Unit Overview

Overview

In New York State, 8th Grade Social Studies is the second part of a two-year study of American history. Traditionally, American history texts reference wars as the defining moments of our past. Given the fact that the history of American democracy, at its core, is defined by the fight for and evolution of civil rights, this unit changes the paradigm and focuses instead on how our democracy expanded and continues to do so through key political and social movements.

The democratic principles that America holds dear today were not always seen as automatic rights guaranteed to every citizen. Our nation has always struggled over how and when to expand our democratic traditions. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are not antiquated papers, but living and breathing documents that are continually reinterpreted to meet America’s ever-changing conception of democracy. In addition to acquiring this understanding, students must also learn that a myriad of factors play into any major societal change. Ordinary people often have as much impact on a social movement and societal change as do lawmakers and lawyers.

To understand the influence of the ordinary citizen on a social movement as well as the ever-evolving nature of civil rights, students examine key periods within major American movements and the different forces contributing to social change. In this unit, they study: the Women’s Suffrage Movement (1848-1923), the Asian American Civil Rights Movement (1860-1988), the Children’s Rights Movement (1870-1938) and the African American Civil Rights Movement (1945-1965).

A critical goal of Civil Rights is empowering students with media literacy skills. While textbooks often provide an excellent overview of the dominant way of thinking about historical events, primary sources, now accessible via the Internet, offer students a wider set of perspectives on issues and events. In Civil Rights, students are guided in exploring original documents, photographs of actual events and first-hand accounts. These student experiences are critical to understanding multiple perspectives, so important to fully comprehending history. Students are also given the opportunity to hone their media literacy skills as they produce citizen media campaigns that aim to create public awareness about a civil rights issue of today.

Description of the Unit

Civil Rights is a six-week unit containing 18 core lessons devoted to the study of American history through the evolution of civil rights. Students are introduced to key periods of four social movements that have had great impact on the nation’s history: the Women’s Suffrage Movement (1848-1923), the Asian American Civil Rights Movement (1860-1988), the Children’s Rights Movement (1870-1938) and the African American Civil Rights Movement (1945-1965). Over the course of study, students choose one movement to research, investigating the associated injustices, strategies and achievements. After demonstrating their understanding of the past in the form of a case study, students apply what they have learned to current-day civil rights issues, raising public awareness and promoting action.

A major goal of Civil Rights is to provide hands-on experience with technology tools that advance learning and civic participation in the 21 st century. Students take advantage of the Internet for researching and analyzing both historical and contemporary sources and for sharing ideas with peers. They also use web tools to launch their citizen media campaigns. With the access the Internet provides, students have the potential to reach not only classmates with their important messages on civil rights issues, but also a nationwide audience.

The unit is comprised of six steps of instruction suitable for a wide range of middle school classrooms:

Step 1: Define Civil Rights

Students are introduced to a unit of study that examines American history through the lens of civil rights, and promotes civic participation through the development of citizen media campaigns. In learning the fundamentals related to this important subject, students examine key periods in several movements that they will study further: the Women’s Suffrage Movement (1848-1923), the Asian American Civil Rights Movement (1860-1988), the Children’s Rights Movement (1870-1938) and the African American Civil Rights Movement (1945-1965). Students define civil rights and explore causes and legal achievements of several U.S. civil rights movements in preparation for independent and group research.

Step 2: Understand Injustice

Students begin research on the history of one civil rights movement by investigating key political, economic and social injustices as well as methods of protest and outcomes. For each movement, students conduct historical research using primary sources that highlight important events and represent varied perspectives.

Step 3: Study Methods of Action

Students continue researching the history of the civil rights movement they selected in preparation for completing a case study (Step 4). Given a timeline containing primary and secondary sources from the Library of Congress and other sources, students identify methods used to fight injustice as well as important civil rights leaders and their contributions. Students act as historians by examining multiple sources and identifying what their diverse perspectives tell us about the movement.

