I have a dream ... that all pupils will be able to organize a march of their own after learning about how Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington for civil rights. Young reformers work collaboratively examining informational texts and primary sources in order to complete an organizer that details Rustin's to-dos and why they were so important. To conclude, groups report their findings to the class, empowered to use their own voices and find a cause their hearts speak to. 

Concepts

the civil rights movement, civil rights leaders, black history month, african american history, social activism

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Watch historical footage from the 1963 March on Washington to provide background knowledge before the lesson
• Consider exploring Black Lives Matter or other modern movements to compare and contrast with the civil rights movement of the 1950s-1960s

Classroom Considerations

• Activity has learners work in groups of four; you may want to assign groupings to maintain management of the classroom

Pros

• The lesson contains discussion questions that have middle schoolers synthesize information from multiple resources

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.6-8.1 RH.6-8.2 RH.6-8.6 RH.6-8.7 RH.6-8.9 RH.6-8.10 WHST.6-8.1.a WHST.6-8.8 WHST.6-8.9