This lesson will examine the psychological impact of segregation and how those impacts swayed the Brown decision.
This lesson is a cross-disciplinary examination of the Brown case, thinking about it from a psychology perspective. Students will analyze the psychological impact of segregation on Black students and reflect on the broader implications of racial segregation on educational outcomes and social development. NOTE: This lesson is meant more for a psychology class but translates well into a history or government class.
Essential questions
What effects does degradation of character have on personal identity?
Outcomes and objectives
After the lesson students will…
Understand the use of psychological harm as a reason for overturning segregation and analyze the impact of segregation on the psyche of students. Students will also reflect on the broader implications of racial segregation on educational outcomes and social development.
Preparing to teach
Make sure students have the historical context of Jim Crow laws and the limitations that were put upon education for Black people.
Scaffolds and accommodations to support learners
Reading support
Reading case studies in groups or out loud to support student reading. Also condensing the reading to two- to four-page chunks to help direct student reading to the desired content.
Differentiation
Summaries of the reading could be provided for low-level readers or younger grades.
Adjusting for middle school grades
If given to middle schoolers, the activity structure can remain the same, however, definitely support reading with heavily scaffolded chunks or summaries of the case and psychology article.
Instructional activities sequence
Begin class with a review of Jim Crow and segregation or a quick summary lesson so context can be given to the conditions of schools for Black people under Plessy. Then provide either the whole Public School Segregation Cases PDF about the case, or just pages 4 and 5, and have students identify what psychological assertion is made in the argument. In small groups, students will synthesize, in one to two sentences, what claim is being made about the effect segregation has on the psyche of students of color.
Next students will read from a psychology article released in 1953 that seems to support the arguments made in Brown against segregation. Students should be directed to 429-432, though reading the whole article is an option. It is recommended that this article is read in groups or as a whole class to make sure any reading support for language or content can be provided.
Finally, using the Brown case and psychology article, students will write a two-part reflection. The first prompt will be, “Where do you generate your own self-worth and identity?” Have students think about how they envision themselves and generate their own perception of themselves and their worth. Then ask, “How might attending a segregated school have affected a student’s sense of self-worth and achievement?” Encourage students to draw connections between the historical context they read about and the psychological understanding of identity and self-worth.
Assessment
The reflection writing students performed on identity and self-worth. Part of what will be looked for is the connection to these ideas and the argument made in the Brown case to overturn the Plessy ruling.
Materials needed and additional resources for enrichment