Module 3: Civil Rights Heroes
Our Ruby taught us all a lot.
She became someone who helped change our country.
She was part of history,
just like the generals and presidents are part of history.
They’re leaders, and so was Ruby.
She led us away from hate, and she led us nearer to
knowing each other,
the white folks and the black folks.
–Ruby’s Mother, Epigraph, The Story of Ruby Bridges
Module 3 compels students to closely examine the impact of three key Civil Rights heroes: Martin Luther King Jr., Ruby Bridges, and Sylvia Mendez. How did these figures respond to the injustices they faced? What can we learn from their actions? A series of narrative nonfiction texts and historical photographs serve as students’ insight to the past. By examining the impact of these three individuals on the country, and more particularly in public schools, students build deep knowledge of what it means to live out the nation’s creed of “liberty and justice for all.”
The module begins by introducing students to Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to attend a White elementary school in Louisiana. Both the accessibility of the text and the fact that Ruby herself is a Grade 1 student help invite students into this moment in history. Students then zoom out to study two texts about Martin Luther King Jr. Francis E. Ruffin's informative text, Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington, sets the historical stage for a close reading of excerpts from King's famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Students encounter "I Have a Dream" as a Read Aloud text, presented alongside stunning paintings by Kadir Nelson, which brings this complex text to life. Students examine the power that words have to inspire change and the power of the individual to unite others in the fight against injustice.
Equipped with historical knowledge about the Civil Rights movement, students return to the story of Ruby Bridges with a deeper sense of the significance of her actions. Students experience the same historical moment in two texts: a narrative autobiography written by Bridges herself and an informational text structured like a narrative by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert Coles. Using the photographs and illustrations in each respective text, students examine the moment when Ruby Bridges walks into William Frantz Elementary School for the first time. Using the first-person of the autobiography and the third-person of the narrative nonfiction text, students consider Ruby Bridges's point of view, analyzing her thoughts, feelings, and actions, as well as Coles's narrative style of communicating the same information.
Students then turn their attention to Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, the story of Sylvia Mendez and her family’s fight to end school segregation in California in the 1940s. This text offers insight into the power of laws in effecting systemic change. Students develop a more nuanced understanding of point of view, look closely at the illustrations, and develop their narrative writing skills to include a sense of closure.
The focus for students' writing in this module is narrative. Students consider the value of their own education as they read about Martin Luther King's pursuit of civil rights for Black Americans and about how Ruby Bridges and Sylvia Mendez sought to have the same rights to attend school as White childrens. Through a series of autobiographical writing tasks, students experiment with narrative writing that details their own thoughts, feelings, and actions in school and during times they have learned important lessons. Through this narrative writing, students deepen their appreciation for the value of education and deepen their understanding of why Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, and Sylvia Mendez fought so hard for equal access to public schools.
The End-of-Module (EOM) Task invites students to use what they have learned about narrative writing and the value of education to craft an original narrative. Students return to their Knowledge Journals to identify a moment in this module when they learned an unforgettable lesson. Students add detail to the moment by describing their thoughts, feelings, and actions as they came to a powerful understanding.
The module culminates in a Socratic Seminar in which students have the chance to make connections among the Civil Rights heroes they have studied. Students explore the importance of responding to injustice and come to recognize the impact an individual can have in helping make the world a better place for us all.