Names: Samantha Smith, Dayna Kirgan, Kaci Mitterling, Megan Campbell 

Grade: 5th

Lesson Focus: To read and understand segregation in the schools.

Length: 45-60 minutes

Standards:

Social Studies (5th grade): Standard 3
Students will understand the rights and responsibilities guaranteed in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights

(objective 2b)
Fine Arts: Theatre (5th Grade): Standard 2
Acting A student will cooperate, imagine and assume roles, explore personal preferences and meanings, and interact in classroom dramatizations.
Language Arts - Reading (5th grade): Informational Text Standard 3:
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. 

Objective:

Students will learn about segregation and how it started to change.

Indicators:

Students will show their understanding by participating in the activities. 

Materials:

  • "The Story of Ruby Bridges"

Process:

  1. Full Body Emotion: On the first page we learn that Ruby is moving, have your students use their full body to show how they feel about moving/how they think Ruby feels.
  2. Listen/Move (Acting out father's jobs): Ruby's dad went from working in a crop field to working as a janitor. Have the students listen to what is being read, tell them that when you read what job the father has, they will show his job by using quiet actions. Students will show working in the field and as a janitor.
  3. Judge-courtroom: Ruby gets to go to a new school which was decided by the judge. Students will act out a courtroom. We will have a judge and let the students stand up and express why Ruby should or should not get to go to her new school. (This could also be called Thought-tracking).
  4. Pair Interview: Put the students into groups and have them each take on the role of interviewer and someone in Ruby's family (mom, dad, ruby, etc.). Each student will take turns being each character (interviewer/person from story). Have the interviewer ask questions about how the family feels about Ruby going to school in an all white school etc.
  5. Walking-1st day: An angry mob is seen standing outside the school opposing Ruby going there. Have students stand on either side of a walkway to allow 3 other students to walk through (Decision alleyway) . Two of the students are security guards and one will play the part of Ruby. The students acting as the mob will start to tell Ruby to not go to school(and other) as she walks through. Discuss how students felt playing the part of Ruby.
  6. “one minute” (teacher/before prayer): Stop reading at line"Suddenly Ruby stopped-" and have the students think about what Ruby was doing in the crowd.
  7. Dear Ruby: Students will get into pairs (one will be Ruby and the other will be themselves). The reader will ask questions to Ruby about things that are in the book and possible questions they have.
  8. Interview- students can act as news reporters and ask questions about the scene where Ruby is in school and class by herself. They can ask her if she plans on quitting school, what she’s learning, if she’s lonely etc. Many of the questions that we as readers wonder as she sits in class alone.
  9. Role on the Wall: have a student lay down on a piece of paper (has to be large) and have another student trace. Then have each member of the class either write what Ruby is thinking or what others are thinking about Ruby. This will be a good end of the book activity when all questions are answered.

Assessment suggestions:

            Using proximity to listen in on the students conversation in the activity.

Extension/Adaptations:

            Students have an idea of civil rights, have them research other civil rights issues and cases. Are there any education cases out there? (brown vs board of education, etc)