| Jackson
State University
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Mississippi's Urban
University |
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Department of________________________
History and Philosophy |
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Giving A Voice to a Shared Past: Public Education and (De)segregation in Mississippi, 1868-2000 Unit Overview and Lesson Plan
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LESSON
PLAN
Teacher: ___________________________________
Subject: __________________________ Date: ______________________ Period: ___________ LESSON TITLE: "Giving Voice to a Shared Past: A History of Public Education and (De)Segregation in Mississippi, 1868 to 2000" OVERVIEW Through a series of four articles students will trace the development of public education along racial lines. Following the American Civil War public education in Mississippi was, like every other institution, segregated. Public education followed the “separate but equal” doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson, an 1896 Supreme Court ruling which allowed black and white students to be separated into different facilities as long as those facilities were “equal.” Students will be asked to examine the differences between black and white public education and note the measures taken by whites and the state government to resist integration. Students will also be asked to identify the measures taken in the black community over time to secure quality public education for their children. CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 3 (c, d, e); 4 (b); 5 (a, b, c, d). TEACHING LEVELS Grades 7-12 (with modification) MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT Articles from “Giving Voice to a Shared Past: A History of Public Education and (De)segregation in Mississippi, 1868-2000. Butcher Paper (or newsprint) and Markers. Red and blue construction paper cut into two inch squares. 3x5 index cards, enough for one per student. OBJECTIVES Students will: Trace the development of public education in Mississippi in each of the four prescribed periods. Identify measures taken by white state government to hinder the educational opportunities of black children. Identify measures taken by the black community to secure educational opportunities for their children. Compare and contrast the impact that Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka (1954) had on Mississippi public education. Explore the origins of private schools in Mississippi and their role in undermining integration. Analyze and debate the long-term effects of both segregation and desegregation in Mississippi. Was either approach effective in producing equal educational opportunities for both races? PRIOR TO THE LESSON Cut four sections of newsprint approximately 4 to 5 feet long. Secure at least one dozen markers (various colors). Students will be dividing into four study groups. Make enough copies of the four different articles to be distributed among the four discussion groups. Arrange your classroom to facilitate groups and group discussion. Cut red and blue colored paper into two inch squares, with enough squares to distribute one to each student. If your class size is 30 students, cut 15 blue and 15 red squares. OPENING THE LESSON As students enter the classroom hand them either a blue or red square of construction paper and ask them to have a seat where they normally sit. After all students have been seated, ask all students with red squares to move to the right side of the room and remain standing. Ask all students with blue squares to move to the other side of the room and be seated in a desk. If you do not have paper squares, divide students according to gender. Say to the students: “This arrangement looks fine. This is how we will conduct our class for the rest of the week.” You should begin to hear some complaints of unfairness from the red square group. Address their complaints by making reference to the color of their square. After a few minutes of taking complaints, have the “red” students take a seat in their desks, but keep them “segregated by color.” DEVELOPING THE LESSON Divide the students into four groups allowing the blue and red square students to “integrate.” Once the four study groups have been formed, collect the red and blue squares. Inform students that the class has now made the transition from a “segregated” to a “desegregated” the classroom. Explain that the process of desegregation was not so simple for Mississippi public schools in modern history. Distribute one of four different articles to each group, making sure that each student has a copy of the article. Have students read the article and answer the following questions: a. What were the major or important events related to public education during this period? b. In what ways did the state government try to hinder black students from receiving equal educational opportunities? c. Were the actions taken by the state government successful, morally correct? Why or why not? d. What steps did blacks take to make sure their children were educated? e. In what ways were black parents successful in overcoming the obstacles placed in their way by the state government? After each group has had time to read and discuss their article, distribute a piece of newsprint and markers to each group. Ask students to write down on the newsprint the main ideas and events of the period discussed in the article. At the top of the newsprint, write the title of the article and the timeframe in which the events occurred. Have a student post their work where all students in the classroom can see it. Once all work has been posted, the teacher or a group leader may lead a discussion on the content of the article using the posted work as a guide to discussion. Students should take notes from the posted work and the teacher should supplement the group work with any important observations deemed significant. Ask students to develop a chart that compares and contrasts how public education has changed since the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. The teacher may also ask that students create a timeline or flow chart that demonstrates the changes in public education in Mississippi over time. CONCLUDING THE LESSON Briefly discuss the emergence of private schools in Mississippi. The teacher may select from the following questions to discuss or develop their own set of questions: a. Did the creation of private schools undermine the integration of the public schools? b. Have the changes demanded by the federal court system significantly changed the quality of public education in Mississippi? c. Do children of both races currently have equal educational opportunities? Why or why not? d. What needs to be done to insure that all children in Mississippi have access to a quality public education? e. What is meant by the term “resegregation?” Have Mississippi public schools been resegregated in recent times? Support your argument with facts. f. What can you do to make certain that all students regardless of race or economic standing feel welcomed at our school? g. Have Mississippi schools been resegregated primarily along racial lines or economic lines? Support your argument with facts. h. For what reasons might parents choose to either home-school or send their children to private schools rather than public schools? Do you think those reasons are significantly different from the reasons given prior to desegregation? Five minutes before to the end of class, the teacher should distribute an “exit card” to each student and ask them to write down three things they learned in the lesson today. ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING Teacher observation of student participation and involvement in classroom discussion and group work. Completion and submission of either timeline or comparison/contrast chart (rubric) Completion and submission of exit cards. EXTENDING THE LESSON View the video “Separate But Equal” with Sidney Portier, a historic drama chronicling the background and litigation of Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka ruling. Students may conduct an interview or an oral history with their parents or grandparents recounting their experiences or memories related to the transition from desegregated to integrated schools. The teacher should prepare a list of pre-approved interview questions for the student to use. |