Civil Rights Movement Unit
- PDF
- Easel Activity
What educators are saying
Description
The Civil Rights Movement is a critical part of our nation's history.
Before starting this unit, I researched, studied primary sources, and submitted this file to other teachers in a peer-review process.
If you are looking for the Google Slides version of this resource, click here!
This unit focuses on the major events and people of the 1950s and 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. As you know, this is a sensitive topic, so I must balance being careful with wording while also telling the truth about what happened. I created this unit for students in grades 5-6, so I did leave out some of the more violent occurrences of the Civil Rights Movement.
I use this unit with my own fifth grade students and I believe it is completely appropriate for use in any grade 5 or 6 classroom. However, I do recommend that you preview each informational passage, activity, primary source, and project before presenting it to your students so that you can ensure that the content is appropriate for your situation.
How is this unit arranged?
Each lesson contains teacher notes, an informational passage, a cloze passage for review, a primary source photograph or text, an interactive notebook foldable with comprehension questions, and a quick, simple, creative project.
I am bound to them. Although I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices, I honor their history. I cherish their lives. I will tell their stories and remember them.
– Author Unknown
Contents of this Unit:
Welcome Page for Teachers
Guiding Questions Templates
The Civil Rights Movement
Brown v. Board of Education
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Little Rock Nine
The Greensboro Four
New Orleans School Integration
Freedom Riders
Birmingham Demonstrations
March on Washington
Civil Rights Act (1964)
Selma-Montgomery March
The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander!
Revisit the Guiding Questions
Civil Rights Unit Test and Answer Key
Feedback from a few of the experienced teachers who peer-reviewed this Civil Rights Movement Unit:
The use of primary sources, cloze reading, background information, along with an activity for each piece of the unit provides a comprehensive learning experience. - Kerry S. (Utah)
This was so well done. I was worried certain content would be omitted or too advanced for my students and I think you did a perfect job balancing a challenging topic while still being mindful of what is appropriate for this age. I am so excited to teach this. Thank you for taking the time to make such a fantastic unit! - Anna P. (Georgia/Idaho)
This Civil Rights Movement Unit is an excellent resource for any classroom. It will take students on a trip back to the past where they will be able to learn through reading passages and looking at primary sources regardless of student learning levels. This cross-curricular unit will keep all students engaged through the different activities offered for each topic. Teachers will be able to monitor student understanding throughout the unit. This unit will help students make connections between the Civil Rights Movement and life as they see it now. - Giannina D. (California)
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©2020 Jenifer Bazzit. All rights reserved.
Before I became a teacher-author, I wasn’t familiar with copyright law. You may not have the first clue about copyright and that’s ok! To simplify things, please understand that you have purchased ONE license to use this product in your classroom. This product belongs to me and is copyrighted under my name, so you may not share it freely, email it to coworkers, or upload it to any website, including your school website, district website, blog, or an educational-sharing site. I appreciate your consideration!