Step 4: Describe a Movement

Students write a well-researched and cited analysis of the criteria for a civil rights movement: the causes of a civil rights movement (describing one area of injustice), the methods for bringing about change and a legal achievement of the civil rights movement. Students incorporate information from different perspectives of people living at the time using two or three primary sources.

Step 5: Create a Campaign

Collaborating with classmates who studied other civil rights movements, students create multimedia group projects focused on civil rights issues of today. After selecting a contemporary issue, each group creates a citizen media campaign that raises awareness and promotes recommendations for action.

Step 6: Make a Difference

Students learn ways to take action on civil rights issues of today. After choosing a suitable method, they complete their citizen media campaign which promotes their cause and recommends further action. Students present/share their campaign pages with the class and encourage one another to support their causes. The unit culminates with a Socratic Seminar in which students discuss some of the big ideas of the unit.

Day to Day

The following tips serve as a guide to getting ready for the technology use associated with the unit. Your Teaching Matters professional developer will help you prepare.

Technology Set Up: The unit recommends several uses of technology. Prep & Tech is included at the top of every lesson. In that section you will see some suggestions for how to prepare the technology, classroom setup, and student materials. Here is a list of computer hardware that you will need throughout this unit:

LCD projector and laptop: For many lessons, it is important to use an LCD projector and computer to display the introductory programs and the website for students. When setting up an LCD projector, it is best to use a white screen or white board to display the projection. White boards (white dry-erase boards used in many schools instead of chalkboards) and Smartboards (interactive white boards that act like large touch-screen computers) are ideal for projection because they are usually set up in a place where students can see them easily.

Internet Connection: If the Internet connection in the classroom is inconsistent or nonexistent, use the Civil Rights CD to show the visuals, handouts and introductory programs contained on the website.

Speakers: If you are using a laptop, the speakers are not usually loud enough for all of the students in a classroom to hear clearly. It is helpful to connect a set of speakers to the computer before getting started.

Laptop Carts: When using a laptop cart, it is important to test each laptop to make sure the battery is charged and it functions properly. Always allow time for handing out and collecting the laptops. It is also helpful to assign a specific laptop to each student, pair or group. This way, students can be held accountable for the equipment and can continue their work over the course of several class periods.

Computer Guidelines: Before beginning the unit, you will want to establish computer guidelines. Some basic rules are:

Never have food or drinks near the computer.
Always wait for instructions from the teacher before using the computer.
Never touch the screen of a laptop computer.
Always wait for instructions to turn a computer on or off.

Registering for The Voice: You will need to register for an account on The Voice, the website for class weblogs and student publishing. You will create a username and password for yourself and a student username and password for your students. This will allow students to contribute to online discussions throughout the project. Create a simple username and password for students, like the class number or school name. Students should write the username and password in their folders for the project.

Student Release Forms - Parents will need to sign two release forms to allow students to publish in The Voice. Included in Lesson 1.1 is a Student Work Release Form. This form allows Teaching Matters to showcase students’ work. Parents will also need to sign a release form created by your school that will allow students to post their citizen media campaigns to The Voice, an online publication. This release form should reflect your schools’ policy towards online publishing.

Instructional Principles

Civil Rights is grounded in best practice in social studies instruction, drawing from Grant Wiggins’ Understanding by Design, principles of project-based learning and the workshop model, all philosophies emphasizing student-active learning and outcomes. The needs and concerns of educators “on the front line” are also fundamental to the unit’s design.

Understanding by Design

Grant Wiggins’Understanding by Design provided the framework for unit planning by starting with the student outcomes. Key pedagogical elements of the unit are outlined below:

Essential Questions addressed in Civil Rights

Why is it important to have multiple perspectives in our democracy?
How can the ordinary citizen influence democracy?
What are civil rights and how are they earned?
What is the relationship between civil rights and democracy?
How do civil rights in our democracy expand/change over time?
What is equality? How has the concept of equality been reflected in our history?
What causes a society to change its opinions/values?
Does history have a point of view?

Enduring Understandings addressed in Civil Rights

Students will understand that…

We all have a role in shaping our rights.
Social justice begins with individuals.
Social movements rely on similar principles/values/methods.
Rights are not static; they can change over time.
History is written with a point of view.
The definition of equality expanded throughout U.S. history.
Research is not only found in books.

