Erin Strader

1
Erin Strader
Lit 2
Stockinger
9/29/13

Title: Bombingham Martin Luther King Jr. and Segregation in
1963
Tradebook/Text:
Stahl, Kenneth. "Birmingham - A Line in the Sand." Detroit's Great
Rebellion. Kenneth Stahl, 30 Sep 2013. Web. 1 Oct 2013.
<http://www.detroits-great-rebellion.com/Birmingham.html>.

My Text Info:
My KWL lesson is going to be based upon an online, nonfiction article
called, Birmingham A line in the sand. This is taken from a book written
by Kenneth Stahl of Livonia, Michigan. The main focus of the lesson will be
centered on a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr. that is included in the
document. Due to the fact that the document is quite long and would be too
difficult to cover in its entirety in one lesson, I have selected a few of the
main segments to discuss in this KWL lesson. The pieces that I chose are of
different form. There is a speech made by Martin Luther King Jr., there is a
short section of background information on Birmingham, and there are two
pictures with captions. These different ways of presenting information will
help to keep the students interested as well as accommodate to different
types of learners. They will also be interested in the general topic of
Birmingham as they are reading The Watsons go to Birmingham in their
current literature circles. They will be able to bring background knowledge for
the know category from both their previous classes as well as their
understanding of the book.

Rationale:
It is very likely that the students in my seventh/eighth grade field
placement classroom have already studied the Civil Rights Era. By revisiting
this event, students will expand their knowledge by applying their
background understanding and by analyzing a stimulating document. The
KWL format is perfect in this case as it is very dependent on the students
knowledge of the Civil Rights and what happened during that time period. My
mentor teacher has just started reading aloud a book about Malaga Island,
which also deals with racism and segregation. The students will be able to
use what they have learnt from this read-aloud book to understand the new
text I am presenting about segregation in Birmingham. This lesson will give
them the chance to look into the specific city of Birmingham, Alabama in
1963 in more depth than they may have in the past. Students will learn to
ask questions which will guide their reading and help to bring them to a
greater understanding. My teacher looked over the grouping of texts in the
passage and noted that there will be some vocabulary words the kids may
not be familiar with. These should be things that the students will put in the
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want to know section. After reading the passage, students are able to self-
assess by recounting and summarizing what they learned. By narrowing a
larger subject into a smaller, more specific event, students are able to use
their prior knowledge to support their further understanding of the subject.


Audience:
There are seven students in my seventh and eighth grade combined
classroom at South Olive Christian. There are four seventh graders and three
eighth graders. All of them but one is female. Two of the students are sisters.
All of them speak English as their first language and the whole class is
Caucasian. The school is located in a farming community, so many of the
students live and work on their family farms.

I will assume that all of the students in this class know how to read
nonfiction passages in a way that brings about knowledge of facts as well as
comprehension of key ideas. They are able to make connections with what
they have learned in previous classes. I can assume that they have used the
KWL strategy in classes before (and possibly this class as well), which will
help to create a more thorough discussion both before and after the reading.
They should be able to ask thought-provoking questions and use them as a
guide for their reading. The students in my class are all very hard workers
and get their work done well and on time. Through conducting literature
circles, I have learned that the students are good at making inferences and
connecting ideas from a text to their own lives.

I believe that the students will bring at least some knowledge about the Civil
Rights movement, even if it is only the most basic of notions. They will know
who Martin Luther King Jr. is and his impact on the movement. They should
know that his approach to protest was nonviolent in nature and often in the
form of marches.

None of the students will need any modifications or accommodations. If I had
to accommodate for students with different needs, I could do so in a way
that each student would be able to participate in a way conducive to their
learning. If I had a student with a speech impairment, I would accommodate
their learning by allowing them to respond during discussion or small group
time via computer. This way, they could type up their know, want to
know, and learned responses and either a classmate could share them
with the class or the teacher could add them to the list.
Another student who might need aid in the form of accommodations or
modifications could be a student who has a cognitive impairment which
causes them to process auditory information at a slower pace than the rest of
the class. To help this student, I could be sure to allow for wait-time when I
ask important question, especially those that call for the students to make
inferences or synthesize information. This will give the student time to
process what they are hearing in the passage and use that to create their
own opinion on the subject.
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A third student who would need accommodations could be a student
who is an English Language Learner. To help them understand the text
better, I could provide a picture dictionary that included some of the bigger,
more complicated words in the passage. I could give these students time to
look over the pictures so that when they read or heard someone else read
the passage, they had a visual to connect the more difficult words with.
Specifically, I would want to show them pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. and
of Birmingham so that they are familiar with the subject matter before I start
the lesson. These learners may not have the same background knowledge
that their peers have, and so need extra support in this area.



