,000 blacks and whites
gather before Lincoln Memorial to hear
speeches (including King's "I Have a
Dream") and protest racial injustice
Desegregation
April
drive in
1963
Birmingham
March on
Washington
August
28, 1963
Bombing of
Birmingham
church
September
1963
Civil Rights
Act passed
July 1964
Mississippi
Summer
Freedom
Project
Summer
1964
Selma to
Montgomery
march
Birmingham, Alabama
Overcoming Senate filibuster, Congress
passes law forbidding racial discrimination
in many areas of life, including hotels,
voting, employment, and schools
Mississippi
Civil rights workers seek to register blacks
to vote. 3 are killed and many black homes
and churches are burned. National outrage
helps pass civil rights legislation
Selma, Alabama to
Montgomery, Alabama
King leads 54-mile march to support black
voter registration. Despite attacks from
police and interference from Gov.
Wallace, marchers reach Montgomery.
Pres. Johnson addresses nation in support
of marchers
Mississippi
After passage, southern black voter
registration grows by over 50% and black
officials are elected to various positions. In
Mississippi, black voter registration grew
from 7% to 67%
New York, New York
Rejecting integration and nonviolence,
Malcolm splits off from Elijah
Muhammad's Black Muslims and is killed
by black opponents
Detroit, Michigan
Worst riots in U.S. history results in 43
deaths in Detroit and federal troops being
called out to restore order
Memphis, Tennessee
While supporting sanitation workers' strike
which had been marred by violence in
Memphis, King is shot by James Earl Ray.
Voting Rights August 6,
Act approved 1965
February
1965
Race riots in
Detroit and
Newark
1967
King
assassinated
April 4.
1968
4 black girls are killed by bomb planted in
church
Washington, D.C.
March
1965
Malcolm X
assassinated
Significance
Name: ________________________
My Legend
Student Handout
*Printed On Cardboard
Lesson #2
Jacob Lawrence – African American Painter
Purpose: Students will analyze Jacob Lawrence’s paintings that were created during the Civil Rights
Era, and create their own artwork influenced by a current issue in today’s society.
Grade Level/Time/Space: 4; 1 hour; whole group (approximately 25students)
Standards: Visual Arts Standards of Learning in Virginia
4.3 The student will create a work of art that uses themes, ideas, and art forms from the past.
4.13 The student will recognize, compare, and contrast the characteristics of diverse cultures in
contemporary works of art.
4.17 The student will interpret works of art for multiple meanings.
4.20 The student will identify and investigate ways that works of art from popular culture reflect
the past and influence the present.
National Standards for Art Education (Visual Arts K-8)
Content Standard #4: Understanding visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
Content Standard #5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work
and the work of others.
Objectives:
1. Given Jacob Lawrence’s painting Praying Ministers, students will analyze and answer
questions based on Nelson’s levels of questioning with 100% participation.
2. Given art materials, students will create their own piece of artwork influenced by a current
issue in today’s society with 100% participation.
3. Given Jacob Lawrence’s painting Praying Ministers, students will develop an understanding
for the influential importance of current events and issues on artwork.
Resources:
Jacob Lawrence artwork available online, computer and digital projector screen, projector, white
cardstock, markers, crayons, pencils, pens, paint sets (10 sets).
Procedure:
Introduction: Review students’ knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement. Explain that Jacob
Lawrence was a painter in the Harlem community that painted from personal experience and the
experiences of those around him. He concentrated on depicting the history and struggles of
African Americans, particularly during the late 1940s and early 1960s; right around the time
Civil Rights was at its height. Define Harlem, a section of New York City where a rapid influx
of African Americans beginning c. 1910 making it one of the largest Black communities in the
United States. In the 1920’s a flowering of African-American art and literature was known as the
Harlem Renaissance. Tell students they will be looking at some of Jacob Lawrence’s paintings
and have to carefully look for details that inform the viewer about the experience, emotion, or
struggle that Lawrence was trying to depict.
Content Focus: Show Jacob Lawrence’s Praying Ministers (1962)
Key Questions:
OBJECTIVE – Who are these men? What are they doing? Who are the people around them?
