Marissa J. White
By the end of this unit, my students will be able to:
- Identify and define what segregation is and what it looks like to them.
- Analyze graphs, charts and various data pertaining to court cases that deal with race, class and school districts.
- Participate in a debate with one another on the topic question of, "Is what the plaintiffs in the Brown v. Board of Education case faced the same as what the plaintiffs on the
Sheff v. O'Neill
case faced?"
- Write an argument letter to the Connecticut State Department of Education, as a culminating activity, stating their argument of whether they believe segregation is still evident in Connecticut schools or not.
They will be using:
- Gallery walks of images showcasing segregation.
- Books and articles to give a brief overview of the events that has occurred throughout history.
- In-depth class discussions about these images.
- Venn Diagrams to compare and contrast past and present status of equal opportunity. Video clips of historic events such as, Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges will allow students to grasp the concept of the Civil Rights Movement and what it entailed.
- Graphs and charts that show the racial make-up of urban in suburban schools in Connecticut today.
- Student discourse to exchange ideas and thoughts as a whole class and within cooperative groups.
Teaching Strategies
This is a cross curricular unit. Using the Reading and Writing Workshop models as well as the Common Core State Standards as my focus, will guide how I implement this unit.
Common Core standards of close reading and analyzing non-fiction and informational texts as well as being able to argue their position by using evidence from the text will be the core skill of this unit. Students will need to be able to use supporting evidence to explain their own inferences and point of view (Claim 1, Target 4).
They will also need to cite evidence to support their conclusions drawn from the cases studied (Claim 1, Target 8). This unit will also be cross curricular. In math, students will be able to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others (4.MP.3) by using and interpreting charts, graphs and tables of school districts and their differences around Connecticut.