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Emmett Till: Examining the Choices People Made Lesson PlanEmmett Till: Examining the Choices People Made Lesson Plan
Publisher
Facing History and Ourselves
Resource Details
Curator Rating
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Not yet Rated
Grade
9th - 12th
Subjects
Social Studies & History
2 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
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For Teacher Use
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Direct Instruction
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Video
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Fine Print: Educational Use
Lesson Plan

Emmett Till: Examining the Choices People Made

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Emmett Till: Examining the Choices People Made lesson plan also includes:
  • The Murder of Emmett Till: Who Was Emmett Till?
  • The Murder of Emmett Till: Killers' Confession
  • The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow
  • Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin
  • Join to access all included materials

The choices made by Roy Bryant and J.W. Millam, the men who murdered Emmett Till in 1955, are usually the ones people ponder when they examine the case. But other individuals made choices that contributed to the event and its subsequent attention on the national scene. Learners examine these choices in the context of Emmett Till's murder with an in-depth lesson plan and historical articles.

45 Views 67 Downloads

Concepts

civil rights, human rights, emmett till, discrimination, racism, lynching

Additional Tags

social studies

Instructional Ideas

  • Pair with a lesson on the connection between McCarthyism and 20th century racial discrimination

Classroom Considerations

  • The second of four lessons in a unit on Emmett Till 
  • Based on the documentary The Murder of Emmett Till

Pros

  • Encourages a historical eye when examining the event in the context of discrimination in 20th century America as well as the Cold War

Cons

  • Some links are broken

See similar resources:

Unit Plan

Murder of Emmett Till: Is It Ever Too Late for Justice?

C3 Teachers
The murder of Emmett Till is the focus of a guided inquiry that asks scholars to research the events, the trial, recent attempts to reopen the case and the effect of the murder on people today.
120 hrs 9th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Primary

Pbs: American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till

PBS
The murder of Emmett Till was a major catalyzing event in the Civil Rights Movement. Here you will find extensive information on the murder, trial, and the ramifications of both.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Website

Famous Trials: The Emmett Till Murder Trial

University of Missouri
Read the compelling story of the abduction and murder of Emmett Till, and the subsequent sham trial of his murderers. This site has accounts of what precipitated the abduction, testimony from the trial, and the shocking confession of the...
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Instructional Video

On This Day: Emmett Till and the Rebirth of the Civil Rights Movement

C-SPAN
The murder of Emmett Till, a boy accused of whistling at a white woman in the deep South in the 1950s, galvanized the civil rights movement. His open casket—revealing the ugly horror of racism—reignited a movement. Clips include an...
5 mins 7th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Emmett Till: Choosing to Remember

Facing History and Ourselves
Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and civil rights activist, believed that her son's murder was the last straw before public outrage over racial injustice spilled over into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. A history...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Emmett Till: Confronting the Murder

Facing History and Ourselves
The 1955 murder of Emmett Till is often regarded as the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Learn more about the brutal crime—and, as many believe, the miscarriage of justice—that began a national conversation...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Article

Pbs: The Murder of Emmett Till: People & Events: Lynching in America

PBS
Article summarizes the impact of lynching on African Americans and the events and people related to the issue.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Emmett Till: Connecting the History of Lynching to The Murder

Facing History and Ourselves
Though the murder of Emmett Till shocked 1950's America into turning attention to the racial crimes of the South, it was far from the first time racism had erupted into violence. High schoolers examine the killing in context with the...
9th - 12th Social Studies & History
Handout

Khan Academy: Emmett Till

Khan Academy
Read about the tragic case of Emmett Till, an African American teenager who was viciously murdered in 1955. The case forced the public to see the brutality of the racism that was rampant in the South and it fueled the civil rights movement.
9th - 10th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Protesting Violence without Violence

Mississippi Department of Archives and History
The ultimate legacy of Emmett Till's violent death is its role in the non-violent roots of the Civil Rights Movement. A instructional activity compares contemporaneous articles with the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till"...
8th - 12th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Adaptable
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