How are they dressed? What do you notice about the way their bodies are positioned? What
colors do you see in the painting?
REFLECTIVE – How do you think they are feeling? How do think the people in the background
feel? How would you feel if you were in the same situation as the men?
INTERPRETIVE –Why do you think the artist decided to paint this picture? How does the
artist’s use of color help us to feel emotion in this painting? How do these men influence those
around them? Why do you think the surrounding people are doing what they are doing? What do
you think caused this scene to happen?
DECISIONAL – How would you describe what is being shown in this painting? Do you think
the artist did a good job depicting emotion of the men? The protesters? What would you do if
you were in the this painting?
Discuss how Jacob Lawrence’s purposes for making this painting might have been different due to
the time it was made, and that how we interpret it may be differently because of the current issues at
the time. Explain to students that they will “recreate” Jacob Lawrence’s painting Praying Ministers,
by changing the purpose of the painting to reflect an issue of today’s society. Before handing out
materials, brainstorm as a class some current issues of today: recycling, keeping the environment
healthy, respect for others, bullying, accepting those that are different than us. Create a list on the
overhead/projector and keep posted for students to make reference to. Hand out the materials and
have them create their art, check for understanding and participation by observing the class and
asking students individually what issue they are depicting.
Closure: Ask students what they learned about purposes of creating art and how current issues
influence our artwork. Does it matter who is drawing the picture? Jacob Lawrence painted from
1917-2000, but some of the issues or emotions he tried to depict still ring true today. Explain that
how an artist interprets an event or issue will differ than that of a different artist. We are all
individual in which we construe experiences, yet we are all similar in which we experience them
together.
Assessment:
Formative: Participation in discussion, engagement in art activity.
Summative: Art Multiple choice question.
Background Information:
Jacob Lawrence was an African-American painter whose works depict his passionate
concern for the plight of his people. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 7, 1917,
Jacob Lawrence was reared in Harlem in New York City, which provided the background for
many of his works. Lawrence also had notable success as a teacher. He was an instructor at the
Art Students League in New York City and taught at various times at Brandeis University, Black
Mountain College, the Skohegan School in Maine, and the University of California, among
others. As a narrative painter, Lawrence did not confine his work to a single picture. Instead, he
often required 20 or 30 panels to complete his concept. Lawrence's works are in the collections
of several major American museums as well as numerous private collections. He received many
honors, including an American Academy of Arts and Letters grant in 1953 and the distinguished
Spingarn Medal awarded by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in
1970. In recent years, his art has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity. Recent showings of
Lawrence's paintings in Chicago and Washington D.C. have drawn praise from the press, not the
least of which was a statement from Time magazine, which summed up his works as "arguably
still the best treatment of [the] black-American historical experience by a black artist." On June
9, 2000, Lawrence died in his Seattle, Washington home. He was 82.
Multiple Choice Question:
2.
Which of the following did NOT influence Jacob Lawrence’s art?
a. The Depression
b. Civil Rights Movement
c. The Harlem Community
d. White Americans voting rights

Praying Ministers, Jacob Lawrence (1962)
Lesson #3
Martin Luther King Jr. Biography and Civic Engagement
Purpose: To explore the Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, and discuss his
historic importance as advocate for African American rights.
.
Grade Level/Time/Space: 4; 1 hour; whole group (approximately 25 students)
Standards:
History and Social Science Standards of Learning in Virginia
3.11 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that form the foundation of a
republican form of government by a) describing the individual rights to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness; and equality under the law; b) identifying the contributions Martin Luther
King, Jr.; VS.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and
responsible citizenship, including the ability to a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and
secondary source documents to understand events in history;
National Standards for History K-4 4C – Demonstrate understanding of historic figures who
have exemplified values and principles of American democracy by comparing historical
biographies or fictionalized accounts of historical figures with primary documents in order to
analyze inconsistencies and disagreements in these accounts and assess their reliability.
Objectives:
1. Given the book If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King Jr. students will interpret
what it was like during the Civil Rights Movement time period, with 100% participation.
2. Given a compare and contrast venn diagram chart, students will identify differences and
similarities between Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and their own, with 100% participation.