Length of Lesson:
The lesson is expected to take 47-50 minutes. Class management: 2 mins Orientation:
10 minutes, Complete the K column: 3 minutes, Complete the W column: 5 minutes,
Read the text: 15 minutes, Complete the L column: 5 minutes, Assessment: 5 minutes,
and Transition: 2 minutes.

Materials Needed:
7 personal whiteboards/markers Pencils/Pens for Teacher and Students
7 Handouts with pre-made KWL columns Highlighters for each student
7 Stapled Text packets
Projector/Projector screen


GLCES:
ELA:
R.CM.07.01: connect personal knowledge, experiences, and understanding of the world
to themes and perspectives in text through oral and written responses.

R.CM.07.03: analyze global themes, universal truths, and principles within and across
texts to create a deeper understanding by drawing conclusions, making inferences, and
synthesizing.

Social Studies:
7 H1.2.6 Identify the role of the individual in history and the significance of one persons
ideas.

Objectives:
1. Students will use their background knowledge of race relations and segregation
to participate in a class discussion about Birmingham in 1963.
2. Given three different modes of writing, students will gather information about
Martin Luther King Jr. and the city of Birmingham and compare it with
occurrences they see in their society today.
3. Students will be able to list two things that Martin Luther King Jr. did to aid the
Civil Rights movement.
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Assessment:
1. The first objective will be assessed through our conversation as a class about
what they already know about the Civil Rights Era, Martin Luther King Jr., and
Birmingham. By observing the students responses, I will know how much
information they are reporting. I will also be having students fill out a KWL chart.
I use this to assess the first objective by looking at the depth, completeness, and
accuracy of their responses.
2. At the end of the lesson, when students are filling out the last column in the
chart, I will ask them to write down three pieces of evidence that they see in the
world today that racism and segregation still exists. We will talk over this as a
class and through observing the students responses, I can assess their
application of what they have just learned.
3. In both the K and L columns, I will ask the students to list two things that
Martin Luther King Jr. did to aid the Civil Rights Movement. I will check to see if
their list has changed, gotten larger, or uses new ideas/vocabulary from the text.
This will allow me to assess the progression of their knowledge from the start of
the lesson to the end.

What is Happening in the Lesson What is Being Said in the Lesson
Classroom Management: (2 mins)
During orientation and the
time when we fill out the KWL
students will all gather at the
long table at the front of the
room so that they can see the
projector screen. During the
reading, students will rotate
through three stations, each
that hosts one of the three
texts and they will discuss the
text with their group members
after each reading. I have
chosen this format because I
want the students to feel like a
discussion group rather than a
cluster of people learning
together. I want them to rotate
through the stations because I
want them to get up and move
around as well as connect with
their small group members
when they discuss the
readings.
I expect my students to pay
attention to whoever is talking

Could everyone come up to
the front table and pick a seat
that has a white board in front
of it?
We will be moving through
different stations to read the
passages for this lesson so be
ready to get on your feet!













During this lesson, I want
everyone to give their full
attention to whoever is
speaking, whether that person
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and to raise their hand politely
if they have a question or
comment. When they are
rotating through their stations,
they are to either be reading
their text or talking with their
group member about what
they read.





Time management will be kept
by my own watch and by
writing how much time I want
to spend on each part up on
the board for all the kids to
see. Whiteboards/markers will
be set on the main table as
well as a packet for each
student that includes the three
texts and the KWL chart. Three
groups of chairs will be located
in the room with three
highlighters at each.
Transitions between stations
will occur every five minutes
for 15 minutes.
To get their attention, I will
use a clap signal and ask for
them to look at me.
I will expect my students to be
on task at all times and to use
the white boards for learning
rather than drawing. I will
make them aware of the plan
for the lesson so they know
what to expect.


is me or one of your
classmates.
When you rotate through the
stations, really work with your
group members and respect
what they have to say. You are
to either be talking with your
group or reading through the
passage, no chit chat!


Ok, group one can move on to
selection B and everyone can
please rotate to the next one
down.












Everyone listen up! Look up
so I know you are paying
attention!
Before we start, I want you
guys to hear my plan for the
day. First we are going to do
an activity with the
whiteboards. Then we are
going to watch a quick video.
We will then use class
discussion and small group
discussion to learn about the
Civil Rights Era. We will be
reading in small groups and I
encourage you all to follow
along with the reader with
your finger as they go through
the text.
Orientation (10 mins)
I will first share with the students my
purpose for the lesson.

OK everyone! Now this lesson has
many parts and I want to give you an
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My purposes:
The purposes of this lesson are to
engage students prior knowledge
using whiteboards and key subject
words, to view and respond to a
short video on the topic, to use
nonfiction articles to enhance and
further their knowledge, and to use
what they learn to relate historical
events to society today.

