Lesson Plans & Classroom Activities

Civil Rights Technology Lesson

This technology lesson is a concluding study of the Civil Rights Movement. It allows students research for themselves Alabama’s role in the movement while also utilizing different forms of technology.

1. As a warm up and review activity, use http://www.wmich.edu/politics/mlk/ and ask the class as a whole, or individually, to identify the events and significance of each point on the timeline provided at the website.
   
   
2. Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one of the following cities: Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, or Selma. Instruct students to visit the following sites which contain background information and primary source documents. Each group must prepare a presentation about their city's role in the Civil Rights Movement. If Internet access is limited, the information at each site may be printed ahead of time and distributed to students in hard copy form.

Montgomery Information

http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al7.htm

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc1.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc2.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc7.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson1/doc6.html

Tuscaloosa Information

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/history/brinkley/3651/photos/sixties/wallace_george.htm

http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/inauguralspeech.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/schooldoor.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/wallace/filmmore/reference/interview/chestnut05.html

Birmingham Information

http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/black_history/travel/birmingham/index.html

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20010507monday.html

http://www.africana.com/research/encarta/16thstbap.asp

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al11.htm

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson3/doc1.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson3/doc4.html

http://www.4littlegirls.com/97news.htm

http://www.useekufind.com/peace/blantongetslife.htm

Selma Information

http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/weekly/aa100100a.htm

http://www.selmashowcase.com/civilrights.htm

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson4/doc1.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson4/doc2.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson4/doc3.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson4/doc4.html

http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights/lesson4/doc5.html

3. Have each group present the findings of their research and discuss as a class the impact of each city on the Civil Rights Movement as whole.
   
   
4. Show the following presentation to the class, and have students individually write a reflection concerning their impressions and feelings about the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama.  Click for the Presentation.
   
   The following are quotes taken from seniors in Tuscaloosa, Alabama who viewed the above presentation.
   
   Student Quotes
   “It’s hard to believe that those h orrible things actually took place in Alabama and even in Tuscaloosa. After seeing pictures of the violence it makes it very real.”
   
   “It makes me proud and also sad to be from Alabama. On one hand, the oppression and violence in this state was shameful, but on the other hand, it was the people of Alabama who helped to bring about civil rights.”
   
   “It seems like the beliefs that the members of the Civil Rights Movement were fighting for are still issues that we fight about today.”
   
   “After being accepted as an African American student to the University of Alabama for next fall, it was hard to see pictures of George Wallace blocking the school house door. The pictures made me grateful to the students who were willing to fight segregation.”
   
   
5. As a follow up activity students working in groups can create their own PowerPoint presentations about the role of Alabama in the Civil Rights Movement.