3. Given a list of biographies students will further investigate a personally chosen person,
and conduct the aforementioned objectives and share with the class.
Resources:
If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King Jr, by Ellen Levine, New York: Scholastic Inc.,
1990.
Materials: Book If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King Jr., by Ellen Levine, venn
diagram worksheet, pencils, list of biographies (cut into strips to have picked out of a hat for
randomized selection), review strips, overhead projector, examples of other biographies,
computer lab *time required to reserve computers for all students.
Procedure:
Introduction: Introduce Levine’s book, explaining that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Civil Rights
advocate who fought for African American rights. Explain that the time back then however was
very different than it was today, and that people like Martin Luther King Jr. were rare. Few
people were like King in that they did not stand up for what they believed in. Rather they would
look towards someone else to speak on their behalf. This is what King did for those who did not
have a voice, he gave one to them. Read book aloud to class, and have them note instances in
which how the life Martin Luther King Jr. differed from their own. Ask students in what ways
were there similarities and differences. They will write these on the venn diagram worksheet and
share to the class.
Content Focus: Before beginning work on the computers, students will select out of a hat a strip
of paper with historical figures. Student will then travel to the computer lab to explore their
assigned biographies. Explain that they will research the person online, and do the same compare
and contrast as they did earlier. However, students will use the 30 minutes of class time left to
do more in depth research of their selected person. Distribute similarity and difference venn
diagrams to students. To promote creativity, the students can decide what their compare and
contrast shall be on: the person’s life, struggles, accomplishments, the time; compared to their
own life. After completing the assignment, pass out the review strips, and then have each student
present their findings. *Note: an additional class session may be needed to allow all students to
present. Students will write down on their review strips what they learned and appreciated about
that person’s presentation.
Closure: Discuss with students how their person lives were similar and different to those that
they studied. Did they see any patterns among all the presentations and biographies? Ask why
they think that? Perhaps it was because of the historical importance that the person provided to
society. Explain that people who are of historical importance often provide society with
something we can learn; whether that be character traits that make them good citizens or helping
out those that are less fortunate in order to make our world a better place.
Assessment:
Formative: Participation in discussion, similarities and differences chart, review strips.
Summative: Multiple choice question.
Background Information:
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday was first observed as a national holiday in 1986. However, his
life had become a fixed part of American mythology for years prior to this. Indeed, to many
African Americans whose rights he helped expand, to many other minorities whose lives his
victories touched, and to many whites who welcomed the changes his leadership brought, King's
life seemed mythological even as he lived it. He is celebrated as a hero not only for the concrete
legislation he enabled, but for his articulation of dreams and hopes shared by many during an era.
King became the leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott when it broke out in 1955. That yearlong non-violent protest, which led to a Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation, brought
King to the attention of the country as a whole, and led to the formation of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, or SCLC, an alliance of black Southern churches and
ministers. This group elected King their president, and began looking for other civil rights battles
to fight In 1963, King and the SCLC joined a campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, to end
segregation there and to force downtown businesses to employ blacks. Peaceful protests were
met by fire-hoses and attack-dogs wielded by local police. Images of this violence, broadcast on
national news, provoked outrage, and this reaction created a political atmosphere in which strong
federal civil rights legislation could gain favor and passage, and the next year President Lyndon
Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. When King was assassinated in 1968, the
nation shook with the impact. Riots broke out in over one hundred American cities. For many
born after his death, he is known best for the "I Have a Dream" speech, which reflects this spirit,
and which he delivered in 1963 at the height of his fame. The federal holiday commemorates this
King, who articulated the progressive, human hope of the early 1960s.
Multiple Choice Question:
1. Which of the following did Martin Luther King Jr. try to achieve?
a. Voting rights for blacks only
b. Segregating schools for equal education

c. Non-violent protests
d. Giving children the right to vote
Name: _____________________
The Life of _____________________________
_________
_________
List of Biographies
From Time.com







Edward Kennedy
Gordon Brown
Christine Lagarde
Thomas Dart
Avigdor Lieberman
Hillary Clinton
Barack Obama
Builders & Titans




















The Twitter Guys
T. Boone Pickens
Ted Turner
Tessa Ross
Carlos Slim
Brad Pitt
Meredith Whitney
Suze Orman
Lauren Zalaznick
Timothy Geithner
Nandan Nilekani
Stella McCartney
Jamie Dimon
Sheila Bair
moot
Alexander Medvedev
Alan Mulally
Robin Chase
Jack Ma
Bernie Madoff
Artists & Entertainers








Rush Limbaugh
M.I.A.