The objectives for this lesson are:
1. Students will use their background
knowledge of race relations and
segregation to participate in a class
discussion about Birmingham in
1963.
2. Given three different modes of
writing, students will gather
information about Martin Luther
King Jr. and the city of Birmingham
and compare it with occurrences
they see in their society today.
3. Students will be able to list two
things that Martin Luther King Jr.
did to aid the Civil Rights
movement.

To get students thinking about the
topic and searching their memories
for prior knowledge, I will be using
white boards. Each student will have
a white board and a marker. I will
then list off different words
associated with the topic of Civil
Rights, Martin Luther King Jr., and
Birmingham. After I say a word,
students will write or draw the first
thing that comes to mind when they
hear the word. They will get fifteen
seconds to form their answer and
then they will all be asked to hold up
their boards. I will then ask them to
share if they would like. The words I
would use are: Jim Crow, Martin
Luther King Jr., Birmingham, the
idea of what we are trying to
accomplish before we start. The
purpose of this lesson is to help
inform you about Birmingham in
1963. We will use a few different
resources in our study but first we
will be using white boards to see
what you already know about the
topic. Then I will show you a quick
video that will provide an overview of
the topic. After that we will go
through the KWL chart. As a final
check, we will try to connect these
historical events to our lives today.
Are you ready??
ESR: YEA!!!

Ok so I have written the specific
objectives up on the board. Why
dont you take a minute or so to look
them over and give me a thumbs up
or down to tell me if you do or do not
understand them.
ESR: (everyone puts their thumbs
up)
Ok! So everyone get your
whiteboards ready and I will read you
a word. You will then have 15
seconds to illustrate or write the first
thing that comes to mind when you
hear the word. Ready??
ESR: Yea!!
The first word is Civil Rights
ESR: (students write/draw)
Ok times up! Does anyone want to
share? [knowledge]
ESR: I drew a picture of a bill that
was signed
Great! What made you decide to
draw a bill? [comprehension]
ESR: The Civil Rights Act was
passed and people of all races were
equal by law. This is still true today
Awesome, that is a very good
explanation!
(repeat for the rest of the words)
Now I want to show you a video clip
to help some of you remember more
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KKK, Civil Rights, and segregation.
To catch my students attention, I will
then show a quick video which shows
footage of Martin Luther King Jr. and
of the events in Birmingham. The link
is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
0lD37bq8YI
This will help refresh their memories
and will appeal to the visual learners
in the class. The students will
participate in a short class discussion
before moving on to the KWL chart.

about Civil Rights era and the people
and places involved.
(show video)
Was there a certain scene or event
in the video that caught your
attention? Why? (comprehension)
ESR: The scene with the dogs biting
the people in the streets was scary. I
dont like that they were using dogs
to suppress people they considered
less than equal.
Good observation, I feel the same
way! Do you guys think any of these
things still happen today? Could they
be in different forms that are maybe
less noticeable? (application)
ESR: We dont bomb buildings or
use attack dogs, but I think
sometimes there are subtle ways that
we interact with other races that
might be somewhat racist
Wow, you guys are making some
very good points, I really appreciate
the amount of thought you are
putting into this exercise. We are
going to use a KWL chart to record
our ideas and help us figure out what
we want to learn. We will then use
what we learned to relate it to our
society today. So if everyone could
look at me so I know you are
listening, we will start filling out the
chart!
ESR: (students look up and teacher
goes to the front of the room to begin
writing on the chart)
#1. Post a KWL chart (0 min if
students are familiar, 2 mins if
unfamiliar)

Describe a KWL chart and show the
students its position on the board at
the front of the room. The students
will each have their own for personal
notes.
Does everyone know what a KWL
chart is?
ESR:yes
(If student doesnt know, teacher
would explain that it is a chart that
helps you organize your learning
process. The K column is where you
write your background knowledge,
the W column for what you want to
learn about the subject, and the L
column is completed at the end of
the lesson and is for what you have
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added to your schema about a
subject).
#2. Complete the K column (3
mins)

I will ask students to brainstorm what
they know about the topic (Civil
Rights, Birmingham, and MLK) and
write down as many things as they
can remember.


Please write what you know about
Birmingham in the Civil Rights Era, in
1963 specifically, and about Martin
Luther King Jr. and his efforts in the
Civil rights movement. You should all
have a pretty good idea from our
initial discussion and the short
video.
ESR: (fills out K column)
Could I have any volunteers to write
their ideas in the chart up on the
board? [comprehension]
ESR: (three students write what they
wrote on their charts up on the
board. They wrote: Whites and blacks
didnt have equal rights, Martin
Luther King Jr. led marches through
the streets, and the KKK was a
violent anti-black group).
Great job! Sound like you guys have
a good base of understanding on the
topic. Lets take that further by
writing out what we want to know
about the subject.

#3. Complete the W column (5
mins).

I will have the students write a list of
things they want to learn about
Birmingham and the race relations
there. They must also record at least
two things that they think Martin
Luther contributed to the Civil Rights
movement.

