Civil Rights: Prologue - Teacher Created Materials · 2009. 11. 20. · struggling readers give up on themselves as they are forced to plod through one unsuccessful reading experience

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Civil Rights: Freedom Riders

Characters

Charlotte Devree John Lewis James Farmer Governor Patterson Genevieve Hughes Robert Kennedy

Setting

Thisreader’stheaterbeginsatacollegecampusinJanuary1961.JohnandGenevievechatinoverstuffedchairsinthecommonareaaroundasmalltable.ThestorythenmovestotheheadquartersfortheCongressofRacialEquality,wheredesks,papers,andvolunteersfillthesmallbutorganizedspace.Thereader’stheaterendsatGovernorPatterson’smansioninAlabama.Itisspaciousandeasilydemonstratesthegovernor’swealthandposition.

PrologueCharlotte: TheAfricanAmericansintheSouthhave

beentreatedunfairlyforalongtime.AfricanAmericanchildrencan’tgoto“white”schools.Theycan’teatin“white”restaurantsoruse“white”restrooms.WhitepeoplesometimesignorelawsthatprotectthecivilrightsofAfricanAmericans.MynameisCharlotteDevree,andI’mareporter.I’vebeenaskedtodosomethingdangerous.

James: I’mJamesFarmer,theleaderoftheCongressofRacialEquality,orCORE.ThetimehascometotakeastandandprotecttheAfricanAmericansintheSouth.IhaveaskedbravemenandwomenalloverAmericatojoinourcause.Thismaybeverydangerousforthem.IhavealsoaskedCharlottetojoinus.Ineedhertoseewhathappensandtoreportthetruth.

Charlotte: Weshouldstartatthebeginning.InJanuary1961,somethinghappenedtoayoungAfricanAmericanmannamedJohnLewis.HeisastudentatFiskUniversityinNashville,andwhathappenedduringhisvacationwasnotfair.Itwasnotlegal.Let’slistenasJohntellshisfriendwhathappened.

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Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around

Sympathy

I know what the caged bird feels, alas! When the sun is bright on the upland slopes; When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass, And the river flows like a stream of glass; When the first bird sings and the first bud opens, And the faint perfume from its chalice steals— I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing Till its blood is red on the cruel bars; For he must fly back to his perch and cling When he fain would be on the bough a-swing; And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting— I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, When he beats his bars and he would be free; It is not a carol of joy or glee, But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core, But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings— I know why the caged bird sings!

By Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Traditional

Chorus: Gonna let nobody (clap) turn me ’round, (clap, clap), Turn me ’round, (clap, clap), turn me ’round, Gonna let nobody (clap) turn me ’round, Gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’ Walkin’ on to Freedom Land.

Gonna keep on marchin’ (clap), ’til we’re free, (clap, clap), ’Til we’re free, (clap, clap), ’til we’re free! Gonna keep on marchin’ (clap), ’til we’re free, Gonna keep on walkin’, keep on talkin’ Walkin’ on to Freedom Land.

Chorus

This is an abridged version of the complete song.

Building Fluency through

Reader’s TheaterThe 20th Century

Grades 4–8

Teacher Created Materials, Inc.5301 Oceanus Drive

Huntington Beach, CA 92649 http://www.tcmpub.comISBN 978-1-4333-0534-4

© 2010 Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

The classroom teacher may reproduce copies of materials in this book for classroom use only. The reproduction of any part for an entire school or school system is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, or recorded in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Author

Harriet Isecke

EditorWendy Conklin, M.A.

Associate EditorTorrey Maloof

Editorial DirectorDona Herweck Rice

Editor-in-Chief Sharon Coan, M.S.Ed.

Editorial ManagerGisela Lee, M.A.

