This lesson is part of The Little Rock Battle for School Integration [1] series. The series introduces students to the actors and events central the 1957 Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis.
In this lesson, students will learn about the people and developments that made the Little Rock Crisis of the 1950s the most famous test of the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision. Few predicted that Little Rock, a moderate southern city, would become a symbol of southern white bigotry, rather than a beacon for improved race relations. Though the story of southern racial history is usually told as black and white binary, Little Rock is an example of the diversity of opinions that existed—not just between races, but perhaps more importantly, within them.
The complexity of the Little Rock community is important to the history of the integration crisis. It provides the context needed to understand the various forces Daisy Bates and her supporters confronted during a Constitutional crisis that set a new precedent for the entire nation to follow on the sensitive issue of racial integration. By being more cognizant of the diversity of opinions present in Little Rock during its most polarizing moment, students learn how impending integration changed the city.
Essential Questions
Objectives
Students
will:
Materials Needed
Central Texts
Learning Activities
Part 1. Word Work
Synonyms
Before reading the oral history interviews, you will need to be familiar with the words and concepts that will help you better understand what you read.
Sample Graphic Organizer
|
Vocabulary Word |
Definition |
Synonym |
|
Moderate |
A person who holds political views between the extremes. |
In the middle |
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Part 2. Close and Critical Reading
Part 3. Community Inquiry
Part 4. Write to the Source
Using supporting evidence from the Community in Crisis graphic organizer, write a letter to Daisy Bates about her description of Little Rock during the years following World War II. In your letter, ask questions or make observations. If you ask questions, clarify the reason behind your inquiry. If you make an observation, explain why the highlighted passage stood out to you. Explain to Bates the similarities and differences you between the era in which she lived and the current one, in which you live.
Part 5. Do Something
Create a
classroom poll about school integration since the 1950s. Is there a difference
between how adults and young people view school integration? Students may poll
their peers, classmates or family members. Post results somewhere visible in
the school (be sure you have permission).
Extension Activity
Research the history of integration in your local community. How
is your community diverse? How is it not diverse? Has the type of people in
your community and school changed or stayed the same over time?
Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts Standards) [7]
Reading
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to
make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
10. Read and comprehend complex literacy and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Writing
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive
topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
Speaking and
Listening
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of
conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.
4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Language
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
3. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Links:
[1] http://www.tolerance.org/activity/little-rock-battle-school-integration
[2] http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_integration_02.pdf
[3] http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_integration_03.pdf
[4] http://www.tolerance.org/sites/default/files/general/tt_integration_04.pdf
[5] http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/G-0009/excerpts/excerpt_947.html
[6] http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/G-0009/excerpts/excerpt_950.html
[7] http://www.corestandards.org/