Kate Winslet
Penélope Cruz
John Legend
The View
Zac Efron
Tina Fey




Tom Hanks
Jay Leno
A.R. Rahman
Judith Jamison
Heroes & Icons















Michelle Obama
Chesley B.
Sullenberger
Richard Phillips
Seth Berkley
Michael Eavis
Leonard Abess
Hadizatou Mani
Rick Warren
Van Jones
Somaly Mam
Rafael Nadal
Tiger Woods
George Clooney
Oprah Winfrey
Sarah Palin
Name of presenter: ________________________________________
Biography of: _____________________________
Three things I liked about your presentation:
1.
2.
3.
Three things I learned:
1.
2.
3.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name of presenter: ________________________________________
Biography of: _____________________________
Three things I liked about your presentation:
1.
2.
3.
Three things I learned:
1.
2.
3.
Lesson # 4
Issues in Equality
Purpose: Students will understand through conducting research that conflicts regarding civil
rights and equality issues persist in modern day United States between current American citizens
and the state/national government.
Grade Level/Time/Space: 4th; 5 1-hour lessons (1 week); whole group (about 25 students) &
individual
Standards:
Social Studies Standards of Learning for Virginia
CE.1 The student will develop the social studies skills citizenship requires, including the ability
to a) examine and interpret primary and secondary source documents; d) distinguish between
relevant and irrelevant information; e) review information for accuracy, separating fact from
opinion; f) identify a problem and recommend solutions; g) select and defend positions in
writing, discussion, and debate.
NCSS Global Connections d. [The student will] explore the causes, consequences, and possible
solutions to persistent, contemporary, and emerging global issues.
Objectives:
1. Given a primary source document of the 14th Amendment, students will interpret,
summarize, develop questions, and conduct research pertaining to a contemporary
equality issue.
2. Students will, with a graphic organizer, state the issue, the viewpoints, and recommended
solutions to the equality issue at hand.
3. Student will share their research findings with the class through an oral presentation.
Resources: 14th Amendment of the Constitution handout, articles from current newspapers on
several equality issues (students will be able to pick their issue individually), Internet-equipped
computers for student use, Internet Websites handout, Guided research worksheet (enclosed),
Graphic organizer worksheet.
Procedure: Introduction: (Day 1) Catalyst: Read aloud to students Section 1 of the 14th
Amendment of the Constitution. Explain the importance of the amendment, facts (when it was
ratified), and clarify any vocabulary (naturalized, abridge, life, liberty, and properties). Discuss
with students what this amendment is trying to say. Given their prior knowledge about the Civil
Rights movement, and seeing that it was ratified before the movement and issues arose, how was
the 14th Amendment put into place. Ask students if they think that the amendment was being
followed or put into place effectively. Explain that even though the amendment was passed
nearly 200 years before the Civil Rights movement, there are times in history and even current
day where the amendments aren’t necessarily enforced. Tell students that they will be conducting
research on current issues of inequality over the next few days and then present their findings to
the class. (Day 2) Have students recall what they learned yesterday and had read about the 14th
Amendment. Explain that they will now begin the issue search and research part of their project.