Creative DirectorLee Aucoin

Cover DesignerLesley Palmer

Cover ArtThe Library of Congress

Illustration Manager/DesignerTimothy J. Bradley

Print Production ManagerDon Tran

Print ProductionPhil Garcia

PublisherRachelle Cracchiolo, M.S.Ed

Harriet Isecke

Building Fluency through Reader’s TheaterCold WarCommunism on Trial

#11534 (i3268)—Building Fluency through Reader’s Theater © Teacher Created Materials

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Table of Contents

IntroductionForeword by Dr. Timothy Rasinski . . . . . . . . 3

The Connection Between Fluency and Reader’s Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Tips on Reader’s Theater by Aaron Shepard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Correlation to Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Standards Correlations Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

What’s Included in Each Lesson . . . . . . . . . 13

20th Century ScriptsChild Labor and the Industrial Revolution

Child Labor Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . 20–25

Child Labor Primary Sources . . . . . . . . . 26–31

Immigration: For a Better Life

Immigration Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . 32–37

Immigration Primary Sources . . . . . . . . . 38–43

Women’s Suffrage

Women’s Suffrage Lesson Plan . . . . . . . 44–49

Women’s Suffrage Primary Sources . . . . 50–55

World War I: In Flanders Fields

World War I Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . 56–61

World War I Primary Sources . . . . . . . . . 62–67

The Great Depression: A Migrant Mother’s Story

Great Depression Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . 68–73

Great Depression Primary Sources . . . . . 74–79

World War II: Battle of Normandy

World War II Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . 80–85

World War II Primary Sources . . . . . . . . 86–91

Civil Rights: Freedom Riders

Civil Rights Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . 92–97

Civil Rights Primary Sources . . . . . . . . 98–103

Cold War: Communism on Trial

Cold War Lesson Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104–109

Cold War Primary Sources . . . . . . . . . 110–115

AppendixHome-School Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Aaron Shepard’s Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Contents of the Performance CDs . . . . . . . 119

Contents of the Teacher Resource CD . . . . 122

Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

© Teacher Created Materials #11534 (i3268)—Building Fluency through Reader’s Theater

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Foreword

By Dr. Timothy Rasinski Kent State University

I am not ashamed to say that I am a reader’s theater nut! I really get pumped when I see kids perform scripts. I am equally excited to see the fire in teachers’ eyes when they begin to use reader’s theater with their students. Thus, it is no understatement to say that I am thrilled to see Teacher Created Materials publish this fine reader’s theater program. Let me explain why I am such an advocate for reader’s theater.

As someone who has studied reading fluency, I know that repeated reading is one of the best methods for developing students’ fluency in reading. However, it disturbs me greatly to see the manner in which students are often asked to engage in repeated reading. I see students do repeated reading with an aim at improving their reading speed—“Read this one more time to see if you increase your reading rate.” To me, this is not a terribly authentic way to engage in repeated readings. As a result of such a focus, I have seen many students develop the idea that repeated reading is done to make them faster readers and that reading fast is what reading is all about. Through such an approach, we run the risk of developing readers who sacrifice comprehension in order to read fast.

To do repeated reading appropriately, students need an authentic reason to repeatedly read or rehearse a text. I think the most natural reason to practice is performance. If you want students to engage in repeated readings, have them perform what they are practicing for an audience. With performance as a goal, students now have a natural reason to engage in repeated readings. Reader’s theater is a performance genre—it is a type of reading material meant to be performed. Moreover, because the focus of the practice is to convey a meaningful interpretation of the text to an audience, reader’s theater is also a natural vehicle for developing reading comprehension. I believe that reader’s theater is one of the best and most authentic ways to engage students enthusiastically in repeated reading to build reading fluency and improve overall reading performance.

My second reason for being a reader’s theater nut is easy to express—reader’s theater is fun! We all like to be a star at one time or another. Reader’s theater is a perfect vehicle for allowing students to become the star. I remember doing reader’s theater with the elementary and middle school students I taught. They could not get enough of it. They absolutely loved it. And, as their teacher, I loved it too. I loved to see students perform with their voices, watch their excitement, and enjoy their growth as successful readers.


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Foreword (cont.)

