Through the research project in this lesson, students can consider the relationship between different civil rights court cases. Students will conduct their own research and craft their own presentation.
This lesson has contained the research and presentation elements to fit within 60 minutes. Teachers may choose to extend or embellish this lesson/project as is best for their classes.
Essential questions
How do historical events relate to and affect each other across time?
How do court decisions influence American social or political systems?
What court cases were significant to the Civil Rights Movement?
Outcomes and objectives
After the lesson students will…
Recognize additional court cases related to Brown v. Board.
Explain the significance of a particular court case in the Brown v. Board timeline.
Analyze the relationship between Brown v. Board and other judicial events.
Preparing to teach
Students should have a foundational knowledge of Brown v. Board and its meaning as a court case. Students will also need access to technological or physical research sources to complete this lesson.
Teachers should:
Print a copy of the timeline brochure for all students.
Prepare research materials (if desired).
Print a copy of the attached graphic organizer for all students (if desired).
Scaffolds and accommodations to support learners
Reading support
Teachers may organize students in partners to support their research and source analysis work. Additionally, pre-selected sources with translations or vocabulary support can help students with the reading elements of this lesson.
Differentiation
The reading support ideas above can aid students in this lesson. Teachers may also consider how different students may need support with the processes of research, information organization, and project creation through more focused help, extended formal guidance, classmate aid, or extended technological resources.
Adjusting for high school grades
Teachers may choose to provide students with specific research materials during the course of this project to support younger grades. They may also want to edit the attached research organizer to support students as they gather information.
Instructional activities sequence
Review any necessary information/history with students to prepare them for the content of the lesson.
Pass out a copy of the LDF pamphlet to each student. Draw attention to court cases, ideas, or events that have already been covered in class.
Invite students to spend time researching their chosen court case.
Teachers may elect to provide specific guidelines about appropriate sources or about the process of research, depending on the class. Teachers may also consider providing students with materials to scaffold the research process.
The attached graphic organizer can aid students in collecting and organizing research information.
Guide students to present their information using a poster, created image, or presentation. Students should use the following questions to guide their presentations:
What is your court case?
What happened during this court case?
How did this court case change American society?
How did your court case influence segregation and race relations in America?
What is the relationship between your court case and Brown v. Board?
Organize students into groups of four or five and allow students time to present their research.
Assessment
Teachers can wander during students’ final presentations to observe their research and learning. Teachers may also collect students’ final versions of their projects and presentations to combine and share with students for expanded learning.
Materials needed and additional resources for enrichment
“The Winding Road to Brown and Beyond” in Binder 1 (pg. 172-173)