Running Head: CONTENT TEXT SET 1

People on the Edge: the Civil Rights Movement

Deirdre Lafford

Viterbo University

EDUC 650

Content Text Set

Context Text Set 2

Civil Rights for All

This text set was developed for 6th – 8th grade students to explore the civil rights movement through

several different relatable lenses: the lens of African American children involved in the movement, the lens of

adults in the movement, but also to explore and connect the civil rights struggles of other individuals and

groups of people that were happening concurrently, right before, or right after. This study, would be a 6-week

exploration beginning in January, preparing for the Dr. Martin Luther King birthday holiday celebration, and

continuing as student learning and inquisitions direct. Since Dr. King is the “figure head” of civil rights in

American history, I would build on the information already known about Dr. King, then focus on the marches,

boycotts, and speeches he led and participated in, and the issues and other “players” behind and within the

events. My rationale for this unit is to connect culturally relevant and to be culturally responsive, including

information for all students to connect to and the see themselves in some fashion. The way civil rights have

been typically explored is through the lens of African Americans and their struggle to obtain them, but other

groups in America were also marginalized. Civil rights were a struggle for Latin(x) people, women, and most

recently the LGBTQ community as well. Social studies textbooks usually only touch the surface of these issues.

My intention is to use some wide reading to expose students to a deeper knowledge and understanding of

civil rights through the connections made to issues surrounding us today, and to make the connections to the

struggles of other groups of people to obtain civil rights as well. Textbooks historically have exposed students

to some of these issues, but have not shown how they were interrelated, how some were occuring

simultaneously, and how different groups of people dealt with and operated within civil right issues, all at the

same time.

I included resources that could be used during silent sustained reading, during book clubs, and for

small group discussion and academic conversations around the connections to the materials. The lower range

of material addresses the concept of civil rights in general, allowing access to the content for struggling

readers. The musical selections with lyrics also allows access in a different way, with the lyrics to be analyzed
Context Text Set 3

and connected to the events and emotions experienced by African Americans during the various events of the

movement. I used the music and visual representations to the civil rights movement to differentiate for

students and scaffold understanding for others. Visual representations allow students to do a different type

of close reading and a different way, using a different learning style to make connections to their own

personal experiences as well as the written text. The graphic novels represent an effort to represent the

material through a form unfamiliar, but just as valuable a resource. As students have explored the picture

book and other material, and become interested in the chapter books, they will have the opportunity to

choose them on their own, they would be required to create a representation of their own to tell the story of

their book and present it to the class, addressing speaking and listening standards.

Content Text Set

Title: We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March (Levinson, 2012)
Summary: We've Got a Job tells the little-known story of the 4,000 Black
elementary-, middle-, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in
Birmingham, Alabama, between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Fulfilling Mahatma
Gandhi's and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s precept to fill the jails, they succeeded
where adults had failed in desegregating one of the most racially violent cities in
America. Focusing on four of the original participants who have participated in
extensive interviews, We've Got a Job recounts the astonishing events before,
during, and after the Children's March.
Citation: Levinson, C. (2012). We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March. Atlanta, Georgia:
Peachtree Publishers.
Lexile: 1020L
Rationale: This book tells the story through the eyes of the children involved and what they experienced as
participants in the Children’s March.
Context Text Set 4

Title: Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation

Summary: Rosa Parks took a stand by keeping her seat on the bus. When she was
arrested for it, her supporters protested by refusing to ride. Soon a community of
thousands was coming together to help one another get where they needed to go.
Some started taxis, some rode bikes, but they all walked and walked. And, after
382 days of walking, they walked Jim Crow right out of town. This story is a blues-
infused tribute to the men and women of the Montgomery bus boycott, who
refused to give up until they got justice.
Citation: Nathan, A. (2011). Round and round together: taking a merry-go-round
ride into the civil rights movement. Philadelphia, PA: Paul Dry Books.
Lexile: 560L
Rationale: This story gives access to the concept of boycott for lower level readers by infusing jazz elements
into the flow of the story. Gives access to lower level readers in a simplified way.

Title: We Shall Overcone: A Song That Changed the World

Summary: In clear, accessible language Stuart Stotts explores the roots of the
tune and the lyrics in traditional African music and Christian hymns. He
demonstrates the key role "We Shall Overcome" played in the civil rights,
labor, and anti-war movements in America. And he traces the song's
transformation into an international anthem. With its dramatic stories and
memorable quotes, this saga of a famous piece of music offers a unique way
of looking at social history.
Citation: Stotts, S., & Cummings, T. (2010). We shall overcome: a song that
changed the world. Boston: Clarion Books.
Lexile: 1080L
Rationale: This musical selection is a piviotal piece of the civil rights movement, sang in many marches as a
unifying “battle cry”. This book gives readers a chance to connect the lyrics of the song with the illustrations
draw meaning from the collaboration.

