Lesson Plan
Adult Fiction by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Ghost Boys: Educator Guide

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The spirit of the Civil Rights Movement lives on in a more literal than figurative way in Ghost Boys. A focused lesson plan features Jewell Parker Rhodes' novel about ghosts of slain black teenagers, including the main character, Jerome,...
PPT
Curated OER

Life and Times: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
The life and times of Martin Luther King Jr. are outlined in this simple-yet-informative presentation. This is an image-rich slide show depicting scenes from his personal and public life. A great resource to use with a unit on the civil...
Interactive
Curated OER

The Civil Rights Era (1865–1970)

For Students 7th - 12th
In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about the American Civil Rights Movement. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Journey to Civil Rights

For Teachers K - 1st
Students explore Civil Rights. In this Civil Rights lesson, students read about Ruby Bridges and define the words segregation and supremacy. Students make a timeline of important events in Civil Rights and write a paragraph about why the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: Civil Rights Gets Stronger

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students investigate segregation in the United States. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students read Oh Freedom and discuss the implications of segregation. Students then view images from the time period and take notes on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights: Rosa Parks Centers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking Barriers

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Determine how African-Americans have broken barriers in this history lesson. Middle schoolers discuss the 15th Amendment and the American civil rights movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union," taking care...
Worksheet
Student Handouts

Voting Rights Speech Before Congress

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
Is your class studying civil rights? Consider taking a look at President Lyndon B. Johnson's voting rights speech. This resource includes an abridged version and three related questions. Pupils consider Johnson's use of language and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rev. Joseph Lowery: What Makes a Civil Rights Leader?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the attributes of civil rights leaders. In this Civil Rights Movement lesson, students design "body biographies" of selected civil rights leaders after they have conducted research and discussed the qualities of leaders.
Interactive
DocsTeach

Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Fight for Civil Rights

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Find clues to the past with photos! Young historians use a photo from one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s peaceful protests to practice photo analysis. Academics look at the image to gain clues about what is happening and why. To finish,...
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

Core Curriculum Lesson Plans for The Lions of Little Rock

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
Schools in the 1950s and 60s looked very different from the schools we know today. An educator's guide explores the civil rights movement and, specifically, the process of integrating schools. Questions cover key themes in the novel and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Election of Barack Obama 44th President of the United States

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers consider the historic implications of Barack Obama's election. In this election of 2008 activity, students research Obama's accomplishments and determine how his election signifies the success of the American Civil Rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate is Not Equal: Brown vs. Board of Education

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Brown vs. Board of Education was a landmark case, but what other cases were influenced by its decision? By researching 1 of 14 civil rights legislative events, scholars follow this court case through recent events. Keeping in mind 6...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are The Freedom Riders

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the role of the Freedom Riders. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding the participants in the Freedom Ride protest. Several weblinks, worksheets,...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The Music of African American History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers examine role spirituals have played in African American history and religion, examine Harriet Tubman's use of spirituals in her work, explore power of spirituals in Civil Rights Movement, and work with oral tradition,...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Red Record of Lynching Map Analysis

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Long before the civil rights movement, leaders were working to secure equal rights. An informative activity explains the 1922 anti-lynching campaign with a map. Scholars analyze the map, complete a worksheet, and participate in group...
Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Last Days of Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 6th - 12th
On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Four video clips reveal the events of that time, including the shift in the focus of the Civil Rights Movement, the aftermath of the assassination, and...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

"Sí, se puede!": Chávez, Huerta, and the UFW

For Teachers 6th - 12th
"Sí, se puede!" Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta believed organizing farm workers and changing their working conditions were possible. Scholars examine provisions of the Bracero Program, videos, and the United Farm Workers' (UFW) work....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Language of the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders develop a website documenting poetry integral during the civil rights movement in the United States. Working in pairs, 10th graders research the people and poetry of that was prevalent during the civil rights movement. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare the cultural customs of people from European descent and African Americans between 1900 and 1940. Next students listen to interviews about life during the time of Jim Crow laws, and determine how life might be different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Desegregation of Schools

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore ways African American students were discriminated against in the 1960's. In this United States History activity, students read three famous poems on the Civil Rights Movement then write their own poem.
Lesson Plan
Atlanta History Center

Civil Disobedience and the Atlanta Student Movement

For Teachers 5th - 11th Standards
What tactics are used in civil disobedience? Learners study the conditions in Alabama that led to the establishment of the Atlanta Student Movement, as well as consider the nature and effectiveness of civil disobedience.
Worksheet
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Time For Kids

A Peaceful Leader

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's life and message is just as important today as it was in his lifetime. Introduce elementary learners to the movement for civil rights with a timeline of Dr. King's life, as well as...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The 19th Amendment and the Road to Universal Suffrage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Your vote matters! An informative activity focuses on the Nineteenth Amendment and explains how it paved the way for universal voting rights. Young historians analyze several documents and a complete a worksheet, describing the impact of...