Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson

For Students 3rd - 6th
Jacqueline Woodson describes her experiences growing up as an African American girl in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 3-6) to pair with "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson. [Free...
Article
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America" by Barbara Radner

For Students 4th - 6th
This is an informational article about how Martin Luther King Jr. worked toward changing America in the 1950s and 1960s. It includes a short bio of Dr. King and a reading purpose: As you read, take notes on the problems that African...
Website
Scholastic

Scholastic: Integrating Central High Melba Pattillo Story

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This is the story of Melba Pattillo, one of the nine African American students who were the first to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Her story is very informative, and the site ends with a reflection question of how...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Separate No Longer?

For Students 5th - 8th
An explantion of how the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka turned the concept of separate but equal on its head. See how they determined that the 14th Amendment was being violated when schools did not fund...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Rubye Robinson

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical sketch on Rubye Robinson, an American civil rights activist whose short life proved to be a powerful influence on the Civil Rights Movement.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Naacp, Constance Baker Motley

For Students 9th - 10th
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Justice Constance Baker Motley recalls her role as an NAACP attorney in landmark school desegregation cases.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Freedom Riders

For Students 9th - 10th
Article provides numerous detailed facts and a summary of the Freedom Riders who boarded their buses in May 1961 to test segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals in the South.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: American Historama: Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides detailed facts and a summary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a protest against segregation on public buses that began on December 1, 1955. It was led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Scottsboro Case

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article tells about the several trials of the so-called Scottsboro Boys. This case became a beacon for later civil rights movements.
Primary
Stanford University

Stanford University: Lesson Plan on "Beyond Vietnam"

For Students 9th - 10th
A well designed four part lesson plan on Dr. King's famous speech on the Vietnam War in which he came out against the war.
Website
New York University

Nyu Archives of Irish America: 1981 Hunger Strikes: America Reacts

For Students 9th - 10th
Online exhibit chronicling the Reactions of Americans to the death of 10 men on hunger strikes, all from Northern Ireland.
Primary
Other

Afscme: "I've Been to the Mountaintop" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the the events of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike which drew Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis, which is where he was soon to be assassinated. Excellent source of primary sources and first hand accounts of the...
Handout
Other

Aclu: Title Ix the Nine

For Students 9th - 10th
Brief biographies of nine visionary people who supported equal opportunity for women in education and sports.
Article
Seeker

Seeker: Mlk Tested 'Dream' Speech as a Teen

For Students 9th - 10th
Article reports on a speech given by a teen Martin Luther King, Jr. and its similiarities to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Includes a video.
Lesson Plan
Everything ESL

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Teach your ESL students about Dr. Martin Luther King. This lesson plan includes the TESOL standards. You will find downloads and audio clips.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Seeing Integration From Different Viewpoints

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What does the world look like through someone else's eyes? Guide learners in using colorful paper glasses to examine a story of school desegregation from multiple perspectives.
Website
Other

Jwa: Jewish Women and the Feminist Revolution (Jewish Women's Archive)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers an interactive look at the roles Jewish women have played in the furthering of feminism and the American women's movement in the last half of the 20th century. You can access the information through a timeline, themes of...
Primary
University of Virginia

Explorations in Black Leadership: Amiri Baraka

For Students 9th - 10th
A short biography of African American writer Amiri Baraka and an interview with him conducted by Julian Bond available in video download or script format. With insight into influential people in his life, career development, influence of...
Website
Scholastic

Scholastic: Teachers: Celebrate Black History Month

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Teachers can foster student understanding of African American history with selections from this in-depth list of activities. Includes options for all grade levels and a variety of academic subjects.
Unknown Type
Other

Watson.org: African American History: The Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Students 9th - 10th
From a paper written for a school project, find detailed notes on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, how it started, who started it, who participated, and the outcome.
Handout
Other

The James Meredith March

For Students 9th - 10th
At this site, you can view photos, read a personal account, and learn the history behind this historic March that took place in 1966.
Website
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: The Trial of Susan B. Anthony

For Students 9th - 10th
Arrested for "illegal voting", suffragist Susan B. Anthony was put on trial, which is chronicled here using historical documents, testimony, and primary source material.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Her Story

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A rich Library of Congress resource page that is filled with links to historical and primary documents offering a female perspective throughout history. Lesson plan links are also given.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Montgomery Bus Boycott

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about Rosa Parks's courageous decision to fight discrimination and the boycott that ended segregation on public buses.