Kate Franklin & Nicolle Gilsdorf
Elementary Social Studies
Date: 1/16/05
Week three
Changes in Blue
Based on: Landorf, H. & Lowenstein, E. (2004). The Rosa Parks “myth”: A third grade historical investigation. Social Studies and the Young Learner 16(3). National Council for the Social Studies,
p. 5-9.
Grade Level: 6th
Key Concepts: different versions of historical accounts, investigating history from multiple sources.
Goals: to understand that there are many versions of historical events and compare them to learn more about Rosa Parks’ life.
Objectives: Having researched a book on Rosa Parks’ life and then discussed with other students who read other books on Parks, students will be able to fill out a Detective History Frame accurately before and after the discussion and orally discuss the differences between the two.
EALRs:
Searches for relevant information
Evaluates information
Describe the contributions of people from various cultural groups to the development of local, Washington State, and U.S. history
Learning Targets: Knowledge, Skills, Dispositions
Assumptions: Students have worked in groups and are familiar with specific roles.
Materials:
3 Rosa Parks’s books: (Be sure to read books and decide appropriateness reading level for your class, you might want to cue the pages where relevant information is to accommodate time or ability. It is possible to implement this lesson using primary artifacts as well)
*Celsi, T. (1991) Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Brookfield, CN: Millbrook Press
*Greenfield, E. (1973). Rosa Parks. New York: Thomas Crowell.
*Nobleman, M. T. (2002) Rosa Parks. New York: World Almanac.
Sample History Frames Worksheets, Directions Handout, overheads/chart paper of history frames and questions, Paper, Copies of Books and numbers set out around the room where groups will meet.
Set Up: Space for groups to meet, copies of books and numbers set out for groups, agenda on the board
Accommodations:
- If there are students with specific communication disorders, assign home and expert groups that will aid their success
-students who struggle with reading will have the book on tape
-students can choose to do a role that is easier for them in group
-graphic organizer, modeling how to use it
-color coding directions
-agenda on board
Pre Assessment:
- Have you ever stood up for something that was unfair?
- If so, what was going on at the time?
- What made you decide to say or do something about the unfair situation?
-Historians (or people who study history) are like detectives because they find clues about the past and paste them together to create the most likely story of what happened. Your job as historians is going to be to find clues about the story of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott and put together the most accurate story that you can. Specifically, we are trying to answer the question “Why did Rosa decide not to give up her seat on the bus that day.”
Now look around and remember who is in your group of 3 or write it down on your directions, which I am about to give you.
-Did your first understanding about the boycott change? How so? (Refer to chart if necessary).
-How does your new understanding of Rosa Parks affect what you think of her? Does she seem different to you now?
-What was different in some of the accounts of the boycott?
Why do you think it was different?
- So what does this mean for historians when they are trying to write about an event? What is accurate information? What does this mean for when you write a report?
o Should they just look at one book or interview one person?
Homework: Have kids write a journal entry about:
a)What you learned from this assignment?
b) How did Rosa’s act connect to yours or others’ experiences of standing up to injustice?
Assessment:
-look at progression of history frames to see how their thinking changed towards their knowledge of the event, and why it was important.
-compare the group answers with the history frames
-what did the class say about the process of finding accurate information.
-look at journal entries to see how their disposition changed towards history
Reference books used in this lesson
*Celsi, T. (1991) Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Brookfield, CN: Millbrook Press
This book provides an overview of oppression and racism in the South and a description of Rosa Park’s experiences as a child through adulthood in such a society. The book helps the readers learn about the experiences that prepared Parks for her role in the bus boycott. Terms such as “KKK”, “segregation” and “boycott” are carefully defined. This is a sincere and mature history of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
*Greenfield, E. (1973). Rosa Parks. New York: Thomas Crowell.
This is one of the oldest children’s biographies on Rosa Parks still in print, with an afterward from 1995, that puts Park’s life in the context the struggles of African Americans, for the time of slavery to the present. The narrative is simple, both in language and thought. It starts by relating that on December 1, 1955 Parks decide to ride the bus after work because “she was tired”. Greenfield continues, on the first page, by saying that when the bus driver told her to move, Parks knew, “all of a sudden” that she was not going to give her seat up. This wording implies that her resistance was a spontaneous personal inspiration, rather then an action premeditated by Parks and other activists.
*Nobleman, M. T. (2002) Rosa Parks. New York: World Almanac.
This is an accurate and full account of the life of Rosa Parks, from her birth to her present day involvement in civil rights activities. Events are contextualized in terms of concurrent events in the world and in the life of the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. The photos are engaging and the book contains sidebars with primary documents. There is a full glossary of terms and a time line of events.
Other Books to consider
Fine, E. H. (2004). Rosa Parks: Meet a civil rights hero. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow
This book provides a basic overview of oppression and racism in the South and a description of Rosa Park’s experiences as a child through adulthood in such a society. The book helps the readers learn about the experiences that prepared Parks for her role in the bus boycott. Terms such as “KKK”, “segregation” and “boycott” are briefly defined. The photos are engaging. This book has large print and would be appropriate for readers who struggle. There is a short glossary of terms and a time line of events.
Summner, L. S. (2000). Journey to Freedom. The Child’s World Publishing
This book provides a descriptive overview of oppression and racism in the South and a description of Rosa Park’s experiences as a child through adulthood in such a society. The book helps the readers learn about the experiences that prepared Parks for her role in the bus boycott. Terms such as “KKK”, “segregation” and “boycott” are defined. The photos are engaging. There is a time line of events. The print is small and the text dense for reading. This book would be appropriate for more advance readers.
Brandt, K. (1993). Rosa Parks. Troll
This book provides a basic overview of oppression and racism
in the South and a description of Rosa Park’s experiences as a child through
adulthood in such a society. Although the book does describe the civil rights
activities that Rosa was heavily involved in, it presents that Parks decide
to ride the bus after work because “she was tired”. The wording implies that
her resistance was a spontaneous personal inspiration, rather then an action
premeditated by Parks and other activists. The print is fairly large and the
text simple.
DIRECTIONS: READ THROUGH ALL THE DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR TEAM BEFORE
STARTING!
FOR EXPERT DETECTIVE TEAMS:
Goal: Work together so that each member knows the group’s book really well.
Directions:
Try to answer this question as a group: Why did Rosa Parks decide not to give up her seat that day on the Bus? As you talk about the problem, each student should have one of these roles:
___________________________________________________________________________
FOR HOME DETECTIVE TEAMS:
Goal: To put together the most accurate story of Rosa Parks that you can using the information from the three different books.
Directions:
Detective History Frame #1
What do you know about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott?
| Problem:______________________________________________________________________ Who was involved:______________________________________________________________ Where and when did it happen:____________________________________________________ What are the key episodes:________________________________________________________ Results:_______________________________________________________________________ Importance ____________________________________________________________________ |
Expert Detective History Frame #2
What does the book say about why Rosa Parks decide not to give up her seat that day on the Bus??
| Problem:______________________________________________________________________ Who was involved:______________________________________________________________ Where and when did it happen:____________________________________________________ What are the key episodes:________________________________________________________ Results:_______________________________________________________________________ Importance ____________________________________________________________________ |
Home Detective History Frame #3
As a group, construct an accurate history using the information from the three books about why Rosa Parks decided to resist that day on the bus.
| Problem:______________________________________________________________________ Who was involved:______________________________________________________________ Where and when did it happen:____________________________________________________ What are the key episodes:________________________________________________________ Results:_______________________________________________________________________ Importance ____________________________________________________________________ |