By Dr. Timothy Rasinski Kent State University

Moreover, through the opportunity to perform and see themselves as successful in reading, many of the struggling readers I worked with began to believe in themselves again. Many struggling readers give up on themselves as they are forced to plod through one unsuccessful reading experience after another. The enjoyment, success, and fulfillment that are part of reader’s theater can help to break this cycle of despair and failure in reading for so many students who find learning to read difficult.

Third, reader’s theater is a natural way to connect all areas of the school curriculum. Social studies, literature, science, art, and other curriculum areas can easily and effectively be explored through reader’s theater. The scripts that are part of this program, in particular, have been developed to make those connections. Students can become so engaged in the process of rehearsal and performance that they may not even be aware that they are learning important content that goes beyond the reading experience!

I know reader’s theater works. Nearly every teacher I have met who uses reader’s theater on a regular basis feels that it is one of the best and most engaging ways to grow readers, and to instill in them a sense of reading success as they learn important content. I hope you will give reader’s theater a try. I know you, too, will become a reader’s theater nut!

Timothy Rasinski, Ph.D.Professor of Education

Reading and Writing CenterKent State University

Kent, OH 44242


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Materials • Civil Rights: Freedom Riders scriptbooklets

• CivilRightsPrimarySources(pages98–103orTeacherResourceCD)

• copiesofTake-HomeScript(TeacherResourceCD)

• PerformanceCDandCDplayerorcomputerwithaCDdriveandspeakers

Introduce the LiteratureExplaintostudentsthatthewordcivilcomesfromtheLatinwordcivis,whichmeansrelatingtocitizens,andthatrightsarethelegalandmoralthingsthatpeopleareallowedtodo.AskstudentstonamegroupsofpeoplewhohadtofightfortheircivilrightsinAmerica:women,AfricanAmericans,etc.TellstudentsthattheywillbestudyingtheCivilRightsMovementthatcameaboutbecauseofdiscriminationagainstAfricanAmericans.ExplaintostudentsthattheCivilRightsMovementhadmanyheroesandheroines,whowerewillingtomakegreatpersonalsacrificestostandupforwhattheybelieved.Asaclass,developalistofthepersonalitycharacteristicsofaheroorheroine.Tellstudentsthatastheyreadthescript,theyshouldthinkaboutwhichcharactersdisplaythesecharacteristics.

Differentiation SupportShowEnglish language learnersandbelow-grade-level students photographsandillustrationsfromtheCivilRightsMovement(e.g.,protests,marches,sit-ins,FreedomRiders,schoolintegration)andhavethemwritefactcards

aboutthepictures.Theywilladdthesecardstoaclasstimeline.Haveon-grade-levelandabove-grade-levelstudents researchthemajoreventsfromtheCivilRightsMovementandmakeaclasstimelineoftheevents.

Involving All StudentsWhilethisscripthasonlysixroles,therearewaystoinvolveallstudents.Forthisscript,havesomestudentscreateposterspromotingcivilrightsforallandhaveotherstudentscreatebackdropscenesforthescript.Thebackdropsmayincludebuses,restrooms,drinkingfountains,andsigns.

Civil Rights: Freedom RidersCivil Rights Movement Lesson Plan

Objectives• Fluency: Studentswill

determinethemeaningoftextthroughtextanalysisandrepeatedreadings.

• Content Area:StudentswilllearnabouttheCivilRightsMovementintheSouth.

SummaryInCivil Rights: Freedom Riders, twoAfricanAmericanstudentsdecidetojointheFreedomRidersorganizedbytheCongressofRacialEquality(CORE).AfricanAmericanandCaucasianCOREvolunteerssittogetherastheyrideonbusesintheSouthtoprotesttheJimCrowlawsthatdenyAfricanAmericansthesamerightsaswhitepeople.WhentheFreedomRidersarebeatenbyangrymobsinthestreets,thegovernorandtheattorneygeneralareforcedtogetinvolved.


