{"id":579,"date":"2013-08-27T16:45:06","date_gmt":"2013-08-27T16:45:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/?page_id=579"},"modified":"2013-09-23T15:02:09","modified_gmt":"2013-09-23T15:02:09","slug":"margaret-walker-and-a-hot-summer-in-mississippi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/collections\/digital-archives-project\/for-teachers\/lesson-plans\/margaret-walker-and-a-hot-summer-in-mississippi\/","title":{"rendered":"Margaret Walker and a \u201cHot Summer\u201d in Mississippi"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\"MWalker-FINAL-Horiz-Rectangle-Hi-RES\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tGrades: 9-12
\n\tAuthor: Vija L. Lee, Jackson, Mississippi\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tOVERVIEW<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tLearning from past mistakes can prevent someone from repeating those mistakes. By reading Margaret Walker’s personal journals, students can see where she grapples with the mistakes in her life. At the same time,they can gain a better understanding of the social injustices faced andsacrifices made by many Americans during the civil rights movement.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tStudents can compare and contrast various readings about the movement while exploring literary terms such as tone, mood, and atmosphere. Mississippi History Now<\/a> is a great resource to find scholarly articles, free to the public, on the African-American experience in Mississippi.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t \n<\/p>\n

\n\tMATERIALS NEEDED<\/strong>
\n\tComputers
\n\tPoster boards and markers for timeline presentations
\n\tSelect article(s) from Mississippi History Now<\/a> or other sources on the civil rights movement:\n<\/p>\n

\n\tCurtis Austin
\n\tOn Violence and Nonviolence: The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDernoral Davis
\n\tMedgar Evers and the Origin of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tDernoral Davis
\n\tWhen Youth Protest: The Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, 1955-1970<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tNeil McMillen
\n\tStreet Theater and the Collapse of Jim Crow<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tKay Mills
\n\tFannie Lou Hamer: Civil Rights Activist<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tOBJECTIVES<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tThe purpose of this lesson is to educate students about the past and prepare them to become concerned and active citizens in their community by studying the historical experience of the civil rights movement in Mississippi.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tStudents will:\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n\t\tGain knowledge about the civil rights movement in Mississippi and “Freedom Summer” of 1964 by exploring Margaret Walker’s journal entries and publications in Mississippi History Now<\/a> or other suitable sources;
    \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
  2. \n\t\tDevelop critical thinking by analyzing tone, mood, and atmosphere through research and reading assignments about events in Mississippi in 1964; and
    \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
  3. \n\t\tExpress their opinions and reactions through writing assignments, discussions, and timelines about the importance of social movements, organizations, and activists.\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \n\t \n<\/p>\n

    \n\tSESSION 1<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n\t\tTeachers should have their classes do some background reading on the civil rights movement. Mississippi History Now is a great resource to find scholarly articles, free to the public, on the African-American experience in Mississippi.
      \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
    2. \n\t\tWrite the phrase “Freedom Summer” on the board. Ask the students what they know about “Freedom Summer” and what the term evokes for them concretely and emotionally.
      \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
    3. \n\t\tNext write the term “Hot Summer” on the board (Journal 72, page 76, June 1964<\/a>). Ask the students what they infer about its meaning and what it evokes for them.
      \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
    4. \n\t\tAsk students to define the following terms: tone, mood, and atmosphere. Discuss each term in relation to the phrases “Freedom Summer” and “Hot Summer.” Potential questions include:\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \n\t \n<\/p>\n

      \n\tDo you think “hot summer” refers to the weather or the events taking place in Mississippi?\n<\/p>\n

      \n\tIs there a direct relationship between the weather in Mississipp during the two days that Walker describes and evens in Mississippi in the 1960s?
      \n\t \n<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n\t\tRead aloud Margaret Walker’s Journal 72, page 76, June 1964<\/a>. Be sure to discuss the assassination of Medgar Evers (See Curtis Austin’s article<\/a>.) and the “demonstrations and protest of Mississippi Negroes.”
        \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
      2. \n\t\tBe sure to explain Margaret Walker’s background<\/a> and her ties to Mississippi.
        \n\t\t \n\t<\/li>\n
      3. \n\t\tDistribute the following chart on tone, mood, and atmosphere. Tell students to complete only the first column labeled class session. <\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

        \n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/p>\n

        \n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/p>\n

        \n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/p>\n

        \n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/p>\n

        \n\t\t\t \n\t\t<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \n\t \n<\/p>\n

        \n\t\"Table<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

        \n\t \n<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \n\t\tFor homework, assign each student a different organization, event, or person to research and to be prepared to discuss for the next class session. Research suggestions include:\n\t<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \n\t \n<\/p>\n