introduction

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, we will be studying the Little Rock Nine, the first group of black students allowed to attend an all-white high school in Little Rock, AK, during the 1950’s.  This unit was designed for an eighth grade English class, but it could also be incorporated into social studies and/or reading classes. It emphasizes tolerance and acceptance.  

“Separate Is Never Equal.”

Fifty to one hundred years ago, if you were black and lived in the South, you might have walked three or four miles to school in 100-degree heat.  If you stopped to drink from a “whites only” water fountain, you might have been arrested.  For you using that fountain was against the law.  If on that long walk home from school, you were struck by a car near a “whites only” hospital, you could not seek help there.  That too was against the law.  The law stated that black and white facilities could be separate as long as they were equal.  This became justification for excluding blacks from better white facilities.  

This concept of “separate but equal” applied to schools as well.  It didn’t take long, however, to determine that schools were not equal – and groups began to push for integration.  Two opposing sides formed.  Those who demanded school integration were poised to march forward.  Those bitterly opposed were ready to block them in the streets.  Caught in the middle were nine black teenagers – nine frightened but hopeful warriors.  Would they survive the clash?  What can we learn from them? 

Tasks

After reading aloud, “Warriors Don’t Cry,” a biography by Melba Patillo Beals and viewing The Ernest Green Story, a movie based on the life of the only graduating senior of the Little Rock Nine, students will complete a variety of tasks to portray their understanding of the time period and its effect on today’s educational system and society.   They will use various resources, including magazine articles, software, and the internet, to support this unit.  The grade given for this unit will be based on class participation, discussion, and each task completed. 

1. Understanding the Times - Each student will use the attached list of resources to answer a series of background questions pertaining to the explosive atmosphere of the 1950’s.  He/she will keep the information found in a running journal.  He/she will refer to this background information periodically throughout this unit.  Some of the questions are thought provoking and help to relate what happened in Little Rock to discrimination that still occurs today.
2. Integration Hall of Fame - Each student will use the attached list of resources to create profiles of inductees into a new hall of fame.  The list should contain at least three inductees, and each profile should include a picture of that inductee.
3. Change the World – Each student will explain in detail a change or improvement he/she would like to make in today’s society. 
4. Self Reflection Essay – Given a list of quotes used throughout the unit, each student will write a one to two page essay that will show how that quote relates to his/her own life as well as society today.  This will validate the lessons of the past and relate them to the present and future.

The Process

Assignment 1:  Understanding the Times

To understand the struggle of the Little Rock Nine, a short history lesson is needed.  Using the attached resources and the information you learned by reading “Warriors Don’t Cry” and watching The Ernest Green Story, answer the following questions.  Answers should be written in complete sentences and should be kept in your notebook until the end of this unit.

1. Define the term integration.

2. What is the NAACP?

3. Who were /are the Ku Klux Klan?

4. Who was Thurgood Marshall during the movie, and what important position did he hold before his death?

5. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr., and what influences did he have on Ernest Green and the other black students?

6. What is one example in which Ernest Green used “creative non-violence”?

7. Why didn’t the black students retaliate against their attackers?

8. What caused the white students to be so cruel and intolerant?

9. Describe some of the instances in which the black students were mistreated by their classmates?

10. What did Ernest Green, Melba Patillo, and the others give up to go to Central High School?  What did they gain?

11. Why were some of the black adults so fearful of the students attending an all white school?

12. During the making of The Ernest Green Story, why did counselors have to be brought to the set?

13. Compare your first day of eighth grade to Melba Patillo’s first day at Central High School.

14. How did it make you feel to see and hear ministers, teachers, and police treat the black students so badly?  After all, aren’t these professionals supposed to be known for their fairness?

15. What are ways that students your age face discrimination?

16. Do you feel that discrimination occurs in Sturgis?  In Williams Middle School?  Explain.

  17.   Have you ever been the victim of discrimination?  Explain.

Assignment 2:  Integration Hall of Fame

 Assume that you are on the staff of a new museum devoted to the de-segregation of schools movement.  Your task is to develop a list of people whose contributions to the movement have earned them a place in this new hall of fame.  Each description should be three to four paragraphs in length.  A bibliography of sources used in your research should be included.  Your list should contain at least three inductees.  You may choose from the following list or add others.

