Curated OER
Reading Freedom on the Menu
Students apply specific reading strategies to answer questions about the selection Freedom on the Menu. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read a selection called Freedom on the Menu and use specific reading strategies to...
Curated OER
Perspectives on Civil Rights
Students examine speeches of the Civil Rights Era. In this American history lesson, students listen to speeches delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Students respond to guiding questions as they listen to the...
Curated OER
Fifty Years: From the Little Rock Nine to the Jena Six
Young scholars discuss how the issues surrounding school integration have changed since the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School. They discuss the recent events in Jena, Louisiana. Students write a letter to a school...
Curated OER
Growing Like Dr. King
Students explore American History by reading biographical material. In this civil rights lesson, students read information about Martin Luther King Jr. and his successful demonstrations which led to equal rights for African Americans....
Curated OER
The Children's March
Learners watch the film, The Children's March. In this civil rights lesson, students view a video on the Civil Rights Movement in Montgomery Alabama. Learners then complete a worksheet that will prompt a classroom discussion about the...
Curated OER
African Americans in World War II: Staging a Double V Campaign in the Classroom
The feelings and attitudes of African-Americans during World War II are examined by high schoolers. After watching various clips from "The War," they answer comprehension questions for each section. In groups, they create their own...
Curated OER
Equal Protection of the Law: Fact or Fiction
High schoolers focus on the 14th Amendment of the Bill of Rights to decide whether or not racism denies citizens of their rights under the amendment. They watch a movie, Every Two Seconds and complete a worksheet (included in the plan)...
Curated OER
What Has Brown Done for You?
Learners review the facts of the court case Brown v. Board of Education. Next, they research recent court cases that uphold contrasting views on the landmark decision. They write opinions about these recent court cases from a 1954...
Curated OER
Civil Rights
Twelfth graders survey how controversial court cases have changed the viewpoints of civil rights. In this U.S. Government lesson plan, 12th graders work in small groups to prepare summaries of specific court cases, then present...
Curated OER
Remembering Jackie Robinson
Students create a list of famous African Americans, then read a news article about Jackie Robinson. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students read the news...
Curated OER
Will the Supreme Court Vouch for Vouchers?
Students investigate past Supreme Court decisions that have centered on education issues and assess the ways in which those decisions have impacted American education. They consider the controversies surrounding the issue of school...
Curated OER
Education as a Civil Right
Students explore the implications of segregation. In this Civil Rights lesson, students investigate what equal education is as they discover the state of Boston schools in 1960. Students define civil rights and discrimination as they...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Two Different African-American Visions: W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington
The strategies civil rights activists Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois proposed for blacks to achieve racial progress is the focus of an activity in which class groups identify the strategies as well as the benefits and drawbacks...
Center for Civic Education
Citizenship Schools and Civic Education During the Civil Rights Movement and in the Present
Your young historians will discover the importance that citizenship education has played in the social progress of the United States as they learn about early efforts to discourage African Americans from voting in the 1960s.
PBS
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Living in Jim Crow America
Your class members may know that Jackie Robinson was the first African American man to play Major League Baseball, but they may not be aware of his efforts to achieve social justice. A clip from Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection...
Curated OER
Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education
Students analyze photographs that feature segregation. In this human rights lesson plan, students examine photographs of a segregated movie theater, a Ku Klux Klan gathering, a segregated business sign, and an illustration from "Harper's...
Curated OER
The Race Card
Students use Ernest J. Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying to investigate the reality of legal segregation. In this segregation lesson plan, students work in groups to study the books characters and how their classification affected the rights...
Curated OER
The Fight to End "Separate but Equal" in American Schools
Students study the court cases related to Brown v. Board of Education and the "separate but equal" standard established by Plessy v. Ferguson. They create an informational display that can be used to teach others the particulars of the...
Curated OER
One Person CAN Make a Difference
Students illustrate how the actions of one person can make a difference. They identify school and community issues to address and complete group projects and action plans for making changes in the school or community.
Curated OER
Breaking the Unjust Law
Students consider the concept of civil disobedience. For this lesson on changing unjust laws, students use primary sources to understand how Gandhi and King changed the law. Students will then list laws that they feel are unjust and plan...
Curated OER
Seeking Civil Rights
Learners explore the impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In this social justice lesson, students examine the case, Jim Crow laws, and non-violent forms of protest. Learners write essays to persuade the government regarding unjust laws.
Curated OER
The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Understanding Primary Sources
Students analyze Russell Lee's photo essay as a sign of segregation in Texas. They consider the differences between primary and secondary sources and how historians use these sources.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Beyond Birmingham, Summer 1963
The assassination of Medgar Evers. The integration of the University of Alabama. The March on Washington. The "I Have a Dream" speech. Created by the Alabama History Education Initiative, this resource examines how the events...
Curated OER
Separate Is Not Equal
Based on discussion, analysis of primary source documents, and with the help of a graphic organizer, young historians discover the steps that were taken to eliminate segregation in public schools in the United States. This lesson plan...