Potential Misunderstandings addressed in Civil Rights

Students might falsely understand that…

Rights don’t change; they are set in stone.
Rights are innate; everyone has the same rights.
History is all factual, without perspective involved.
Only judges and lawmakers have influence over the laws.
All Americans have always had equal rights.
Discrimination ends once a law is passed.

Knowledge addressed in Civil Rights

Students will know…

Specific legal and illegal methods for fighting injustice
Amendments to the Constitution and other laws that changed people’s rights
the aspects of the Constitution and its interpretation that limited people’s rights
Key court cases that supported injustices and key cases that overturned those injustices
The outcomes of four social movements
Definitions of equality, democracy, civil rights, social movements
Examples of legal, social and economic forms of injustice
Important civil rights leaders
Important people and organizations that address social causes today
Timeline of the expansion of civil rights in American history

Skills addressed in Civil Rights

Students will be able to…

F ind appropriate research sources, including primary sources, on the Internet and using research databases
Analyze primary and secondary sources such as maps, graphs, charts, newspapers, diaries, timelines, political cartoons, surveys, media, interviews, music
Recognize bias and multiple points of view in historical sources

Write a case study about a specific civil rights movement that analyzes the Causes of social change and the methods used to achieve results
Identify a civil rights issue of today that meets the criteria they developed for a social movement
Create citations
Work with a group to create and deliver a multimedia and oral presentation
Take action on their recommendations
Identify a current civil rights issue and conduct research to find solutions

Assessment for Understanding: (acceptable evidence of knowledge and/or skill)

Students are able to…

Perform a responsible means of social action in our democracy.
Identify violations of and struggles for civil rights today
Apply understanding of social movements to a social movement today and its components (assessing for transfer)
See a social movement from the point of view of the majority and the perspective of the minority
Empathize with different people experiencing specific turning points
Overcome the “naïve” idea that history is neutral by critiquing a primary source of information and identifying its bias
Reflect on what equality means in the United States today

The Workshop Model

Consistent with the workshop model, each lesson in Civil Rights begins with a mini lesson followed by a student activity and a lesson summary. Lessons are designed for 45 minute periods to conform to the typical New York City middle school schedule. Mini lessons typically take place in the first ten to fifteen minutes of the lesson and are aligned with the content and skill objectives of the unit always relative to the essential questions.

The Mini Lesson

Each mini lesson briefly introduces a specific concept and a specific skill and builds on the past mini lessons. This instruction generally incorporates presentation of a key idea by the teacher, teacher modeling and instructions for independent work. Mini lessons are meant to be brief in order to leave as much time as possible for students to actively execute the task at hand. The lessons contained on the Civil Rights website provide teachers with a roadmap to the mini lessons.

Student Activity

Once each day’s mini lesson has been completed, students apply what they learned to create their independent case study and citizen media campaign. Most importantly, they have extended periods of time to work. This is their chance to apply new concepts and practice new skills.

Lesson Summary

Each lesson concludes with an opportunity for teachers and students to review the main teaching point and to celebrate what has been accomplished. While each lesson in the Civil Rights unit provides an example of how to share, it should be recognized that there are multiple ways to go about this important part of the workshop depending on the task at hand, time available and needs of the class.

Standards

In New York State’s Middle Schools, American history is taught in a two year, 7th and 8th grade course. The course is divided into 11 units of study: Global Heritage of the American People Prior to 1500, European Exploration and Colonization of the Americas, A Nation is Created, Experiments in Government, Life in the New Nation, Divisions and Reunion, An Industrial Society, The U.S. as an Independent Nation in an Increasingly Independent World, The U.S. Between the Wars, The U.S. Assumes Worldwide Responsibilities, The Changing Nature of the American People from WW II to the Present. In each unit of study, students are asked to examine the time period through many lenses: geographic, economic, civic, global, and national. At the end of the two year course, students are expected to take a cumulative examination that includes the analysis of many primary source documents, photographs, maps, bar graphs, and political cartoons. In this examination, students are expected to make connections across time periods and among the many areas of historical analysis (social, political, economic).