Divide students into groups of 4 -5 to read the three articles provided. Distribute the newspapers
(1 to each group), have them read the articles, discuss the major issue behind the article, develop
any questions they have about the issue, and then have them rotate and repeat until all groups
28
have read the three articles. Observe each group while reading the articles and ask: what do they
feel they need to know more about in order to take a position in their given issue? Return to
whole group after the discussion and question development is complete. Model the formation of
research questions to the students, asking for groups to volunteer their best questions. Distribute
guided research worksheets. Student-generated questions: Individually, students will choose their
best research questions and make a hypothesis. What do you think the answer to your question
is? *Note: Students should start to make the connection that although the 14th Amendment is part
of our Constitution; there are many instances where inequality still exists. If this concept is not
being grasped, guide the students more by providing them with questions such as: how can
inequality in schools still exist if it is a written law? Why is this law being broken? Why do you
think this still happens today? Can we completely govern what occurs in all schools, workplaces,
or societies? If the 14th amendment states that “no State shall deprive any person of life, liberty,
or property…nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” how
can we guarantee that these rights are protected in places such as schools or workplaces?
Content Focus: (Days 2-3) Independent research time. Distribute the guided research worksheet.
Each student should select their issue based on the article of their choosing: Article #1 – Racial
Inequality, Article #2 – Gender Inequality, and Article #3 – Social Inequality. Have them fill out
handout and get approved before research on the internet can be conducted.
Students must consult at least 3 different kinds of sources (they can all be from the internet, but
must be different media i.e. book online, website, and journal article). For each source, they will
document on the Graphic Organizer. At the end of day 2, ask students for input as to what other
kinds of information they think they need to find for their research. (Day 3) Distribute graphic
organizers; model filling out different sections of the graphic organizer. Have the students
conduct their research from 3 sources, writing down 2 details from each source that explains
what the issue is and how the issue could be solved. Continue onto Day 4 if more time is needed.
*Students may opt to write an essay instead of the graphic organizer, provided all information is
present in the final product.
Closure: (Day 5) Presentations – students will present their research findings. They will not read
a prepared written response; rather they will explain their question, support with details from
their graphic organizer, highlight any unusual sources or findings, and share further questions
that they found during their research. Invite brief discussion after each presentation to clarify
student opinions.
Evaluation/Assessment:
Formative: Student engagement in discussion, participation, effort during research process,
completion of presentation.
Summative: Complete research worksheet for three different sources; complete graphic
organizer; presentation thorough, concise, and shows understanding of research process. Essay
question attached.
Background Information: Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment of the United States
Constitution stated that “no State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property…nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” This granted new rights
and opportunities to United States citizens, independent of race or gender. However, since its
ratification, the 14th Amendment has become one of the most commonly misinterpreted and
misused amendments in the United States. Today, there are issues pertaining to inequality
whether it be racially, socially, or by gender. Racially it can still be seen that gaps exist in
29
student achievement in schools as well as the workplace. Those of non-white ethnicity tend to
have lower incomes and get lower scores on tests and assessments. Socially, those that have
lower incomes or are in a lower socioeconomic status will tend to stay in that group. And with
gender, women tend to receive lower pay for the same job compared to men, they will not
receive as high of an education as men, and tend to retire from the workforce earlier to stay at
home and take care of family. Whatever the case, the struggle to ensure and guarantee that these
rights are granted to all United States citizens is a battle that has and will continue unless more
reinforcement and protection of these rights is made by the government as well as state and local
agencies.
30
Essay question:
Describe one current issue pertaining to inequality, giving no fewer than 2 details
(4 points). How do you propose the issue to be solved (1 point) and why (3 points)?
Extra Credit (1 point): The 14th amendment states that “no State shall deprive any
person of life, liberty, or property…nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction
the equal protection of the laws” how can we guarantee that these rights are
protected in places such as schools or workplaces?
31
Transcript of 14th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution: Civil Rights (1868)
AMENDMENT XIV
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein
they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor
deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective
numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But
when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President
of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State,
or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State,
being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except
for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced
in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male
citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and VicePresident, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who,
having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States,
or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to
support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion
against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of
two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred
for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall
not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or
obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for
the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held
illegal and void.
Section 5.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this
article.
32
ARTICLE #1
From Time for Kids
A Ruling for Equality
April 30, 2004 Vol. 9 Issue 25
By Brenda Iasevoli
May 17 marks the 50th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court's decision in the
landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. In 1954, the nine Supreme Court justices
unanimously decided to end the policy of "separate but equal" schools and make the separation
of races, called segregation, illegal.