Title: 10 True Tales: Young Civil Rights Heroes by Allan Zullo

Summary: Sixteen-year-old protest leader Rodney Hurst can't comprehend
what's unfolding in front of him: Hundreds of hate-filled men brandishing ax
handles and baseball bats are attacking any black person in their path.
Hundreds of black teens in another peaceful march find themselves blasted by
powerful fire hoses. The students lock arms with each other and try desperately
to hold their ground. But it's impossible to withstand the force of water
pressure that can peel bark off a tree. These and other young African-American
heroes risked their lives in the civil-rights movement. You will never forget their
courageous true stories.
Citation: Zullo, A. (2015). Young civil rights heroes. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.
Lexile: 1110L
Rationale: This collection of stories is a non-fiction relation to individual
experiences during the civil rights movement of children and adults.
Context Text Set 5

Title: Marching for Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don’t You
Grow Weary
Summary: An inspiring look at the fight for the vote, by an award-
winning author Only 44 years ago in the U.S., Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. was leading a fight to win blacks the right to vote. Ground zero for
the movement became Selma, Alabama. Award-winning author
Elizabeth Partridge leads you straight into the chaotic, passionate,
and deadly three months of protests that culminated in the landmark
march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Focusing on the
courageous children who faced terrifying violence in order to march
alongside King, this is an inspiring look at their fight for the vote.
Stunningly emotional black-and-white photos accompany the text.
Citation: Partridge, E. (2009). Marching For Freedom: Walk Together
Children and Dont You Grow Weary. New York: Findaway World.
Lexile: 960L
Rationale: Through the powerful pictorial representations of the events during the march for freedom of the
civil rights movement, the chronological connection to the events help to create a civil rights timeline.

Title: March Book One

Summary: March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong
struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on
the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation.
Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of
the broader civil rights movement. Book One spans John Lewis' youth
in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr.,
the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear
down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to
a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
Citation: Lewis, J., Aydin, A., & Powell, N. (2013). March: Book One.
Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.
Lexile: GN760L
Rationale: This graphic novel representation of the events of John Lewis’ role in the civil rights movement. It
chronicals how Lewis in his work with Dr. King, helped to shaped a pivotal point in the civil rights movement.
Context Text Set 6

Title: March Book Two

Summary: Congressman John Lewis continues his award-winning graphic
novel trilogy with co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell. After the
success of the Nashville sit-in campaign, John Lewis is more committed than
ever to changing the world through nonviolence — but as he and his fellow
Freedom Riders board a bus into the vicious heart of the deep south, they
will be tested like never before. Faced with beatings, police brutality,
imprisonment, arson, and even murder, the movement’s young activists
place their lives on the line while internal conflicts threaten to tear them
apart. But their courage will attract the notice of powerful allies, from
Martin Luther King, Jr. to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy... and once
Lewis is elected chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, this 23-year-old will be thrust
into the national spotlight, becoming one of the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights movement and a central
figure in the landmark 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Citation: Lewis, J., Aydin, A., & Powell, N. (2013). March: Book Two. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.
Lexile: GN850L
Rationale: This graphic novel is the continuation of the stories in the events of John Lewis’ role as a student
and as a freedom rider. It chronicals how Lewis in his work with Dr. King, helped to shaped a pivotal point in
the civil rights movement.

Title: March Book Three

Summary: The stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-
selling MARCH trilogy. By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement
has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as
chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John
Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action,
SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant
injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense:
Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and
death. The only hope for lasting change is to give voice to the millions
of Americans silenced by voter suppression: "One Man, One Vote." To
carry out their nonviolent revolution, Lewis and an army of young
activists launch a series of innovative campaigns, including the
Freedom Vote, Mississippi Freedom Summer, and an all-out battle for the soul of the Democratic Party waged
live on national television. With these new struggles come new allies, new opponents, and an unpredictable
new president who might be both at once. But fractures within the movement are deepening ... even as 25-
year-old John Lewis prepares to risk everything in a historic showdown high above the Alabama river, in a
town called Selma.
Citation: Lewis, J., Powell, N., & Aydin, A. (2016). March: Book Three. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.
Lexile: GN770L
Rationale: The conclusion to a trilogy in an autobiographical tale of senator John Lewis’ life as a civil rights
leader, told through the benefit of an alternative format. Students will be required to choose an event in the
story, change the ending or focus in deep and change the dialogue or narration to effect the outcome of the
event.
Context Text Set 7