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Reading the Script 1. Tellstudentstoclosetheireyesasyoureadthefollowing:“I

was forced to sit in the back of the bus. Then more people got on the bus, and I had to stand for hours because a white man wanted my seat. […] I wasn’t allowed to use the ‘white’ bathroom when the bus stopped, and the ‘colored’ bathroom was filthy. It had no paper or soap, and the toilet was broken. It smelled awful. […] I was starving, too, but they wouldn’t let me buy any food. I felt dizzy and sick and began to argue, but they refused to serve me.”Askstudentstodescribewhattheyvisualizedasyoureadthesentencestothem.Askthemwhattheythinkishappeningtothisperson.TellstudentsthattheywillbereadingascriptthatdealswithdiscriminationagainstAfricanAmericansandthepeoplewhoprotestedagainstitduringtheCivilRightsMovementinthe1960s.Asaclass,developalistoftherightsthatU.S.citizenshave.

2. Provideeachstudentwithacopyofthescript.Smallgroupsmayusethescriptbooklets,oryoucanprintcopiesoftheTake-HomeScript.Playtheprofessionalrecordingasstudentsfollowalong.Asyouplaytherecording,askstudentstopayattentiontohowthereadersconveythethoughtsandfeelingsofthecharactersthroughtheirtonesandexpressions.Discusswhatthestudentsnoticed.

3. Havestudentsreadthescriptwithpartners.HavethemwriteafactsheetofinformationabouttheCivilRightsMovement.Discussthisasawholeclassanddevelopaclasslist.

4. Discusstheemotionsofthedifferentcharactersandaskstudentswhytheythinkthatthecharactersfeltthewaytheydid.Then,usethePowerPoint®editionofthescripttoconductawholeclassreading.Modelthemostdramaticwaytoreadsomeofthepartsandcallondifferentstudentstoreadotherpartswiththeappropriatetone,phrasing,andexpression.

5. Afterreadingthescriptasaclass,havestudentslookattheglossaryintheback.Reviewthewords.Havestudentsworkinpairstodooneofthefollowingtwotaskswiththeglossary.

• Createacrosswordpuzzleusingtheglossarywords.TellstudentsthatundertheDown andAcrosscolumns,theyaretowritethedefinitionsintheirownwords.Havepairsexchangepaperswithotherpairstocompletethepuzzles.

• Createawordfindwiththewordsfromtheglossary.Havethepairsexchangepaperswithotherpairstocompletewordfinds.

Civil Rights: Freedom RidersCivil Rights Lesson Plan

Differentiation SupportReviewallofthevocabularywithEnglish language learners and below-grade-level students to

makesuretheyunderstandwhatthewordsmeanandwhattheyaresupposedtodo.Providethemwithawordbankandsomeillustrations,ifnecessary.Differentiatethecrosswordpuzzlebyprovidingsomeoftheanswersonthecrossword.Inaddition,useiconsorsmallpicturestohelpwiththevocabularyonthisactivity.

Asyouron-grade-level students andabove-grade-level studentspractice,havethemfocusonusingmorevoiceinflectionandemotionastheyspeaktheparts.Itishelpfuliftheyuseanaudiorecordingtolistentohowtheyspeaksotheycanworkonimprovingtheirspeakingabilities.Letthesestudentscreatepodcastswiththeirrecordingsthatcanbeenjoyedbyyourschool.


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Assigning RolesTherolesofthecharactersarewrittenonthreedifferentproficiencylevels.Assignrolestostudentsbasedontheirreadingproficiency.Rememberthatwhenstudentspracticefluency,theyshouldreadmaterialsatorbelowtheir

readinglevels.Thishelpsthemtofocusontheirprosody(accuracy,expression,andreadingrate).Ifastudentisreadingtextthatistoodifficult,hisorherattentionwillbefocusedondecodingwordsratherthanreadingwithfluency.

Theseareapproximatereadinglevelsfortherolesinthisscript:

❖CharlotteDevree:high3rdgrade

❖GovernorPatterson:low4thgrade

❖RobertKennedy:high4thgrade

❖JohnLewis:high3rdgrade

❖GenevieveHughes:low4thgrade

❖JamesFarmer:high4thgrade

Meeting the Fluency Objective 1. Thefluencyobjectiveforthisscriptfocusesonrepeatedreadingsandtextanalysistoincrease

understanding.Theobjectivealsoconcentratesonunderstandinghowpunctuationcanindicatecorrectexpressionduringoralreading.

