The Supreme changes its mind-

says "No", to Jim Crow.

Introduction:

Using Irene Taylor's book, Roll of Thunder, as a spring board, this unit will begin by exploring the experience of living in a world in which Jim Crow rules. It is our goal that this will allow the student to realize that legal issues are human issues. From the beginning, the book will serve as a bridge between the study of Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The role played by significant individual leaders in the march to equal protection before the law will be another component of the unit.

The issue of racism continues to plague our country. An aim of this multidisciplinary unit is to provide students with the skills and knowledge to study this aspect of our history in a way that gives them insight into and appreciation of the cause and consequences of unequal treatment before the law. One outcome of this unit is that the students will learn that legal issues are human issues.

Language Arts

Standards:

1. The student will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.

2. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literacy response and expression.

3. Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.

4. Students will read, write, listen , and speak for social interaction.

Tasks

1. Students will read the book Roll of Thunder.

In small groups they will complete a graphic organizer on one of the characters.

Inspiration template used.

2. In the same small group, students will research one of the four designated Civil Rights

leaders:

W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington

Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr.

The same graphic organizer used with the literary characters and an additional one will be used to organize information on each leader.

3. The information for the graphic organizers will be used to:

Write a compare/contrast essay on either pair of leaders

Individual assignment

Assessment using the Grade 8 Language Arts Program Rubric.

Create a slide show comparing and contrasting either pair of leaders

Small Group: Assessment using the Evaluating Student Presentations Rubric.

Students will use analysis skills to prepare to participate in a small group discussion

on the following:

1. Knowing what you know of the main characters in Roll of Thunder, decide

which of the 4 Civil Rights Leaders would appeal to each.

Explain the reasons for your decisions.

2. Having read Roll of Thunder and studied Plessy v. Ferguson, identify the

affects of the decision reflected in the book.

Social Studies

Standards:

1. Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas,

eras, developments, and Turing points in the history of the United States and New York.

5. The students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understand of the necessity

for establishing government; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

Technology

Standards:

2. Students will access, generate, process and transfer information using appropriate technologies.

Tasks

Students will

Use texts and other library sources to review background on the Constitution and the

Three-Fifths Compromise.

Use TIPS Resources:

Introductory lessons from TIPS Student Manual

Dred Scott - To introduce site and to provide background for the unit

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/Lessons/Epr/epr2.html

Equal Protection - Introduction and background on Equal Protection

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/Lessons/Epr/epr1.html

Plessy v. Ferguson

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/Lessons/Epr/epr3.html Crit.

Lesson 3 How did Plessy affect South?

Students will use incidents in the book to answer

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessy.html-opening page Plessy

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessyvis.html-visual

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessyiss.html-facts of the case

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessyargo.html-arguments

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessyreas.html-reasoning

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/plessydec.html-decision

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/instruct2.html-instructions

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/instruct2.html#iss-forming the

issue question

Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/brown.html-opening page

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/brownfacts.html-facts of the case

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/brownvis.html-visual

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/browniss.html-analysis of facts

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/brownreas.html-reasoning

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/browndec.html-reasoning

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/instruct2.html-instructions

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/welcome.html -- Ask a legal eagle

Additional Resources: The Encyclopaedia Britannica Guide to Black History

black history.eb.com/index2.html

Presentation Rubric – Evaluating Student Presentations

Total

Organization

Audience cannot understand presentation because there is no sequence of information.

Audience has difficulty following presentation because student jumps around..

Student presents information in logical sequence which audience can follow.

Student presents information in logical, interesting sequence which audience can follow.

Subject Knowledge

Student does not have grasp of information; student cannot answer questions about subject.

Student is uncomfortable with information and is able to answer only rudimentary questions.

Student is at ease, with expected answers to all questions, but fails to elaborate.

Student demonstrates full knowledge (more than required) by answering all questions with explanations and elaboration.

Graphics

Student uses superfluous graphics or no graphics.

Student occasionally uses graphics that rarely support text and presentation.

Student’s graphics relate to text and presentation.

Student’s graphics explain and reinforce screen text and presentation.

Mechanics

Students presentation has four or more spelling errors and/or grammatical errors.

Presentation has three misspellings and/or grammatical errors.

Presentation has no more than two misspellings and/or grammatical errors.

Presentation has no misspellings and/or grammatical errors.

Eye Contact

Student reads all of report with no eye contact.

Student occasionally uses eye contact, but still reads most of report.

Student maintains eye contact most of the time but frequently returns to notes.

Student maintains eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes.

Elocution

Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for student in the back of class to hear.

Students voice is low. Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.

Student’s voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly. Most audience members can hear presentation.

Student uses a clear voice and correct precise pronunciation of terms so that all audience can hear presentation.

Total Points

Developed by Information Technology Evaluation Services,

NC Department of Public Instruction