Cultural Lit. 45: Civil Rights

Summary

Students will: Study the use of the Bill of Rights in Civil Rights gains for diverse populations after receiving direct instruction, reading selected texts and working in group structures, within 1 class period.

Materials

1. US Government textbook
2. Navajo Nation Bill of Rights
3. Navajo Timeline 1941-1969 Harrison Lapahie Jr. Navajo Culture and History Webpage. http://www.lapahie.com/Timeline.cfm
4. Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock. 2001. Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
5. Stephens, E. and Brown, J. 2000. A Handbook of Content Literacy Strategies. Norwood, MA: Christopher Gordon.
6. Journal or notebook.

Instructional Procedures

Anticipatory Set:
Post the names and words 'Amendment, prohibit, petition, ratify' on the board, on a flipchart or on a projection device and ask the class if they are familiar with these words. Conduct a collective brainstorming session (utilizing group structures) and add the generated vocabulary words to posted ones. Allow students to postulate their understanding of words and concepts.

Activities:
1. Working in cooperative structures, students will read portions of textbook section on Civil Rights, and the Navajo Timeline, in order to identify Civil Rights gains made in mid-20th Century.

2. Students will take notes (see Marzano, Pickering and Pollock p. 46, Informal Outline) while reading, and list gains.

3. Utilizing group structures students will refer to US Bill of Rights and analyze Civil Rights gains in relation to the first 10 Amendments.

4. Utilizing group structures students will then analyze Civil Rights gains with relation to Navajo Bill of Rights and compare both Bills of Rights, and report to class from groups.

5. Students will record their opinion of the most significant Civil Rights gains and the corresponding laws that uphold the gains in their journals (see Stephens & Brown--Content Journal, p. 28).

Assessment Plan

Students will take notes utilizing note-taking frames and record in their journals their ideas and personal opinions regarding Civil Rights and the US Bill of Rights.