CHANGING THE RULES
In February 1951, Oliver Brown and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP) sued the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Brown's daughter, 7-year-old
Linda, had to ride a school bus 21 blocks to the all-black Monroe Elementary. She was not
allowed to attend an all-white school just four blocks from her home. Many black students
shared Linda's plight. Often, they traveled long distances to go to schools that had worn,
outdated textbooks and few, if any, desks.
By the time the Brown case reached the Supreme Court, it had been combined with
desegregation cases from three other states and Washington D.C. After the ruling, several
southern states closed some schools rather than integrate them.
In 1971, the courts ordered states to bus black children to white schools to integrate them. There
were protests in many cities. But by 1972, the South had more integrated schools than any other
region in the country. About 36% of black students attended schools that were mostly white.
WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Today, schools are becoming more segregated again. Only 28.4% of black students attend
majority-white schools nationwide. In the South, the percentage of blacks attending
majority-white schools fell from 43% in 1988 to 31% in 2000.
Theodore Shaw, the president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, believes that integration is
vital. "Racial integration helps create a society in which all children learn to live with, befriend
and work with people who are different from them," Shaw told TFK. "[It] makes our country a
better place."
33
ARTICLE #2
From EHS Today
Workplace Gender Inequality Still Alive Worldwide
Feb 23, 2010
By Laura Walter
Despite big changes over recent decades, workplace gender inequalities endure in the United
States and other industrialized nations around the world. According to University of Washington
sociologists, these inequalities are created by facets of national social policy that either ease
or concentrate the demands of care giving within households and shape expectations in the
workplace.
There are vast differences in women’s economic fortunes in these countries, and in no one
country do women do well on all measures of equality. Italy, for example, ranks first in wage
equality but is 20th in the number of women employed. Sweden is No. 1 in women’s
employment but is only 14th in full-time work. While Belgium is first in occupational
integration, it is 18th in women’s employment.
Policies governing gender equality and inclusion in the workplace vary drastically in these
countries, and Pettit contends that in order to understand gender inequality in the workplace it is
necessary to consider to how a nation’s family policies affect the division of household labor.
“Our argument is gender inequality in the workplace is in a large part due to bearing and rearing
children. There are economically successful women everywhere but exactly how women manage
the dual demands of work and home varies a lot. The biggest differences come when people have
children and when those children are young,” Pettit said.
“Some countries support working women publicly by providing child care. What we have in the
United States are private solutions to child care,” she continued. “People who have more
resources can maximize their employment and pay for child care. Some nations are more
generous and the U.S. is way behind them in providing early childhood education, child care and
paid maternity leave.”
Even so, state subsidized, family-friendly policies don’t guarantee women can achieve
equality in the workplace. Some of these policies foster the growth of part-time
employment – which is a dead end for advancement – work segregation and wage
inequality, the authors said.
…
“In the U.S., very well-educated women are more likely to use substitute labor for child care.
But this is not the case for low-income women, and this can lead to a two-tiered economic
system that penalizes many women,” she said.
34
ARTICLE #3
From ScienceNews
Separate Is Never Equal
How social segregation leads to economic inequality
By Julie Rehmeyer
In Brown versus Board of Education, the celebrated 1954 ruling that struck down laws
segregating schools by race, the Supreme Court declared that "separate educational facilities are
inherently unequal." The cause of this inherent inequality, the majority opinion stated, was
segregation's psychological impact on children. It made African-American children feel inferior
and thus less motivated to learn. A new study argues that simple economic forces arising from
segregation directly create economic inequity, independent of any psychological effects.
Indeed, the power of segregation may be even greater than commonly thought. The study shows
that even when there is no history of discrimination between two groups, social segregation
alone can cause dramatic economic inequities to develop.
Professors from various colleges and universities have created a model for understanding the
interaction between segregation and inequality. They imagined a situation in which
discrimination that had historically existed between two groups of people came to an end, so that
people from both groups who had equal skills subsequently began earning equal wages. The
researchers then asked whether, over many generations, the income of the two groups would tend
to equalize or whether the disparity would persist.
The model incorporated the idea that parents tend to invest more heavily in giving their children
the skills that employers value when they expect that investment to pay off later in higher wages.