What kinds of things do you want to
know about Birmingham? Have you
ever studied Birmingham specifically
before? [Knowledge]
ESR: I would like to know more
about the bombing there. I know it
was at a church and some girls died,
but thats all
OK great (writes idea in W column)
Anything else?
ESR: I have never studied
Birmingham before but I have heard
about the Letter from Birmingham
Jail and would like to know more
about that.
Awesome, well hopefully we can get
your questions answered by reading
a few documents that I brought for
you! (writes idea in W column)
Lets get started with our reading!
#4 Read the text(15 mins) Teacher participates in discussions
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During the reading, students will
rotate through three stations, each
that hosts one of the three texts and
they will discuss the text with their
group members after each reading.
They will highlight important words
or phrases. The teacher will work the
room and participate in the different
discussions. Students will write down
on their worksheets three things they
learned from each reading.

and will adjust dialogue as needed.
Ok everyone so we need to get into
two groups of two and one group of
three
ESR: (students form groups)
Group one gets passage A, group
two gets B, and group 3 gets C. As
you read, please use the highlighters
I have provided to highlight any
important words or phrases in the
text. You will have five minutes at
each station and you must fill out
three things you learned from each
reading in the third column of your
KWL chart.
ESR: students rotate through
readings and fill our worksheet
OK can everyone come back up to
the front table? We will quickly go
over what you learned
#5 Complete the L column (5)

.

I will have students volunteer to
write something they learned from
the reading on the chart. They must
record at least two things that Martin
Luther contributed to the Civil Rights
movement.
Would anyone like to share anything
they learned from the reading?
[knowledge]
ESR: I learned that even city parks
were segregated in Birmingham.
Thanks for sharing, would you write
it up on the board for us? Anyone
else?
ESR: (continue this until we have a
good list on the class chart)
Now I am going to have you do one
last thing for me

Assessment (5 min)
I will be assessing throughout the
lesson, not just at the end. My
objectives are:

1. Students will use their background
knowledge of race relations and
segregation to participate in a class
discussion about Birmingham in
1963.
To assess this, I will observe students
participation in the class discussion at the
beginning of the lesson before we did the
readings (something which is made easier
Assessment #1 requires no script
besides the initial conversation.


Assessment #2
Please write out on the back of your
charts three pieces of evidence that
shows that racism/segregation still
exists today. If you can think of
three, give me reasons as to why
racism/segregation doesnt exist.
What do we do differently?
[application]
ESR: students fill out back of KWL
Could I get three people to share
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since there are only seven kids). I will also
use the individual KWL charts to see how
much information they put in the K
section. I use this to assess the first
objective by looking at the depth,
completeness, and accuracy of their
responses.
2. Given three different modes of
writing, students will gather
information about Martin Luther
King Jr. and the city of Birmingham
and compare it with occurrences
they see in their society today.
To assess this, at the end of the lesson,
when students are filling out the last
column in the chart, I will ask them to
write down three pieces of evidence that
they see in the world today that racism
and segregation still exists. We will talk
over this as a class and through observing
the students responses, I can assess their
application of what they have just learned.

3. Students will be able to list two
things that Martin Luther King Jr.
did to aid the Civil Rights
movement.
In both the K and L columns, I will ask
the students to list two things that Martin
Luther King Jr. did to aid the Civil Rights
Movement. I will check to see if their list
has changed, gotten larger, or uses new
ideas/vocabulary from the text. This will
allow me to assess the progression of their
knowledge from the start of the lesson to
the end.


something they wrote?
ESR: I said that racism still exists
when we make judgments about
people depending on the color of
their skin. For example, if we see a
poor black person, sometimes we
assume that they are poor because
they are black.
Wow what great insight, thank you!
Anyone else?
ESR: (three more responses)

Assessment #3:
Requires no script as this happened
during the K and L discussions. Also I
will be looking over the charts after
the lesson is over.

Transition (2 mins)

I will then talk about how learning
about past events is a great way to
shape the future. Speaking of the
future
Ok class thank you so so much for
all of your participation today I feel
you all did really well! I look forward
to reading your charts! When we
learn about events such as these in
our history, it gives us perspective
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and a drive to live better. Our futures
are shaped by our knowledge of the
past. I would like you guys to keep
this in mind as you move on to youre
the next part of the schedule where
you will be doing math work. The
same thing is true in math, the better
basis of understanding you have
about numbers and their
relationships, the easier it will be to
tackle more difficult problems in the
future.


Note: You will also be evaluated in the following four areas:
Is your writing clear and focused?
Is your lesson plan clearly organized?
Does your style and voice enhance the writing?
Did you use conventions and mechanics of English appropriately?

Ultimately, it is the rubric that will guide my evaluation of your work, so
make sure you consult it prior to turning in your lesson plan. This template
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