2. Writethefollowinglinesfromthescriptontheboardwithoutpunctuationmarks:This is outrageous! How long should people wait before they are treated fairly? Don’t you think everyone has been patient long enough?

3. Askvolunteerstoreadthelinesontheboard.Askstudentswhyitisdifficulttodoso,andwhatthepurposeofpunctuationis.

4. Explaintostudentsthatwhentheyreadscriptsaloud,itisthroughtheirvocalexpressionthattheaudienceknowswhattheyarefeeling.Tellthemtopayspecialattentiontopunctuationbecauseitgivesthereaderdirectionastowhentopauseorstopandwhattoemphasize.Asaclass,determinewheretheexclamationmarks,questionmarks,andcommasshouldbeplacedintheabovepassageandwritethemwithadifferentcolorchalkorcircletheminthetext.Havestudentsrereadthelinesusingthecorrectexpression.

5. Havestudentsworkinoneofsixgroupstoexaminethelinesofoneofthecharacters,payingspecialattentiontothepunctuation.Havethemeachchooseonepartforthatcharactertoreadaloud.Tellgroupmemberstohelponeanotherpreparebyreadingthetext,discussingthemeaningofthetext,andunderstandingthepunctuation.Aftereveryoneisready,haveeachstudentreadhisorherparttotheclass.



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Social Studies ConnectionThefocusofthisscriptisonunderstandingthediscriminationAfricanAmericansfacedintheUnitedStates,theeventsthatled

uptotheCivilRightsMovement,andthechangesthatweremadeinthelaw.

1. Giveeachstudenteitherablueoragreencard.Giveoutmorebluecardsthangreencards.Havestudentswithgreencardssitinthefrontoftheroomandstudentswithbluecardssitinthebackoftheroom.Tellstudentsthatfromnowon,theywillasaclassonissuessuchaswhentohavetests,quizzes,andclassparties.However,onlythevotesofstudentswithgreencardswillcount.Then,groupstudentsbycardcolorandhavethemwritehowtheyfeelaboutthenewpoliciesandwhy.RelatethisexperiencetohowAfricanAmericansweretreatedpriortotheCivilRightsMovement.

2. HavestudentsworkingroupstoexaminethephotographoftheFreedomRidersinthebackofthepolicevan(page98).HavegroupswriteandactoutskitsshowingwhathappenedfromthetimetheFreedomRiderswereattackedbythemobtowhenthepolicearrestedthemandbroughtthemtothestation.

3. Dividetheclassintotwogroups.EachgroupwillcreateadefensecaseforRosaParks.ThegroupswillneedtoexaminethephotographsofthreedocumentspertainingtothearrestofRosaParks(pages99–101).Afterexaminingtheevidence,havetheteamsconstructargumentstofreeher.Haveeachgroupactoutthetrialwiththeteacherservingasthejudge.Discussasaclasswhichgrouphadthebetterdefense.

4. DividetheclassintoteamstoexaminetheAugust28,1963,MarchonWashingtonprogram(page102).Haveeachteamcompletearesearchreportaboutoneofthespeakerstofindoutwhothepersonwas,whatthatpersondidtohelptheCivilRightsMovement,andwhatremarksthatpersonmadeatthemarch.

5. Examinethephotographoftheprotestmarchers(page103).AskstudentstomakeT-chartsthatincludetherightsthatallpeopleshouldhaveandwayspeoplecanpeacefullyprotestiftheserightsaredenied.

6. Havestudentswriteanessayentitled“SomethingWorthFightingFor.” Explainthat“fighting”meanstotakeastandforsomethingthatisimportant.Theyneedtoexplainwhatisworthfightingforandwhy,andhowtheywoulddoit.

Differentiation Support Createsomeleveledquestionsbasedontheprimarysourcesforyourstudentstoanswer.