Possible inductees: Daisy Bates, Thurgood Marshall, Ernest Green, Melba Patillo, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrance Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr.

Assignment 3:  Change the World

The Little Rock Nine were part of an important change in America.  If you could change one thing in this country, what would it be?  Why?  Write a one to two page explanation of something in our society that you would like to see improved.  Then, imagine that you must put this change into effect.  Describe some of the possible hardships of making this change.  Is it worth your personal sacrifice?  Why or why not?

Assignment 4:  Self Reflection Essay

After brainstorming the following quotes, write a reaction paper using examples from the movie watched, in-class articles read, and your own research.  Your essay should be one to two pages in length.  Briefly define the general meaning of the quote, how it applies to society today, and relate it to your own personal experiences.  

• “All babies are the same until they are taught.”
• “If the clothes were acceptable then the person would be, too.”
• “Embarrassment is not a life-threatening problem.  It can be washed away with a prayer and a smile.”
• "Dignity is a state of mind, just like freedom.  These are both precious gifts from God that no one can take away unless you allow them to.”

Student Resources

Brown v Board of Education:

http://www.digisys.net/users/hootie/brown/

Central High – 40 Years Later:

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/1997/09/24/us/us.1.html

Central High School’s Newspaper – The Tiger:

www.centralhigh57.org/the_tiger.htm

Little Rock Remembered:

http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/blackhis/ltrock/active.htm

Melba Patillo’s Story:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/barrier/hwyf/mpbstory/chapter1.htm

Thurgood Marshall:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/aopart9.html

Photo Slide Show:

http://littlerock.about.com/library/bls/blslideshow.htm

Supreme Court Rules on Desegregation:

http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/3/82.03.06.x.html

They Just Wanted an Education:

http://louisianahistory.ourfamily.com/arkansas/littlerock9.html

Where Are They Now:

www.maxwell.syr.edu/maxpages/classes/max123/Littlerock4.html

Who Is Daisy Bates?

http://ut.essortment.com/whoisdaisybat_ogp.htm

Other Background Information Sites:

http://littlerock.about.com/library/weekly/aa020200a.htm

http://www.murdoch-web.org/Media_Resources/civil_rights.htm

Teacher Resources

Related WebQuest Ideas:

http://www.milton.k12.vt.us/WebQuests/GFurlong/civil_rights_webquest.htm

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/little_rock/

http://www.fsu.edu/~CandI/ENGLISH/fsuwebquest3/warriors.htm

 Warriors Don’t Cry – Excerpts and The Ernest Green Story – Video Information:

Evaluation

The students will be evaluated using the following rubric.  

Unit Rubric

Content Standards

This unit meets the following eighth grade writing standards for South Dakota.

 The student will:

      1.  choose appropriate vocabulary to clarify and enhance ideas.

2.  apply rules of grammar in written communication.

      6.  organize text to support a specific focus, point of view, and/or purpose.

11. use a variety of techniques to generate, draft, revise, edit, and publish texts.

12. use personal experience to define and add meaning to written work.

15. write to transfer information from one context to another.

18. use available technology to publish and receive feedback about written work.

20. use available tools and technology in the editing process.

21. edit final copies for correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

22. revise manuscripts for accuracy and effectiveness.

This unit meets the following national eighth grade technology standards.

Each student will:

1.  apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur during everyday use.

3.  exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss consequences of misuse.

6.  design, develop, publish, and present products using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom.

8.  select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.

All South Dakota communication/language arts and technology content standards are available on-line at: http://www.state.sd.us/index-NE4.htm

Conclusion

Sometimes events that happened a lifetime or two ago still affect day-to-day life.  When nine students wanted to get a better education by going to Little Rock’s Central High School, many people wanted to stop them.  Their struggle changed America forever.  Do we see reflections of them in ourselves?  How about those who opposed them?  What can be learned?  Hopefully, learning from the past will prepare us for a better future.