Introduction
This week, in our lesson, we will learn about the group of nine African-American students known as the Little Rock 9, and how the choices they made affected history.
Essential Question- What can we learn about the choices made during the integration of the Little Rock schools, and what it means for history today?
Learning objectives:
SWBAT investigate the connections between past choices and its effects
SWBAT analyze how choices have shaped desegregation
SWBAT create/plan/construct/design a response to a present-day critical condition
In 1957, nine African-American students entered Little Rock Central High School. Each had chosen to go to the previously all-white high school for various reasons - it was close to their homes, it offered a wider variety of courses than their other school, and/or they exercised their right to attend the high school following the Brown v. Board of Education decision. No matter what their reasons, the nine students made the choice to attend Little Rock Central, and showed courage in the face of adversity. This lesson identifies the nine students, now known to history as the “Little Rock Nine,” and dives into the learning objectives in order to answer the essential question above.
My students are in grades 9-12, and this would be for a social studies class.
Task
Essential Question- What can we learn about the choices made during the integration of the Little Rock schools, and what it means for history today?
To answer this question, you must show that you understand the history, the choices made by the Little Rock 9, and the current situation in your community.
Task:
Students will put their opinions into a persuasive format (i.e., telling others what you think the best solution is to a present-day critical condition). This way, people can look closely at each of the main points and your reasons, not get carried away by emotions or biases.
Process
As members of groups, students will watch a short video and explore webpages to learn more about the Little Rock 9 and what this group represents, as well as investigate the connections between past choices and their effects.
To start, everyone in your group needs some common background before dividing into roles. (We have already learned about Brown v. Board of Education in class). Once you all feel like you have a solid background on The Little Rock Nine, then you'll divide into roles and each member of your team will become an expert on one specific aspect of the Question. Use the Internet information linked below to answer the following questions:
1. What exactly happened at Central High back in 1957? Use the basic questions of Who? What? Where? When? Why? & How?
2. Who is Ernest Green?
3. What place in history do the Little Rock Nine hold? How does this compare to how they were viewed in 1957?
Internet Resources:
Little Rock Nine - Definition, Names & Facts - HISTORY (video is on THIS webpage)
The Little Rock Nine | Little Rock, Arkansas | Little Rock
Little Rock Nine | National Women's History Museum
Ernest Green's Biography (thehistorymakers.org)
Eisenhower on Little Rock - The National Archives
Little Rock Nine: Photos of a Civil Rights Triumph in Arkansas, 1957 (life.com)
Now that everyone in the class has reviewed background information on the Little Rock Nine, it's time to develop expertise and be able to analyze how choices have shaped desegregation.
Analyzing the issues involved in desegregation and searching the Internet for related material helped to shape six main areas into three separate roles:
- Historians
The Little Rock Nine & Changing Times
Education, Race & the U.S. Supreme Court
- Social Scientists
Understanding Integration Strategies
Society's Response to Integration Strategies
- News Reporters
Investigating Current Events
Polling Local Opinions
- Groups of 5-12 students working as one group (we then may have 2-6 of these groups within one class). Teacher will be choosing these groups.
- Choose, negotiate, accept a particular role to adopt.
- Go to the page set up for your role and read through the instructions
- Complete the tasks assigned to your role, using Internet links and scaffold pages to help you.
- Historians
- The Little Rock Nine & Changing Times
- Education, Race & the U.S. Supreme Court
- Social Scientists
- Understanding Integration Strategies
- Society's Response to Integration Strategies
- News Reporters
- Investigating Current Events
- Polling Local Opinions
By taking on a role you have all developed expertise on a particular aspect of the present day critical condition of desegregation in areas that are still segregated. Now it's time to work as a group to answer the main Question of this WebQuest, which is:
What can we learn about the choices made during the integration of the Little Rock schools, and what it means for history today?
Some members of your team know a lot about the history of the Little Rock Nine and U.S. Supreme Court decisions relating to race and public schools. Other team members have a deeper understanding of what people - both in the news and locally - think about integrating schools. Finally, others can tell you all about the various ways people have tried to integrate schools since Central High in 1957. It's time to use this expertise wisely. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the Web pages you explored to convince your teammates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Question.
Use the form below to create a thesis statement that captures what your team believes.
Instructions:
- Answer the following questions in short phrases (not full sentences).
- Do not use periods (.) at the end or capital letters at the beginning of the phrases you write.
- Click the "Build a Thesis" button when you're finished.
- A window will pop open with your Built Thesis.
- Go back and adjust your answers to smooth out the thesis until it makes sense and expresses your beliefs.
- When your group is happy with the thesis statement, click the "Make an Outline" button to generate an outline that will guide your team as you look for quotations and examples to support your opinion.
Fill in the Blanks To Build Your Thesis Statement
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What's the topic you want to write about? What's your main opinion on this topic? What's the strongest argument supporting your opinion? What's a second good argument that supports your opinion? What's the main argument against your opinion? What's a possible title for your essay or presentation? Your team name:
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Source: Pacific Bell - Little Rock Nine WebQuest (ozline.com) has been modified to fit my learning objectives.
Evaluation
Feedback Rubric
| Beginning | Middle | Advanced | |
| Quality of Argument |
Not really an argument because it presents a statement of fact, not opinion. | States an opinion on the topic of desegregation. | Makes a thoughtful argument that uses an opinion and logical reasons. |
| Supporting Details |
Doesn't really use details from the roles or research to support ideas with evidence. | Uses evidence to support ideas, but doesn't show how this ties back to the argument. | Points to specific evidence and shows how this supports the argument being presented. |
| Oral/Written Expression |
Brief, but clearly expressed with good delivery/mechanics. | A solid work that shows care in preparation. | A well-crafted work that persuasively argues its case. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, throughout this WebQuest, students were able to investigate the connections between past choices and its effects, analyze how choices have shaped desegregation, and create a group thesis response to the present-day critical condition of segregation occurring today, in 2020. Their final project was essentially creating a group thesis on how to answer the essential question and the question of integrating schools today.
Credits
Source: Pacific Bell - Little Rock Nine WebQuest (ozline.com) has been modified to fit my learning objectives.