First,thinkofwhatyouron-grade-level students cananswer.Then,increasethecomplexityofthequestionforyourabove-grade-level students.Ratherthanaskingstudentstodomorework,maketheirvocabularywordsmorecomplex.

Then,providenecessarysupportsothatyourbelow-grade-level studentscananswerthequestions.Thismightbegivingthemanadditionalpieceofinformationontheprimarysource,providingafewsampleanswersforthem,ordefiningvocabularywordsforthem.

ForyourEnglish language learners,includeimagesandallowthemtotellyoutheiranswersinsteadofwritingthem.Ifpossible,meetwiththeminsmallgroupstohelpguidethemthroughthequestions.



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Fine Arts Connection 1. ExplaintostudentsthatthescriptCivil Rights: Freedom Riders contains

thepoem “Sympathy”andthesong“GonnaLetNobodyTurnMeAround.”Thesongandpoemrelatetothereader’stheater,butarenotlimitedtouseonlywiththisscript.

2. Distributecopiesofthepoemorshowthetransparencyofthepoemonanoverheadprojector.Readthepoemtotheclass.Askstudentstocomparetheplightofthe“cagedbird”inthepoemtotheexperienceoftheAfricanAmericansinthescript.Askstudentstocomparethebird’ssongtotheprotestsoftheFreedomRidersandothercivilrightsactivistsandtoshowthiscomparisonincreativeways,suchasmakingcollages,poems,illustrations,drawings,orpaintings.

3. Next,havestudentslistentotheprofessionalperformanceofthepoem.Askthestudentstoanalyzetheexpressionoftheperformers.Havestudentspracticereadingitinsmallgroups,andthenreaditasaclass.

4. Playtheprofessionalrecordingofthesong“GonnaLetNobodyTurnMeAround” forstudentsandaskstudentstosingitwiththeclappingmotions.Then,havestudentsmeetingroupstoaddhandandbodymovementsthatrelatetotheversesalreadywrittenoraddadditionalversesthatrelatetotheCivilRightsMovement.

5. Havestudentsworkindividuallyoringroupstocreatenewcivilrightsposters.


Differentiation SupportAskEnglish language learnerstofindoutaboutthecivilrightsintheircountriesoforiginandtotalkaboutitwiththeclass.Havelistsofwordsavailableforthemtouseastheywrite.

Haveyourbelow-grade-level studentsactoutsituationsthatshowcivilrightsproblemsfromthepastortoday.Otherstudentscanprovideoralorwritten

commentaryontheiractions.

Haveon-grade-level studentsandabove-grade-level studentsresearchcivilrightsproblemsintheUnitedStatesandinothercountriestodayandtelltheclasswhattheyfound.


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Performance CD

Description Track

Characters, Setting, Script Reading, pages 6–12 Volume III, Track 01

Poem: “Sympathy” Volume III, Track 02

Script Reading (cont.), pages 13–29 Volume III, Track 03

Song: “Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” Volume III, Track 04

Teacher Resource CD—Primary Sources

Page Description Filename

98 Freedom Riders in the Back of a Police Van riders.jpg

99 Bus Diagram bus.jpg

100 Fingerprints of Rosa Parks fingerprints.jpg

101 Arrest Record for Rosa Parks arrest.jpg

102 March on Washington Program program.jpg

103 March on Washington march.jpg

Teacher Resource CD—Materials

Description Filename

Take-Home Script: Civil Rights: Freedom Riders THS_rights.pdf

PowerPoint: Civil Rights: Freedom Riders PP_rights.ppt

Song: “Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around” song_rights.pdf

Poem: “Sympathy” poem_rights.pdf


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Civil Rights: Freedom RidersCivil Rights Primary Sources

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Freedom Riders in the Back of a Police Van


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Civil Rights: Freedom RidersCivil Rights Primary Sources

Source:TheNationalArchives

Bus Diagram

Documents

Civil Rights: Prologue - Teacher Created Materials · 2009. 11. 20. · struggling readers give up on themselves as they are forced to plod through one unsuccessful reading experience