January 18, 2002

CIVIL SERVICES
Exploring the Lasting Impact of the Civil Rights Movement

Grades:  6-8,9-12

Subjects:  American History, Civics Fine, Arts, Language Arts, Social Studies

Related New York Times Article
"Family Fare: A Joyful Noise, By LAUREL GRAEBER", January 18, 2002

Overview of Lesson Plan:: In this lesson, students investigate important themes, figures, and events of the civil rights movement. They then create a class mural that both synthesizes their knowledge of this period in history and demonstrates their understanding of the continuing impact of the movement on American society.

SUGGESTED TIME ALLOWANCE: 45 minutes

OBJECTIVES:
Students will:

  1. Reflect on the meaning behind a song related to the civil rights movement; share prior knowledge about the civil rights movement through a brainstorming activity.
  2. Learn about the connection between song and the civil rights movement as explored in a concert for children by reading and discussing the article "Family Fare: A Joyful Noise."
  3. Investigate various aspects of the civil rights movement.
  4. Develop creative presentations focusing on their researched aspects of the civil rights movement; perform presentations for the class; develop a class mural synthesizing and connecting information from the presentations and exploring the continuing impact of the movement on American society.

RESOURCES / MATERIALS:

ACTIVITIES / PROCEDURES:

  1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: At the beginning of the class, play a song related to the civil rights movement for students (such as "We Shall Overcome," "We Shall Not Be Moved," or "Amazing Grace.") After listening to the song, students respond to it in their journals, answering the following questions (written on the board prior to class): "What do you think was the intended purpose of this song? What images came to mind as you listened to it? How did this song make you feel?" After a few minutes, encourage students to share their journals with the class. Explain to class that this song was popular during the civil rights movement, and conduct a short discussion about how this song relates to the concept of "civil rights." Then, as a class, brainstorm on the board a list of events, speeches, other songs and organizations that come to mind when thinking of the civil rights movement. Ideas include the Montgomery bus boycott; the integration of Central High School in Little Rock,' Arkansas; sit-ins; the marches in Birmingham and Washington; the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.; the "I Have a Dream" speech; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and the Freedom Riders. Keep this list on the board for use later in class.
  2. As a class, read and discuss the article "Family Fare: A Joyful Noise," focusing on the following questions:
    1. What is "Sweet Honey from the Rock"?
    2. How did Freedom Riders create their songs?
    3. What famous civil rights songs are based on older versions?
    4. What event is the concert commemorating, and why?
    5. Why will the group perform songs about other events as well in the performance described, and how do they relate to the other commemorated event?
  3. Divide students into groups of three or four, and have each select a different civil rights movement topic from the board. Using all available resources, each group researches their aspect of the civil rights movement, focusing on the following questions (written on the board for easier student access):
    • Who was involved in this piece of civil rights history, and what role did each play?
    • What occurred to prompt this event? What impact did it have on the civil rights movement and the people involved?
    • Where and when did this event take place?
    • Why was this piece of civil rights history central to the movement as a whole?
    • How does this topic still resonate in the United States today?
  4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each group creates a presentation, in any visual form that they choose, that includes both a creative element and a thorough explanation of the significance of the subject of the presentation within the civil rights movement as a whole. Groups should be sure to include answers to all of the research questions. Since each of these aspects of the civil rights movement overlap (e.g., famous speeches are recited by famous people during important events), groups should be monitored to ensure that they do not choose topics and presentation methods that are too closely related. In a future class, groups should give their presentations in chronological order. Then, using the information from the presentations, the class creates a mural to hang in the school that commemorates the civil rights movement and connects the topics of all their groups' research into a cohesive whole. Students may also choose to include modern images to reflect the lasting effects of the civil rights movement.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

EVALUATION / ASSESSMENT:
Students will be evaluated based on completion of journal, participation in class discussions, thoughtful participation in group research, well-developed group presentation of research, and participation in creation of class civil rights movement mural.

VOCABULARY:
a cappella, ballad, commemorates

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

  1. Learn about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Create an illustrated timeline of important events and accomplishments. Next to each item, briefly describe its significance within King's life and the civil rights movement as a whole.
  2. Learn about the history of segregation and integration in schools. Conduct a classroom debate on the subject. Keep in mind issues such as the difference between other types of school separations (such as religious or gender) and racial segregation, as well as possible advantages and disadvantages on both sides of the argument.
  3. Create a yearbook of key figures from the civil rights movement. Include a yearbook-style picture of each figure, along with information about famous speeches, publications, or events associated with each. Also include other sections, such as "candids" or an autograph section with notes that the different figures might have written in each other's yearbooks.
  4. Develop a photo-journal that features pictures of everyday scenes in your school or community that could not have occurred without the social changes enacted by the civil rights movement. Issues to focus on may include desegregation, political equality, and equal opportunity employment.
  5. Research the major court cases of the civil rights era. Choose one, and write a brief research paper explaining the issues involved, how the final decision was made, and what impact this case has on us today. If applicable, include a discussion of how this case has been revisited since the original decision.
  6. Select a period in American history and investigate the music that was popular among various groups at that time. What different roles did music play? How did the music reflect social issues of the time? Create a "soundtrack" of music of this period, and for each song, write a brief description relating the song to its place in this historical time period.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Economics- How was the civil rights movement funded? Research the role of charitable organizations and individual contributors in making the civil rights movement happen. Write an article expressing on your findings.

Journalism- Interview eye-witnesses to civil rights events, such as the Million Man March or the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Imagine that you are a reporter writing about the event just after it has happened. Write a front page article about this event, including the quotations from the people you interview.

Media Studies- Watch one of the videos in the "Eyes on the Prize" series. Choose one of the events depicted to adapt into a screenplay for a television show or film. In writing the script, make sure to retain the historical accuracy of the event and characters involved.

Copyright 2002
The New York Times Company

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