"Flip into Civil Rights: Leaders' Legacy"

High School Grade

Project
1 week

"Flip into Civil Rights: Leaders' Legacy"

Grace Crosby

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.4

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.7

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.9

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3

+ 1 more

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to engage second-grade students in an exploration of the civil rights movement through the personal stories of key figures like Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King Jr. By creating a flip book, students will develop their narrative and analytical skills, using mentor texts to understand and articulate the struggles and achievements of these leaders. This hands-on project encourages students to connect historical events to the broader themes of justice and equality, fostering a deeper understanding of civil rights history.

Learning goals

Students will explore the life stories of civil rights leaders to understand the broader struggles and triumphs of the civil rights movement. They will create a flip book that includes a timeline, descriptive words, and significant events from the leader's life, enhancing their narrative writing skills. Through community collaboration with a local library, students will engage with diverse resources to gather information, fostering their research and critical thinking abilities.

Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.4 - Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.7 - Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.7 - Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.9 - Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3 - Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.

Products

Students will create a flip book highlighting a civil rights leader, featuring a timeline of their life, descriptive words, their childhood experiences, and their significance in the civil rights movement. Throughout the project, students will engage in hands-on activities, such as creating visual storyboards and participating in role-play scenarios to deepen their understanding. They will also collaborate with a local library to explore additional resources, enriching their research and final product.

Launch

Start the project with an interactive storytelling session using a digital or physical story map of key events from the Civil Rights Movement. Invite students to gather around and listen to a read-aloud of "The Story of Ruby Bridges" while highlighting important moments on the map. Encourage students to ask questions and share their thoughts on how these events might connect to their own lives. Conclude the session by introducing the flip book project, explaining how they will explore the lives of civil rights leaders through their own creative work.

Exhibition

Host a "Civil Rights Leaders Showcase" at the local library where students present their completed flip books to an audience of peers, family members, and community members. Set up stations for each student to share their chosen leader's timeline, descriptive words, childhood experiences, and significance. Encourage students to use visuals and engage visitors by explaining their research process and the stories they uncovered. Conclude with a group reflection where students share what they learned and how these leaders' stories connect to their own lives.

Week 1	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5
Activities	Activity 1: Launch the project with an interactive storytelling session using 'The Story of Ruby Bridges.' Use a story map to highlight key events in the Civil Rights Movement. Facilitate a discussion on the injustices faced before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.	Activity 2: Introduce students to the concept of a flip book. Show examples and discuss the components: timeline, descriptive words, childhood experiences, and significance.	Activity 3: Conduct a research session at the local library. Students explore books and multimedia resources about Ruby Bridges and other civil rights leaders. Encourage note-taking and gathering information for their flip books.	Activity 4: Begin creating the flip book. Guide students to draft a timeline of their chosen leader's life using the information gathered. Encourage them to use illustrations and words to express key events.	Activity 5: Facilitate a creative writing session where students use their notes to write a narrative about their leader's childhood. Emphasize describing actions, thoughts, and feelings, and using temporal words to signal event order.
Deliverables	1. Deliverable 1: Complete the timeline section of the flip book, incorporating at least three key events from the leader's life. 2. Deliverable 2: Draft a narrative paragraph describing the childhood experiences of the civil rights leader, highlighting their response to injustice.
Preparation	1. Prep Task 1: Prepare a digital or physical story map of the Civil Rights Movement events to use during the interactive storytelling session. 2. Prep Task 2: Arrange a visit to the local library, coordinating with library staff to have a curated collection of resources on civil rights leaders ready for student exploration. 3. Prep Task 3: Gather materials for flip book creation, including paper, markers, and craft supplies. 4. Prep Task 4: Select and prepare examples of flip books for students to review and discuss. 5. Prep Task 5: Develop a guide for students on how to take effective notes during the library research session.