Key Takeaways:
- As a teacher, you’re always looking for new and innovative ways to teach important historical topics like the civil rights movement.
- With Junior Scholastic, you’ll make the civil rights movement relevant to your students through the true stories of the African-American teens who made history.
- Featuring captivating nonfiction stories, skill-building activities, evocative videos, a read-aloud play, and more, Junior Scholastic is an effective way to engage students in learning about one of the most important eras in U.S. history.
What was the civil rights movement? You can answer that question for your students with these inspiring lessons from Junior Scholastic magazine. Created specifically for grades 6–8, Junior Scholastic raises student engagement in the social studies topics you teach. Each issue features a teen-friendly perspective, high-interest learning resources, and differentiation tools to reach every learner.
Plus, start a 30-day free trial and bring the magazine into your classroom for every student!
The Fight for Equal Rights
Transport your class to the era of the civil rights movement with our video “The Fight for Equal Rights.” Period photographs and film footage show school segregation, among other discriminatory practices, and how Brown v. Board of Education put a stop to it. Turn the video into a complete lesson with close-viewing questions, differentiation tips, and “Mixed Reactions,” an activity sheet that prompts students to analyze a primary source: newspaper editorials reacting to the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
The Legacy of MLK
Explore the life and legacy of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with our lesson, 50 Years After MLK. This stirring story recounts his rise as an activist, crusade for racial equality, commitment to nonviolent protest, resounding speech at the March on Washington, influence on the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and tragic assassination.
Bring Dr. King’s story to life for your students with two Martin Luther King Jr. videos, a civil rights movement timeline, an excerpt from Letter from Birmingham Jail with an accompanying activity, and a lesson plan with discussion questions.
The Teen Who Changed America
Young people making a difference in the world will always capture the attention of students. It’s also the message of our story, “The Girl Who Helped Desegregate America’s Schools.” Introduce your class to Barbara Johns, who was 16 in 1951 when she protested against inferior conditions at her all-black school. Her case ultimately went to the Supreme Court, and the result was the famed decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregated schools unconstitutional.
Accompanying the story is a wealth of free teaching resources, including two videos, a slideshow, an infographic, a step-by-step lesson plan, a primary-source activity, and a “Know the News” quiz.
The Little Rock Nine
Barbara Johns wasn’t the only teen who played an important role in the civil rights movement. Your middle school students will jump at the chance to act out the story of the nine high-schoolers who, in 1957, became the first black students to attend white schools. Our read-aloud play “The Little Rock Nine” includes speaking parts for everyone from the Central High School students to the Arkansas governor to President Eisenhower.
The play becomes a complete lesson with the addition of our video, “A Journey for Justice”; an ELA activity featuring firsthand accounts from the Little Rock Nine; a worksheet for determining key ideas and details; and a lesson plan with many strategies for extension and assessment.
The Junior Scholastic Difference
Junior Scholastic makes history relevant to today’s students. That’s why teachers across the nation rely on it throughout the school year to teach the latest news and essential historical topics. Try Junior Scholastic free for 30 days in your class and see how engaging it can be. You’ll receive print magazines for every student, lesson plans, standards-based teacher support, and digital differentiation resources such as multiple reading levels. Start your free trial now!