Learning to Give, Philanthropy education resources that teach giving and civic engagement
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Purpose:
In this lesson, learners view footage from the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize on the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Learners discuss and answer questions on the process of desegregation in Little Rock, and the Core Democratic Values related to that process.
Duration:
One Fifty-Minute Class Period
Objectives:
The learner will:
- watch a segment of the PBS video Eyes on the Prize, episode two, then answer questions (Attachment One) related to the video.
Materials:
- PBS video Eyes on the Prize, episode two.
- Little Rock Questions (Attachment One)
Teacher Preparation:
Eyes on the Prize is a 3-disc boxed set of a PBS series about the Civil Rights Movement. You will need to obtain a copy of the DVD prior to this lesson. It is available at Amazon.
Instructional Procedure(s):
Anticipatory Set:
Ask students to imagine that a group of parents (all of whom made less than $150,000 a year) got together and decided to fight the enrollment policy of School One. The Court decided that the $150,000 income standard was unconstitutional, and you and eight other honors students were admitted to School One. The families of the students already attending School One vowed to fight to keep the lower income families out of the school. The governor, a graduate of School One, agrees with the upper income families, and goes on television vowing to keep lower income students out of School One. On the first day of school, you and the eight other students decide to meet and show up at School One together. However, you somehow get separated from the others and are threatened by the angry mob. You finally reach safety, and you and the others are forced to leave School One for the day. Your parents return to court, finally the federal government steps in, and you and the others return to School One. Once in school, you and the others are assigned bodyguards, but are continually harrassed and threatened by some of the students and their families. How do you react to the student body at School One? Do you think this scenario could actually happen?
- Introduce the class to the video series Eyes on the Prize. This is a six-part PBS series produced in 1986. The segment shown in this lesson begins with footage of Linda Brown walking into the formerly all-white elementary school she desegregated in Topeka, Kansas. Stop the video before the opening credits to ask the class who that little girl is. Pass out "Little Rock Note Taking Form," (Attachment Three) then restart the video.
- Stop the video right after Melba Patillo says she did not know if she wanted to go back to school the next year, and the announcer says it would not matter because Little Rock's schools would not open the next year. (This segment runs 35 minutes)
- Spend the last ten minutes reflecting on what the class has just witnessed. Ask the class what Core Democratic Values they feel were involved in the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, for example, diversity, equality, integrity (truth), popular sovereignty (majorities have the right to make political decisions), promote the general welfare (the common good).
Assessment:
Students turn in Attachment Three, "Little Rock Note Taking Form," and participate in teacher-led large group discussion.
Cross-Curriculum Extensions:
Homework assignment: Choose one Core Democratic Value. Write a three-paragraph essay comparing/contrasting how each side of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School would argue this value to defend their side of the issue.
Bibliographical References:
Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years. Episode Two: Fighting Back (1957-62). Produced by Blackside. 60 minutes, 1986. DVD ASIN: B0031WNYHK.
Lesson Developed By:
Christine KnappMt. Pleasant Public Schools
Mt. Pleasant High School
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
Handouts:
Handout 1Print Handout 1
Little Rock Desegregation Note-Taking Form
The Supreme Court ruled in the Brown v. Board of Education case in what year?
What does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee to all citizens?
Who is Autherine Lucy?
Why was Autherine Lucy suspended from The University of Alabama?
Who took the Autherine Lucy's case to the Court?
What organization did Thurgood Marshall work for when arguing the school desegregation cases before the Court?
Who was the governor of Arkansas in 1957?
What did the governor of Arkansas do to "maintain (or restore) peace" in Little Rock?
How did the governor's action cause the crisis to become a Constitutional issue?
What happened to Elizabeth Eckford on the first day of school?
Who did President Eisenhower send to Little Rock to protect the children and uphold the decision of the Supreme Court?
What was the "chili incident?"
Who was involved in it?
Why didn't the "Little Rock Nine" need to decide whether to return to Little Rock Central High School in the fall of 1958?
Reflection Questions Why doesn't Elizabeth Eckford answer the reporter's questions when she is separated from the other eight black students on the first day of school?
What is she feeling as she walks through the mob? After the "chili incident" the white students were silent and the black cafeteria workers broke into applause.
Why did each group react as they did?
Unit Contents:
Overview:Affirmative Action Summary
Lessons:
- 1.
- Order In The Court
- 2.
- Little Rock, 1957
- 3.
- Affirmative Action At Work
- 4.
- Court So Orders (The )
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