It also included the fact that children are more likely to succeed when they are surrounded by
other children who are succeeding. For example, studies show that having friends with strong
vocabularies helps a child to pick up more words with less effort.
People who have been subject to discrimination in the past are less likely to have acquired
the skills needed for high-wage jobs, compared with those who were not subject to
discrimination. Their children, then, are less likely to pick up those skills naturally at
home. Furthermore, in a socially segregated society, children will mix mostly with peers
from their own group. As a result, children from the less-advantaged group will be less able
to pick up high-wage skills from their friends.
These impediments make parents' investment in their children's future wage-related skills
less likely to pay off, leaving parents less inclined to make the investment than parents in a
socially advantaged group. The children are thus likely to have less economic success in
adulthood.
The researchers also performed their experiment with two segregated groups that began with
equal skills and income. The team found that even when the two groups start out equal,
some slight discrepancy is bound to develop randomly over time. As soon as that happens,
35
the same dynamics come into play and magnify the inequality, making one group wealthier
and more highly skilled and the other group poorer and less skilled.
This result should serve as a warning for societies with strong social divisions. Even when social
groups are economically equal, continued segregation may result in inequality over time.
There is evidence that some areas of the United States today are socially segregated enough to
cause increasing inequality. In Manhattan, the degree of segregation in housing was far greater
than it would be if it were just a side effect of segregation by income.
The positive side of the study, however, is that integration has a powerful effect in ending
inequalities. "If equality between groups is a social objective," Sethi says, "the way to do it
is through integration."
36
Name: _________________
Guided Research Handout
The issue I chose was: _________________________________
From Article # ____
My question is: _____________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________.
I propose the issue can be solved
by…________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
37
Internet Resources
Use these approved websites to help find information and
solutions to your issue.
http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/
http://sites.google.com/site/socialprotestwebquest/
http://www.mtsd-vt.org/WebQuests/GFurlong/civil_rights_webquest.htm
38
Name: ____________________________
Graphic Organizer
(Use this handout during your internet research to find sources and possible solutions to your issue)
Source #1:
Book
____________
____________
____________
____________
Source #3:
Article
____________
____________
____________
____________
My Issue...
__________
__________
__________
__________
39
Source #2:
Website
____________
____________
____________
____________
Source #1


Source #2


Source #3


*Back of Graphic Organizer
40
Name: _________________
Date: ____________________
Civil Rights Movement Unit
Pre-Post Test
Directions: For each question, circle the letter next to the answer.
3. What
a.
b.
c.
d.
does boycott mean?
to arrest someone who broke a law
to refuse dealing with an organization in protest
to pass an act in Congress
to support segregation in schools
4. Which of the following did NOT influence Jacob Lawrence’s art?
a. The Depression
b. Civil Rights Movement
c. The Harlem Community
d. White Americans voting rights
5. Which of the following did Martin Luther King Jr. try to achieve?
a. Voting rights for blacks only
b. Segregating schools for equal education
c. Non-violent protests
Giving children the right to vote
Directions: On the back of the test, answer the following essay question. Be
sure to use complete sentences.
6. Describe one current issue pertaining to inequality, giving no fewer than 2
details (4 points). How do you propose the issue to be solved (1 point) and
why (3 points)? Extra Credit (1 point): The 14th amendment states that “no
State shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property…nor deny to any
person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” how can we
guarantee that these rights are protected in places such as schools or
workplaces?
41
Civil Rights Movement Unit
Answer Sheet
1. What does boycott mean?
a. to arrest someone who broke a law
b. to refuse dealing with an organization in protest

c. to pass an act in Congress
d. to support segregation in schools
2. Which of the following did NOT influence Jacob Lawrence’s art?
a. The Depression
b. Civil Rights Movement
c. The Harlem Community
d. White Americans voting rights

3. Which of the following did Martin Luther King Jr. try to achieve?
a. Voting rights for blacks only
b. Segregating schools for equal education
c. Non-violent protests

d. Giving children the right to vote
42
Bibliography
Artcyclopedia. (2010). Jacob Lawrence. Retrieved 2010, from
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/lawrence_jacob.html
Associated Press. (2005, October 29). Women had key roles in civil rights
movement. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9862643/
Bolden, T. (2001). Tell all the children: memories and mementos of being
young and black in america . New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,
Publishers.