Title: A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Freedom Movement

from 1954 to 1968
Summary: In this history of the modern Civil Rights movement,
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Diane McWhorter focuses on the
monumental events that occurred between 1954 (the year of
Brown versus the Board of Education) and 1968 (the year that Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assasinated). Beginning with an
overview of the movement since the end of the Civil War,
McWhorter also discusses such events as the 1956 MTGS bus
boycott, the 1961 Freedom Rides, and the 1963 demonstration in
Birmingham, Alabama, among others.
Citation: McWhorter, D. (2004). A dream of freedom: the civil
rights movement from 1954 to 1968. New York: Scholastic.
Lexile: 1220L
Rationale: A 12 year timeline of monumental events of the civil rights movement that chronical the landmark
Brown v. Board of Education decision to integrate schools among other events. Students get the story from a
second person view point and are able to decifer the specific importance of each event in relation to what is in
place in today’s world.

Title: Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of

the Civil Rights Movement
Summary: Despite fierce prejudice and abuse, even being
beaten to within an inch of her life, Fannie Lou Hamer was
a champion of civil rights from the 1950s until her death
in 1977. Integral to the Freedom Summer of 1964, Ms.
Hamer gave a speech at the Democratic National
Convention that, despite President Johnson’s
interference, aired on national TV news and spurred the
nation to support the Freedom Democrats. Featuring
vibrant mixed-media art full of intricate detail, Voice of
Freedom celebrates Fannie Lou Hamer’s life and legacy
with a message of hope, determination, and strength.
Citation: Weatherford, C. B. (2015). Voice of Freedom:
Fanie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement.
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Lexile: 820L
Rationale: Fanny Lou Hamer represents a champion of civil rights from 2 points of view, being African
American and female. The intricate details of the illustrations emit various emotions for the reader and allow
a close reading analysis.
Context Text Set 8

Title: Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for
Desegregation
Summary: Almost 10 years before Brown vs. Board of Education, Sylvia
Mendez and her parents helped end school segregation in California. An
American citizen of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage who spoke and
wrote perfect English, Mendez was denied enrollment to a “Whites only”
school. Her parents took action by organizing the Hispanic community and
filing a lawsuit in federal district court. Their success eventually brought an
end to the era of segregated education in California.
Citation: Tonatiuh, D. (2014). Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and
Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation. New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Lexile: AD870L
Rationale: This book makes connections to the fight for civil rights to a
Latina and her families’ denial of civil right as well in California.

Title: Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez

Summary: Cesar Chavez is known as one of America's greatest civil rights leaders.
When he led a 340-mile peaceful protest march through California, he ignited a
cause and improved the lives of thousands of migrant farmworkers. But Cesar
wasn't always a leader. As a boy, he was shy and teased at school. His family
slaved in the fields for barely enough money to survive. Cesar knew things had to
change, and he thought that--maybe--he could help change them. So, he took
charge. He spoke up. And an entire country listened. An author's note provides
historical context for the story of Cesar Chavez's life.
Citation: Krull, K., & Morales, Y. (2013). Harvesting hope: the story of Cesar Chavez. Columbus, O.H.: Zaner-
Bloser.
Lexile: AD880L
Rationale: This book makes a connection to another civil rights struggle and extensive protest march
happening in another part of the country, led by civil rights leader Cesar Chavez.

Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Summary: Enter the hilarious world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird
Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother
Byron, who's thirteen and an "official juvenile delinquent." glWhen Byron gets to be
too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person
who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's
church is blown up.
Citation: Curtis, C. P. (2017). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. Waterville, ME:
Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.
Lexile: 800L
Context Text Set 9

Rationale: This book serves as a book club choice for students to identify the specific struggle for civil rights in
the story, analyze for whom and what the struggle was, identify the pivotal point of the struggle, its resolution
(or non-resolution) and how it connects to a societal condition today.

Title: Glory Be
Summary: A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the
segregated public pool. As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone
knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could
turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer
has the time of day for her now that she'll be entering high school. Then there's
her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now
suddenly they aren't. Maybe it's the new girl from the North that's got everyone
out of sorts. Or maybe it's the debate about whether or not the town should keep
the segregated public pool open.
Citation: Scattergood, A. (2015). Glory be. New York: Scholastic.
Lexile: 680L
Rationale: This book serves as a book club choice for students to identify the specific struggle for civil rights in
the story, analyze for whom and what the struggle was, identify the pivotal point of the struggle, its resolution
(or non-resolution) and how it connects to a societal condition today.