New York State Social Studies content that will be explored in this unit includes:

The guarantee of equal rights in the 14th and 15th amendments, for all races except Native Americans
Legal segregation: Plessy v. Ferguson
The responses of labor to industrialization, creating a larger workforce and more complex work
Hardships of industrial working conditions on workers
The changing roles of women, children, minorities, and the disabled
The Chinese experience in the far west
Legal bases for citizenship in the U.S., responsibilities of citizenship
Social ills: Muckrakers exposing corruption and abuse in industry, government, and urban living conditions
The formation of the NAACP and its role in fighting racial discrimination
Women’s suffrage; 19th amendment
The results of foreign immigration and black migration; diverse populations and increases in social tensions
Civil Rights movement’s focus on equality and democracy
Important executive and judicial decisions, including Brown v. the Board of Education
Civil Rights activists and leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Civil Rights Movement’s connection to greater equality sought by women and Native Americans
The role of ordinary people and famous historic figures in advancing the fundamental democratic values, beliefs, and traditions expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
The role of values in guaranteeing civil rights and making provisions for human needs

The New York State Learning Standards for Social Studies addressed in Civil Rights include:

Standard 1: History of the United States and New York

The study of New York State and United States history requires an analysis of the development of American culture, its diversity and multicultural context, and the ways people are united by many values, practices, and traditions.

Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions, from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives.

Study about the major social, political, economic, cultural, and religious developments in New York State and United States history involves learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

The skills of historical analysis include the ability to: explain the significance of historical evidence; weigh the importance, reliability, and validity of evidence; understand the concept of multiple causation; understand the importance of changing and competing interpretations of different historical developments.

Standard 3: Geography

Geography can be divided into six essential elements which can be used to analyze important historic, geographic, economic, and environmental questions and issues. These six elements include: the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical setting (including natural resources), human systems, environment and society, and the use of geography.

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

The study of civics, citizenship, and government involves learning about political systems, the purposes of government and civic life, and the differing assumptions held by people across time and place regarding power, authority, governance, and the law.

The state and federal governments established by the Constitution of the United States and the State of New York embody basic civic values, principles, and practices, and establish a system of shared and limited government.

Central to civics and citizenship is an understanding of the roles of the citizen within the American constitutional democracy and the scope of a citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

The study of civics and citizenship requires the ability to probe ideas and assumptions, ask and answer analytical questions, take a skeptical attitude towards questionable arguments, evaluate evidence, formulate rational conclusions, and develop and refine participatory skills.

The New York State Social Studies Skills Standards addressed in Civil Rights include:

I. Getting Information

identify a variety of sources of information
recognize advantages and limitations of various sources
identify the types and kinds of information needed
locate information in print and non-print sources
organize collected information

II. Using Information

classify and categorize data
evaluate data
draw inferences from data
generalize from data

III . Presenting Information

speak in an effective way
write in an expository way
recognize and use nonverbal means of communication
use media and various visuals for communicating ideas

IV. Participating in Interpersonal and Group Relations

incorporate a set of positive learning attitudes
participate in group planning and discussion
assume responsibilities for carrying out tasks
set up hypotheses and/or alternative courses of action

References

Coclanis, Peter A., and Stuart Bruchey. Ideas, Ideologies, and Social Movements: The United States Experience since 1800. 1st ed. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1999.

Hakim, Joy. A History of US: An Age of Extremes. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Irons, Peter. A People’s History of the Supreme Court. 2nd ed. New York: Penguin Group, 2000.

Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me . 1st ed. New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1996.

Monk, Linda. The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution. Linda R. Monk and The Stonesong Press, Inc., 2003.

Nash, Gary B., Charlotte Crabtree, and Ross E. Dunn. History on Trial. 2nd ed. New York: Vintage Books, 2000.

Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding by Design. 1st ed. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1998.

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States. 1st ed. New York: Perennial Classics, 2001.

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