Dolan, S. (1995). Pursuing the dream. New York, NY: Chelsea House
Publishers.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (2010). Civil rights movement. Retrieved from Encyclopædia
Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/119368/Civil-Rights
-Movement
Feldmeth, Greg D. (31 March 1998). "U.S. history resources"
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html.
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Appendix A
Virginia Standards of Learning
Social Studies
K.1
The student will recognize that history describes events and people of other times and
places by
b) identifying the people and events honored by the holidays of Thanksgiving Day;
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day; Presidents’ Day; and Independence Day (Fourth of
July).
2.10
The student will explain the responsibilities of a good citizen, with emphasis on
a) respecting and protecting the rights and property of others;
2.11 The student will identify George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony,
Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, and Martin Luther King, Jr., as Americans whose contributions
improved the lives of other Americans.
2.12
The student will understand that the people of Virginia
b) have diverse ethnic origins, customs, and traditions, make contributions to their
communities, and are united as Americans by common principles.
3.11 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that form the foundation
of a republican form of government by
a) describing the individual rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and
equality under the law;
b) identifying the contributions of George Washington; Thomas Jefferson; Abraham
Lincoln; Rosa Parks; Thurgood Marshall; Martin Luther King, Jr.; and Cesar
Chavez;
VS.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and
responsible citizenship, including the ability to
a) identify and interpret artifacts and primary and secondary source documents to
understand events in history;
e) make connections between past and present;
h) evaluate and discuss issues orally and in writing;
i) analyze and interpret maps to explain historical events.
VS.8 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of Virginia following the
Civil War by
a) identifying the effects of Reconstruction on life in Virginia;
b) identifying the effects of segregation and “Jim Crow” on life in Virginia for whites,
African Americans, and American Indians;
VS.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of twentieth- and twenty-first-century Virginia
by
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a) describing the economic and social transition from a rural, agricultural society to a
more urban, industrialized society, including the reasons people came to Virginia
from other states and countries;
c) identifying the social and political events in Virginia linked to desegregation and
Massive Resistance and their relationship to national history;
USII.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the key domestic and international issues
during the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by
a) examining the Civil Rights Movement and the changing role of women;
c) identifying representative citizens from the time period who have influenced
America scientifically, culturally, academically, and economically;
Visual Arts
4.3
The student will create a work of art that uses themes, ideas, and art forms from the past.
4.12
The student will compare and contrast abstract and realistic works of art.
4.13 The student will recognize, compare, and contrast the characteristics of diverse cultures
in contemporary works of art.
4.17
The student will interpret works of art for multiple meanings.
4.20 The student will identify and investigate ways that works of art from popular culture
reflect the past and influence the present.
5.21 The student will identify and discuss how American historical events influenced works of
art, with emphases on westward expansion and the Civil War.
5.23 The student will compare and contrast art from various cultures and periods, including
Pre-Columbian, African-American, Colonial American, and European, using appropriate art
vocabulary.
5.26
The student will analyze works of art based on visual properties and historical context.
National Standards for History for Grades K-4
Standard 2
The student comprehends a variety of historical sources: therefore, the student is able to...
a. Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative.
e. Appreciate historical perspectives.
f. Draw upon data in historical maps.
g. Draw upon the visual data presented in photographs, paintings, cartoons, and
architectural drawings.
Standard 3
The student engages in historical analysis and interpretation: therefore, the student is able
to…
b. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and
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institutions.
e. Compare different stories about a historical figure, era, or event.
g. Consider multiple perspectives.
Standard 5
The student engages in historical issues-analysis and decision-making: therefore, the
student is able to…
a. Identify problems and dilemmas in the past.
c. Identify causes of the problem or dilemma.
d. Propose alternative choices for addressing the problem.
e. Formulate a position or course of action on an issue.
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Expenses
Expenses for this unit range from 5 – 10 dollars for materials including
- Play doh
- Paper
- Writing utensils (markers, crayons, etc)
- Cardboard
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