Title: Lunch Box Dream

Summary: Bobby and his family are visiting Civil War battlefields on the eve of
the war's centenary, while inside their car, quiet battles rage. When an accident
cuts their trip short, they return home on a bus and witness an incident that
threatens to deny a black family seats. What they don't know is the reason for
the family's desperation to be on that bus: a few towns away, their child is
missing.
In Lunch-Box Dream Tony Abbott presents Jim Crow, racism, and segregation
from multiple perspectives. In this story of witnessing without understanding, a
naïvely prejudiced boy, in brief flashes of insight, starts to identify and question
his assumptions about race.
Citation: Abbott, T. (2013). Lunch-box dream. New York: Square Fish.
Lexile: 800L
Rationale: This book serves as a book club choice for students to identify the
specific struggle for civil rights in the story and the different lens from which the story is told. Students will be
required to analyze for whom and what the struggle was, identify the pivotal point of the struggle, its
resolution (or non-resolution) and how it connects to a societal condition today.
Context Text Set 10

Title: The Lions of Little Rock

Summary: As twelve-year-old Marlee starts middle school in 1958 Little Rock, it
feels like her whole world is falling apart. Until she meets Liz, the new girl at
school. Liz is everything Marlee wishes she could be: she's brave, brash and
always knows the right thing to say. But when Liz leaves school without even a
good-bye, the rumor is that Liz was caught passing for white. Marlee decides
that doesn't matter. She just wants her friend back. And to stay friends, Marlee
and Liz are even willing to take on segregation and the dangers their friendship
could bring to both their families.
Citation: Levine, K. (2013). The lions of Little Rock. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
Lexile: 630L
Rationale: This book explores the idea of complexion, “passing” and the dangers
of doing so, as well as its unintended consequences. The author explores the
struggles that can happen even within ethnic groups, based on skin color.

Title: Brown Girl Dreaming

Summary: Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt
halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to
grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the
remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights
movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and
emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches
for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy
of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she
struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and
stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to
become.
Citation: Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. New York: Puffin
Books.
Lexile: 990L
Rationale: Written as an anthology, this collection of poems shares the
feelings and wonderments of a young African American girl in the middle
of the civil rights movements. It is a very powerful representation of what it was like to grow up in that
particular time of struggle as the author expresses herself through poetry. This book serves as an example of
a style of storytelling representation they can choose to demonstrate learning in this unit.

Title: What’s Going On (lyrics) Marvin Gaye

https://genius.com/Marvin-gaye-whats-going-on-lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6_fzckCE-U
Summary: Song with lyrics
Citation:
Rationale: An abstract expression of protest, this song played a large part in the civil rights protest, especially
the resistance to the US’s entry into the Vietnam war. Students will be asked to analyze the lyrics, identify the
events referenced, and describe the message they think the artist was trying to convey.
Context Text Set 11

Title: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (lyrics) Gil Scott-Heron

Citation: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Eagle Poetry. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2017, from
https://sites.google.com/site/eaglepoetry/gil-scott-heron/the-revolution-will-not-be-televised
Summary: The written lyrics to the song, set to the music
Rationale: Students analyze the lyrics to decipher meaning and references to events.

Title: Song Facts: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron
Citation: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2017, from
http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=12D824F11BE847E8A6B77ADC51400211&CID=19EDE09C3E696FE331DDEB813F6
F6EE0&rd=1&h=UXP0rPcyJlMrCaXltbabRfYDqOkOUP589xI9GMH1GSg&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.songfacts.
com%2fdetail.php%3fid%3d28847&p=DevEx,5358.1
Summary: Song facts is a searchable database of song information where you can find out the stories behind
the songs, get the lyrics, and watch the videos. This site was designed to help individuals better understand
and enjoy the songs they listen to. Patrons are invited to share thoughts about the songs in the comments
section. The album, year the song was released, highest US and UK chart position, and "Song facts" about each
song are provided by the website. The "Song facts" are interesting tidbits like what the song is about, who
wrote it, and what makes it different.
Song Facts: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=28847
Rationale: Students learn various facts about the stanzas and events referenced in the song.

Title: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron

Citation: Gil Scott-Heron Explains The Revolution will not be ... (n.d.). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from
https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=12D824F11BE847E8A6B77ADC51400211&CID=19EDE09C3E696FE331DDEB813F
6F6EE0&rd=1&h=QXzBL8EbMl4t7yLj-
YFgYqcm2ll9m5b6Bs6LwUegztg&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fwww.juancole.com%2f2013%2f07%2fexplains-
revolution-televised.html&p=DevEx,5519.1
Summary: Gil explains his song
https://www.juancole.com/2013/07/explains-revolution-televised.html
Rationale: Hear the songs author explain his work.

Title: Lift Every Voice and Sing (song with lyrics)

Summary: This version of the song by James Weldon Johnson has come to be considered the African
American national anthem.
Citation: J. (2013, February 18). Lift Every Voice and Sing with Lyrics. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya7Bn7kPkLo
Rationale: This song is included as a historical reference and to learn and understand the song hailed as the
Black National Anthem.