6th Grade Lessons and Materials
Topic: Poetry and Music
Learning Activities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Teacher will review genres of writing: poetry, songs, fiction prose and nonfiction prose
Student will participate in class reading/discussion of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
Students will listen to the poem “Ballad of Birmingham”, and the song “Birmingham Sunday” noting words that create sensory impressions
Student will read two newspaper articles with differing slants about the bombing, noting the use of language and how it differs from modern language
Divide students into two groups, one which will compare the song and poem and one which will compare the newspaper articles
Topic: Journaling with Oral Histories #1
Learning Activities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Teacher will introduce the concept of journaling in which someone writes down his or her life experiences, thoughts or emotions, usually with no plans for sharing
Teacher will discuss the concept of empathy and using our own experiences to relate to other’s struggles
Teacher will discuss how the expression of the journaled experience might differ from one that is published
Students will choose one or two events from Marian Caudle’s oral interview to write a one page (two paragraph) journal entry, focusing on the feelings and thought she may have been having that she didn’t necessarily share in the interview
Student will create an illustration for the journal entry
Topic: Protest Songs
Learning Activities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Students will choose a song from the suggested list, look up the lyrics and write a response
Students’ response will include the following information: (Title; Lyrics; Artist’s name (if more than one, choose one or list them all); and, Is the song tied to a specific event? Name it.)
Student will create an illustration of a line or a stanza of the song.
Students will write a 2-3 sentence personal response that includes whether s/he had
ever heard the song, what it makes them feel and how it compares to songs used in present day protests.
Topic: Timelines
Learning Activities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Teacher will introduce how to create a timeline (choose period, create a vertical or horizontal line with the time periods equidistant apart)
Students will choose five to seven events from the suggested list of events and research the event, making special note of the date.
Students will put the events in the correct order and placement on their timeline.
Student will create an illustration for three of the events they have listed.
Students will write a 2-3 sentence summary of their chosen events.
Topic: Journaling with Oral Histories #2
Learning Actitivities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Teacher will introduce the concept of journaling in which someone writes down his or her life experiences, thoughts or emotions, usually with no plans for sharing
Teacher will discuss the concept of empathy and using our own experiences to relate to other’s struggles
Teacher will discuss how the expression of the journaled experience might differ from one that is published
Students will choose one or two events from Marian Caudle’s oral interview to write a one page (two paragraph) journal entry, focusing on the feelings and thought she may have been having that she didn’t necessarily share in the interview
Student will create an illustration for the journal entry
Topic: Protest Then and Now
Learning Actitivities:
Teacher will introduce time period of major civil rights events in the Unites States and in North Alabama.
Teacher will introduce the concept of protest and how it has been used historically to drive change
Students will engage in discussion about the controversial nature of protest (those that decry change often feel any type of protest is a problem)
Students will choose one modern and one historical protest and prepare an oral presentation giving background and analysis as follows: (Date or duration of protest; Immediate cause of protest; Historical cause of protest; Main players for change; Inclusion of allies; Description of protest and aftermath; Outcomes/results of protest; and, Provide music, videos, or pictures of protest)