Impact of the Civil Rights Movement WebQuest

The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement

A WebQuest for 11^th grade (History)

N. Gulyas and K. Schuman

Overview (for teachers)

This Web Quest is geared toward students studying United States History. Students will evaluate important decisions made during the Civil Rights movement and explain the impact of these decisions on the rest of the country.

SSUSH22 The student will identify dimensions of the Civil Rights movement 1945-1970

You will need to have access to a computer lab for research purposes.

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if African Americans couldn’t vote, couldn’t eat at the same restaurants as white people, couldn’t play sports with white people, and couldn’t go out on the streets without feeling threatened? That is exactly what life was like from 1945 up until 1970. I have a dream that you take this task to heart in order to better understand these trials and tribulations.

Task

You and three group mates will choose roles to play as important people from the civil rights movement. You will then research individually what life was like for your individual by following the process provided below. When you are finished with your research, your group will meet and discuss your findings. Then you will share your specific job with your group. Lastly, you will evaluate your peers on the quality of their work.

The Process

STEP ONE: You will get into groups of four and determine who will play the parts of people who impacted the Civil Rights movement in some way. Each character has a specific job that you will eventually be sharing with the rest of you group. The characters are:

Jackie Robinson:

Your role is to be the first African American baseball player integrated onto a white team. How did this integration affect the nation? Find out what it was like playing on an all white team and how people reacted and treated you. You will write a journal entry describing the treatment you received and how you responded to the adversity. You will then share this experience with your group.

Rosa Parks:

Your role is to be the first African American woman to refuse to give up your seat to a white person while riding on a public bus. How did you feel when you stood up for yourself only to be arrested for what you thought was right? How did your actions lead to other types of “peaceful protest” during the Civil Rights movement? After examining this, you will list several other methods of peaceful protest and write a letter to the bus company telling them how you felt about being forced to sit in the back of the bus. You will share your findings and feelings with the group.

Martin Luther King Jr.:

Your role is to be one of the most prominent African American advocators for Civil Rights and peaceful protest. How did you come to be in this position? What leadership qualities do you possess that encourage others to follow you and act as you think they should? How did your speech abilities make a lasting impression on the country? Create a one to two page speech outlining the importance of Civil Rights and how to properly attain those rights. Use some of his speeches as reference points only (no copying, please). You will then give this speech to your group (keep in mind your leadership skills)!

Chief Justice Warren:

Your role is to be the head Justice of the Supreme Court that ruled on Brown vs. Board of Education of Kansas. Explain why you ruled the way you did in this case. How did your ruling affect the ruling from Plessy vs. Ferguson? Why was your decision such a turning point in the integration of African Americans? You will write a letter to schools across the nation describing the new integration process and how it should be done in a timely, effective manner. You will discuss your findings and read this letter to your group.

STEP TWO: Research this information using some or all of the links provided below and some of your own too!

Links for Jackie Robinson:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/robinson_jackie.htm - this site gives insight to Jackie’s baseball career

http://library.thinkquest.org/10320/Robinson.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0109 – this site provides biographical information

http://www.jackierobinson.com/home.php - this site will encompass the life and the times of Jackie Robinson

Links for Rosa Parks:

http://www.grandtimes.com/rosa.html - this site gives a personal look into Rosa Parks and her feelings and actions

http://teacher.scholastic.com/rosa/ - this site reviews how Rosa directly effected the culture and change of the civil rights movement

http://www.girlpower.gov/girlarea/gpguests/RosaParks.htm - this site is specific about the events during and after Rosa’s infamous ride (or lack thereof)

Links for Martin Luther King Jr.:

http://www.martinlutherking.org/ - this site not only has a plethora of information about King but provides other helpful websites as well

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/mlking.htm - this site includes a great timeline of his life and some descriptive details

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkjrday1.html - this site discusses King and his civil rights movement through affirmative action

Links for Chief Justice Warren:

http://www.landmarkcases.org/brown/warren.html - this site gives general information about the case and how it was a landmark

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0809176.html- this site provides a brief yet informative description of the case and also offers various other sites

http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/BrownvsBoard.htm - this site directly references how this case made an impact in Black History

STEP THREE: Once you have thoroughly researched your individual and have done your “job”, meet together as a group and discuss what you’ve learned. If you get stuck on questions, start by asking each other “how did your individual’s decisions impact the civil rights movement?” or “what was it like to be you during the movement?”

STEP FOUR: Share your individual task with the group, whether it’s a speech or a letter, etc. Your teacher will then pass out three sheets of paper on which you will evaluate the other members in your group on the information they have presented.

Evaluation

Provide students with a clear understanding of the grading criteria which will be used to evaluate their efforts.Explain how the grades will be counted or averaged. Specify whether there will be a common grade for group work vs. individual grades.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Individual Research	Barely has enough information to evaluate own individual. Some material is made up.	Briefly describes the individual. Some research, not enough to satisfy a full scope of character.	Has enough research to have a well developed understanding of character and finish the assigned job.	Has excessive information and sources to be able to fully explain and understand character. Student went above and beyond what was necessary.
Job/Group Presentation	Did not stay on task. Work was disjointed and unfocused.	Tried to give a few details. Material lacked some significant information.	Has a creative presentation and is fairly descriptive.	Presentation is thorough and well-thought through. Preparation is clear.
Peer Evaluation	Some to no evaluation. One to two sentences in length per person.	Is longer than a few sentences but includes too general/broad of a response.	Has a fairly detailed description of peers’ work.	Clear, detailed sentences showing a knowledge of the information presented to them.
Overall Group Work	Group is lazy and fails to meet requirements.	Minimal group interaction.	Group fairly cooperative, task is accomplished but not to the most efficient level.	Each member does their part and works well with the group.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve successfully completed this Web Quest, reflect on life during the civil rights movements. Review these questions:

Do you have a fuller, deeper understanding of the life and times from 1945-1970 in the United States?

Have any of your opinions about this era changed?

Have you acquired or improved any writing, speaking, or leadership skills?

Do you fully understand the weight of decisions you make on a daily basis?

Had your character made a different decision, what could the outcome have been?

Do you believe this issue is still prevalent today?

Credits & References

Pictures on this Quest are courtesy of:

http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&q