Curriculum planning chart

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Freedom Riders

Concept*

Standard

("The student will

understand")
(The big idea, the
"enduring
understanding"
[Wiggins, 1998]; a
broad way of
making sense of the
world, or a life
lesson)
Understanding how
the Freedom Riders
shaped the civil
rights movement;
why they are
important
Central problem /
issue / or essential
question (intended
to "get at" the
concept; the
motivator)
Why are the
Freedom Riders
important to
American history?

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.5.2
Determine two or more
main ideas of a text and
explain how they are
supported by key details;
summarize the text.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.5.3
Explain the relationships
or interactions between
two or more individuals,
events, ideas, or
concepts in a historical,
scientific, or technical
text based on specific
information in the text.

Subject: Social Studies

Name: Samantha Galman

Assessment

Facts

Skills

Problems to pose

(How will you have

evidence that they
know it?)

("The students will

know")

("The students will

be able to")

("Guiding questions"
or "unit questions")

Timeline students
will keep a timeline
in their journals that
corresponds to the
timeline we will fill
out in class

How the Freedom

Riders fit into the
civil rights
movement (after
Montgomery Bus
Boycott and
Greensboro lunch
counter sit-ins;
before right to vote)

Maintain a timeline
(adding events in
sequence and
understanding how
they are connected)

What motivates
people to action in
the face of great
danger?

Daily journal entries

Written reflection at
end of unit
Short answer
questions
Exit slips at end of
lessons
Note taking during
documentary
Guided discussions

The characteristics
of the Freedom
Riders (nonviolent
resistance,
perseverance,
courage, blacks and
whites fighting
together for social
justice)
What the riders
faced (mobs, KKK,
police brutality,
violence, jail, lack
of police support,
lag in help from
Kennedy
Administration)
How they
persevered against
adversity (multiple
rides and groups of
people coming
together for cause,
Parchman prison
became a place to
teach nonviolence)
The results of their
efforts (September
22, 1961: ICC
forbids bus station
segregation;
segregation signs
came down)

What are the costs?

Write journal entries

Reflect on
experience from
beginning to end
Identify character
traits of the
Freedom Riders

How did the

Freedom Riders
weather adversity?
Would you have the
courage to become
politically active
today?

Activities:

Read aloud of
Ramseys Ruth and
the Green Book
Reading original
newspaper articles
from 1961
publications
Watching clips of
documentary titled
American
Experience:
Freedom Riders

Take notes while

watching
documentary

Watching clips of
Freedom Riders
discussing their
experiences

Have group
discussions
dissecting cause and
effect of movement

Reading
informational text
about Freedom
Riders

Answer constructed
response questions

Preparing questions
for discussions

Answer open-ended
questions

Curriculum planning chart

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Freedom Riders
Concept*

Standard

("The student will

understand")
(The big idea, the
"enduring
understanding"
[Wiggins, 1998]; a
broad way of
making sense of the
world, or a life
lesson)
Understanding how
the Freedom Riders
shaped the civil
rights movement;
why they are
important
Central problem /
issue / or essential
question (intended
to "get at" the
concept; the
motivator)
Why are the
Freedom Riders
important to
American history?

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a
story, drama, or poem
from details in the text,
including how characters
in a story or drama
respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a
poem reflects upon a
topic; summarize the
text.
Craft and Structure
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as
they are used in a text,
including figurative
language such as
metaphors and similes.

Subject: Literacy: Summarizing as a Skill Name: Samantha Galman

Assessment

Facts

Skills

Problems to pose

(How will you have

evidence that they
know it?)

("The students will

know")

("The students will

be able to")

("Guiding questions"
or "unit questions")

Writing summaries
of articles and
informational text

How the Freedom

Riders were
portrayed in the
media

How to read
newspaper articles

How would you

describe the Freedom
Riders? What
character traits
would you attribute
to them?

