Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement

Summary

This lesson plan is intended for ELS students who have lived in the United States for less than one year and who are learning English for the first time. Using the theme/context of the Civil Rights Movement this language-acquisition-based lesson plan develops new vocabulary and the ability to use irregular past tense verbs. This lesson makes connections between classroom readings and the student's own identity and experiences.

Materials

Day One

• A Better Place Poem (Textbook pg. 186)
• A Picture Book of Rosa Parks
• Doris Frye story (pg. 78) in Missing Stories
• chalk board/white board

Day Two

• High Points Basic Textbook (Vocabulary pg. 189). Some People Who Led America
• High Points Basic Textbook (Vocabulary pg. 188)Use Your Rights to Change the World
• Harvesting Hope
• Epiefanio Gonzalez's story (pg. 445) in Missing Stories
• chalk board/white board

Day Three

• Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Terry Lee Williams Story (pg. 122) in Missing Stories
• chalk board/white board

Day Four

• Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
• chalk board/white board

Day Five

• Textbook: Kids are Helping Kids (pg. 194)

Background for Teachers

Teachers should know about the life and work of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez (the attached "timeline" will be helpful for teachers and students). Additional understanding of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and specifically Utah will also be helpful.

Student Prior Knowledge

Students should be aware of the time frame of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, the individuals and groups involved and the purpose of the movement. Students will gain a more in depth understanding of the Civil Rights Movement through this lesson plan.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students participating in this lesson plan will use text and images to identify time sequence and cause and effect in a story. Students will continue to enhance their vocabulary, reading and comprehension skills, and use of irregular past tense verbs. At the end of this unit students will also have a greater understanding of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

Instructional Procedures

Day One

Introduce to the students the idiom "to make a difference." As a class read "A Better Place Poem" (attached) from the High Points Basic Textbook (pg.186). After reading the poem as a class, discuss what makes their school a good place and a bad place. Ask the students the following questions:

• Have you ever experienced discrimination/prejudice at school?
• What ways could the situation be different, how could you "make a difference"?

Make a list of the student's ideas on the board.

Introduce the irregular verbs used in the poem and use the practice sentences in the textbook found on page 186. Students should write the practice sentences on their own.

Read out loud A Picture Book of Rosa Parks to students. Once you have read the story, as the following questions:

• How did Rosa Parks make a difference?
• Why did Rosa Parks make a difference?
• If you were in Rosa Park's situation, what would you have done to make a difference?

Show the class a picture of Rosa Parks and ask them what they see when they look at the picture (do they see someone who was a key figure in a revolution?). How does the class respond to this idea.

Explain to students that throughout the history of Utah and especially during the time of the Civil Rights Movement there was discrimination here (in Utah).

As a class read (out loud) Doris Frye's story in Missing Stories (pg. 78). Have the students circle all the irregular past tense verbs in the Frye story. (or from a paragraph or two of the story).

Day Two

Write the following sentence on the board: Rosa Parks fight for Civil Rights. (students should change "fight" to "fought"). Ask the class what things they can do in the United States that they couldn't do in their home country?

Explain to students that things like going to school and expressing yourself are civil rights--what people and/or able to do in the United States as a result of our laws and constitution.

Ask students if they can think of other rights people have in the United States (voting, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, women's right's, etc).

Ask the students the following questions:

• What civil rights do you have?
• What civil rights do you use everyday?
• What civil rights can you use to make a difference?

Continue to discuss with students how they can use their rights to work for change.

Review irregular past tense verbs and discuss the "freedom riders", Civil Rights leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez through the textbook (High Point Basic--pages 188-189)--Use Your Rights to Change the World and Some People Who Led America.

Day Three

Write the following sentence on the board: Cesar Chavez speaks to many farm workers in the 1960's (students should change "speaks" to "spoke")

As a class read (aloud) Harvesting Hope. Summarize Cesar Chavez's life and work by making a time line on the board with the students input (drawing upon the reading).

Ask the students the following questions:

• How does Chavez work relate to Parks and her refusal to get off the bus?
• How are Parks and Chavez similar?
• How are Parks and Chavez different?

Read Epiefanio Gonzalez's story (Missing Stories pg. 445 paragraphs 4-5). Discuss with the class the parallels between Chavez's life/work and the experiences of Gonzalez and the conditions in Utah.

Day Four

Write the following sentence on the board: Dr. King was an active leader who speak up for civil rights. (students should change "speak" to "spoke").

Review Civil Rights vocabulary and the stories of Chavez and Parks. Review steps to pre-reading with students for book Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? (review vocabulary for book, have students predict what the book will be about, identify if it is fiction or non-fiction). Introduce the idea of "biography" to students. Identify the purpose of reading the book: key dates and sequence of events in MLK's life.

Read aloud, Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? Answer any student questions after the reading.

Assign student partners. Give each pair a strip of paper with a year on it. Using the book, students must find out what happened in that year in MLK's life. They must then write a sentence about the year (and the events in MLK's life) and place it on a time line on the board (chalk board or white board). As a class, note where Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez and MLK met or their paths crossed.

Explain to the students why the United States has an official holiday for MLK and when it was instituted in Utah and what it was called. (this information is provided in the Terry Lee Williams reading).

Read Terry Lee Williams' story in Missing Stories (pg. 122-123).

Discuss the story as a class.

Day Five

Ask students the following questions. They should write the answer on a sheet of paper. Each sentence should be written in past tense.

• What did you think the United States was going to be like before you arrived?
• What was the United States like when you arrived? (what was your first impression?)
• What was your (your families) dream for living in the United States?s

Review pg. 21 of Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? Remind students that part of the purpose of MLK's I have a Dream Speech was to make a difference.

Based on what they wrote at the beginning of class, ask students to make a mind map of ideas or goals they have to "make a difference."

When they are finished with their mind maps (brainstorming session) assign the reading Kids Helping Kids (Textbook pg. 194--attachment). Review special vocabulary for the passage: ethnic groups, war, radio, courage, fair treatment, hope, KIND--Kurdirat Initiative for Democracy. Have students read on their own, then create a chart that organizes each person from the story, where they are from, who they have helped, and how. Using their charts, students will write a summary of what they read and how these teens have made a difference.

Discuss the reading as a class once all the students have completed their charts.

Bibliography

Adler, D.A, and Casilla, R. (1993) A Picture Book of Rosa Parks. Holiday House (1993)

Bader, B. (2007). Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr.? Penguin Group Inc.

Classroom Textbook: High Point Theme Library: The Basic Bookshelf. Hampton Brown

Kelen, L.G, & Stone, E.H. (2000). Missing Stories: An Oral History of Ethnic Minority Groups in Utah. Utah State University Press. Logan, UT.

Krull, K., and Morales, Y. (2003). Harvesting Hope. Harcourt, Inc.