Ruby Bridges Movie Essay

Ruby Bridges Movie Lesson Plan

Objectives:
Interpret, analyze, and apply ideas presented in a given excerpt from any political document or material (e.g., speech, essay, editorial, court case) (C-1B-H2)

Analyze discrepancies between American ideals and social or political realities of life (e.g., equal protection vs. Jim Crow laws) (C-1B-H4)

Analyze causes and effects in historical and contemporary U.S. events, using a variety of resources (H-1A-H6)

Materials:
Movie: Ruby Bridges
Resources about school integration in the US during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Computer with Internet access.
Graphic organizers

Procedures:

1. Together as a class: Review yesterdays lesson on two important events: o In 1868, the 14th Amendment was
ratified, giving citizenship to former slaves and guaranteeing them equal rights. It states: "No State shall . . . deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." o In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation was legal and did not violate the 14th Amendment as long as separate facilities were equal. The decision endorses the law of "separate but equal."

2.
In groups of two using the graphic organizer (Tictactoe or thematic web) to jot down important information: Next, have students read excerpts from the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. Excerpts are available online at http://www.landmarkcases.org/brown/opinion1.html.

3. Next: Ask students to fill out a comparison/contrasting graphic organizer and use it to explain how Brown Vs Board affected the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. (The decision stated that segregated schools are "inherently unequal" and violate the 14th Amendment. This ruling overturned the "separate but equal" ruling of Plessy.)

4. Introduction to the movie: Explain that while Brown v. Board of Education made segregated schools illegal, it was a long time before Southern schools were integrated. In 1955, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the ruling and declared that schools should be desegregated with "all deliberate speed." Despite this ruling, many Southern schools remained segregated. Those that did integrate faced many challenges, as did the black students who entered these schools. Tell students that they will be exploring how 3 schools dealt with integration and how they tested Brown v. Board of
Education: o Autherine Lucy and the University of Alabama (1956) o Little Rock Nine and Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas (1957) o Ruby Bridges and William Frantz Elementary School, New Orleans, Louisiana (1960) 5. Watch the movie: Ruby Bridges. Give them the graphic organizer (storyboard and characterization) to take notes on the movie. It will be used later on.

6. In addition to any available print resources, have students use the following Web sites to find background information and personal stories.

Aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-aftermath.html

Autherine Lucy

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/leaders/marshallthrgd/lucy_1 http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/chronology/details/560206.htm http://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/race/030256race-ra4.html

Little Rock Nine

http://www.centralhigh57.org/index.html http://teacher.scholastic.com/barrier/hwyf/mpbstory/index.htm http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ak1.htm http://pbskids.org/wayback/civilrights/features_school.html http://www.teachersdomain.org/9-12/soc/ush/civil/lr9/

Ruby Bridges

http://www.rubybridges.org/story.htm http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/history/spotlight_september.html

7. DAY 2: Once students have researched the early schools integration, ask them to write a personal essay responding to what they read and what they saw in the movie, Ruby Bridges. After summarizing the events and the significance of the integration, their essays should answer these questions: o What challenges did these students face? o What were some of their most poignant or surprising memories? o How do you think you would have felt and responded had you been in their shoes? o How did they deal with their current situation? o What actions or feelings did each individual have to deal with?

8. Day 3: During the next class period, students will have an opportunity to share their essays. Students learned about early attempts at school integration. Ask: How were these students' experiences alike? How were they different? Why was the process of integration so slow? What impact did these students' actions have?
Evaluation:
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson. • Three points: Students were active in class discussions; demonstrated a strong understanding of Brown v. Board of Education; wrote a thorough, engaging essay about early school integration. • Two points: Students participated in class discussions; demonstrated a satisfactory understanding of Brown v. Board of Education; wrote a clear, complete essay about early school integration. • One point: Students did not participate in class discussions; demonstrated a weak understanding of Brown v. Board of Education; wrote a vague or incomplete essay about early school integration.