The Civil Rights Era

Day-by-day calendar

1. Day 1

   Launch the unit

   TimelineWalk the era timeline; students note three turning points.

   MapLocate the places in this unit on the source map.

   QuestionPost the unit question: How did Americans change laws on segregation and voting, and which strategies worked? Students write a first-guess answer to revisit on Day 10.

2. Day 2

   Investigate: How did the law on segregated schools change, and why?

   Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 7 sources with the graphic organizers.

   Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.

3. Day 3

   Lesson: Historian’s Lab: Station Rotation

   Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).

   Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).

4. Day 4

   Investigate: Nonviolence or Black Power: which approach did more to advance civil rights?

   Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 8 sources with the graphic organizers.

   Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.

5. Day 5

   Lesson: Socratic Seminar

   Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).

   Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).

6. Day 6

   Investigate: What rights do students have at school?

   Source setWork through the suggested sequence of 5 sources with the graphic organizers.

   Leveled readingsUse grade 4, 7, or 10 versions of key passages next to the original wording for readers who need support.

7. Day 7

   Lesson: Moot Court: You Be the Justices

   Teach itRun the lesson kit (copy the Slides and Lesson Plan from the set page).

   Quick checkClose with the 5-question Quick check (copy the student Doc; answer key included).

8. Day 8

   Corroborate across sets

   OrganizersPairs choose one source from each set and complete the Sourcing, Contextualization, Corroboration organizer: where do the sources agree, and where do they differ?

9. Day 9

   DBQ workshop

   DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “How did the law on segregated schools change, and why?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.

   DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “Nonviolence or Black Power: which approach did more to advance civil rights?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.

   DBQ builderBuild a DBQ packet from “What rights do students have at school?”: pick 5 to 7 sources and print.

   WorkshopStudents annotate the documents and outline an answer.

10. Day 10

    Final writing task

    Writing taskWrite an argument: Which did more to end legal segregation: court decisions, federal laws and leaders, or citizen action? Use at least five sources from at least two sets, and answer a counterargument.