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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This biographical passage shares information about the famous African American named Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Front of the Bus

For Teachers 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An interview with Roland Crevecoeur about his experiences during segregation. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Smile!

For Students 2nd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Ruby Bridges, the first African American to attend a Southern, all-white elementary school. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: School Colors

For Teachers 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about desegregation and the experiences of the Little Rock Nine. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Walking Tall

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about Ruby Bridges and her experience as the first African American to attend an all-white elementary school. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Walking Tall

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage shares the story of Ruby Bridges' rol. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary acquisition are also included. Questions and a...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Famous African Americans Thurgood Marshall

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This mini-biographical pieces shares information about Thurgood Marshall. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: A Tale of Segregation: Fetching Water

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares a first person account of experiencing the hatred related to segregation while in desperate need of water. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential...
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Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Plessy v. Ferguson

For Students 3rd - 8th
The decision of the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson kept black and white people separate in all public areas for many years. To find out what that meant, and to see some actual photographs, visit this page.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Billie Holiday Was Born

For Students 9th - 10th
Billie Holiday is one of the most well-known blues singers of all time. Visit this Library of Congress site for more about her early years and some great photographs.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Thurgood Marshall

For Students 3rd - 8th
The first African-American on the U.S. Supreme Court as a pioneer for equal rights. Learn more about Thurgood Marshall on this Library of Congress site.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Althea Gibson Won Again!

For Students 3rd - 8th
Althea Gibson made it possible for the Williams sisters to play at Wimbledon. As the first African-American to win that title, she was a pioneer. See photos and read more about her on this Library of Congress site.
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Lesson Plan
Discovery Education

Discovery Education: Civil Rights Movement in America

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Comprehensive resource focusing on the men and women who fought for civil rights. Extensive links to discussion questions, related information, timeline, and activities.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Seeing Integration From Different Viewpoints

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What does the world look like through someone else's eyes? Guide students in using colorful paper glasses to examine a story of school desegregation from multiple perspectives.
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Website
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: Barbara Johns

For Students 9th - 10th
The amazing story of Barbara Johns, the 16-year-old who called a strike and walk out to protest the overcrowding of Robert Russa Moton High School.
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Handout
Robin Chew

Lucidcafe: Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights Leader

For Students 9th - 10th
Informative biographical sketch of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with links to Gandhi and good information about the philosophy of nonviolent social protest. Includes links to text of "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and the "I Have a Dream"...
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Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1955)

For Students 9th - 10th
Transcript of the Supreme Court's opinion in the 1955 Brown II case decision, which placed increased emphasis on implementing the 1954 Brown decision to desegregate public schools, thus overturning the 1896 decision in Plessy vs....
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Primary
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Plessy vs. Ferguson

For Students 9th - 10th
Transcript of the infamous Supreme Court decision that established the constitutionality of the principle of "Separate but equal," public facilities for members of different races. This was eventually overturned by the 1954 and 1955...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Plessy vs. Ferguson" by Jessica Mc Birney

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Plessy vs. Ferguson" by Jessica McBirney accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: A Museum of Their Own

For Teachers 5th - 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This infomrationa text piece discusses the accomplishments of several African-American baseball players from the days of segregation and the museum that has been built to honor their accomplishments....
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Showdown in Little Rock" by Us history.org

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Showdown in Little Rock," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and student...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "The Sit in Movement" by Us history.org

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "The Sit-in Movement" by USHistory.org, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Abernathy, Ralph

For Students 9th - 10th
In this encyclopedia entry you can read a brief account of Ralph Abernathy's part in the civil rights movement. There is a link to a website for more information.
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Handout
Black Past

Black Past: Berea College

For Students 9th - 10th
In this brief encyclopedia article, you will read about Berea College, the first fully integrated college in the South.