The goal of this introductory lesson is to provide an overview of the civil rights movement in a general manner in order to set our purposes for studying this topic. I will use the poem, This is the Dream by Diane Z. Shore & Jessica Alexander with illustrations by James Ransome.
First, I will present a commonly used organizational device called a KWL chart. This chart is split into three columns. The first column is for what students KNOW about the civil rights movement. The second column is for what students WANT to know about the civil rights movement. The third column is for what students have LEARNED about the civil rights movement. Typically, the third column is completed towards the end of the unit. When I present the KWL chart, I will explain to the students that we will be using this chart to document our exploration of the civil rights movement. I will ask the students what they know about the Civil Rights Movement and record their responses in the first column of the chart. Then, I will present the text This is the Dream. As part of the presentation, I conduct a picture walk of the text and encourage students to comment on the illustrations as they relate to their common knowledge of the civil rights movement. After our initial discussion, I will read the text aloud. This book is an illustrated poem that details major events before, during, and after the civil rights movement.
At the end of this lesson, I will ask the class to verbalize what they would like to learn about the civil rights movement. I will record their responses in the second column of the KWL chart. These questions will provide the framework for our research. At a later date, students will conduct specific related to these questions.