Writing a pitch for

which freedom song
should be sung
Creating bulleted
lists from
informational text
Presenting
information in
bullets
Summarizing
feelings to openended questions and
constructed
responses in journal
entries
Writing letters to
parents from the
point of view of a
Freedom Rider

The point of view of

individual Freedom
Riders and how the
movement affected
them
The motivations to
continue
How the Freedom
Riders perpetuated
the movement
The Freedom Riders
risked their lives for
social justice
The success of their
movement
perpetuated the civil
rights movement by
creating hope for
future victories

Identify the main

idea and supporting
details in an
argument
Identify repetitive
information in a text
Synthesize various
ideas into a
summary
Create bulleted lists
from informational
text
Use bulleted lists to
write paragraphs

What motivated the

Freedom Riders to
action?

Activities:

Reading newspaper
articles from 1961
publications
Listening to and
analyzing freedom
songs
Deconstructing
freedom songs using
graphic organizers

What happened to
the Freedom Riders
during the course of
the movement?

Summarizing
informational texts
using bulleted lists

How did the

Freedom Riders
weather adversity?

Writing paragraphs
based on bulleted
lists

How can we
summarize the
purpose of the
Freedom Riders
movement in a
paragraph?

Main idea and

supporting details
web

How can we write

letters to our parents
using main ideas and
details to support our
idea?

Letter writing from

point of view of
Freedom Rider

Curriculum planning chart

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Freedom Riders
Concept*

Standard

("The student will

understand")
(The big idea, the
"enduring
understanding"
[Wiggins, 1998]; a
broad way of
making sense of the
world, or a life
lesson)
Understanding how
the Freedom Riders
shaped the civil
rights movement;
why they are
important
Central problem /
issue / or essential
question (intended
to "get at" the
concept; the
motivator)
Why are the
Freedom Riders
important to
American history?

Key ideas and details

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a
story, drama, or poem
from details in the text,
including how characters
in a story or drama
respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a
poem reflects upon a
topic; summarize the
text.
Craft and Structure
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RL.5.4
Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as
they are used in a text,
including figurative
language such as
metaphors and similes.
Writing
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.5.3.D
Use concrete words and
phrases and sensory
details to convey
experiences and events
precisely.

Subject: Literacy: Figurative Language

Name: Samantha Galman

Assessment

Facts

Skills

Problems to pose

(How will you have

evidence that they
know it?)

("The students will

know")

("The students will

be able to")

("Guiding questions"
or "unit questions")

Daily journal entries

How sensory
language evokes
emotion

Create lists of
sensory language
from visceral
reactions to text

How would you

describe the Freedom
Riders? What
character traits
would you attribute
to them?

Guided discussion
after reading Back
of the Bus
Constructed
responses about the
meaning of
metaphors and
similes
Writing poems:
writing haikus,
cinquains and
acrostics
Editing drafts of
poems

How to identify
character traits of
the Freedom Riders
The structure of
haikus, cinquains
and acrostics
How to write
haikus, cinquains
and acrostics
How to use similes
and metaphors in
relation to the
Freedom Riders and
their character traits

Write journal entries

Identify the
elements of haikus,
cinquains and
acrostics
Understand how
metaphors and
similes convey
larger ideas
Take notes while
watching
documentary
Produce final drafts
of poems after peer
editing
Publish poetry and
share with class

What are some

metaphors and
similes you would
use to describe the
Freedom Riders?

Activities:

Read aloud of
Reynoldss Back of
the Bus
Discussing reactions
to original
newspaper articles
from 1961
publications

What motivated the

Freedom Riders?

Creating lists of
sensory language
while listening to
firsthand accounts
from activists

How did the

Freedom Riders
weather adversity?

Clapping the
structure of haikus
and cinquains

How can we channel

our reactions to the
Freedom Riders
movement into
writing poetry?

Writing poetry
while listening to
music
Peer editing
Publishing final
draft and decorating
border with images
Poetry reading of
published work