Students will review the civil rights movement and then determine what they still need to learn.
To do this, the class will create a list of research questions and then find the answers. This
assignment helps students deepen their understanding of the civil rights movement and teaches
them how to develop compelling questions about the past.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle and high school
TIME: 60-90 minutes
MATERIALS: Knowns and Unknowns worksheet (download), Internet access
PREPARE
1. Make copies of the worksheet, one per student.
2. Review the sample worksheet at the end of this packet. You may wish to distribute it to
students, as well.
DO
(Note: For more support, see expanded procedure in downloadable lesson plan.)
1. As a class, discuss what they know about the civil rights movement by answer the reporter’s
questions (who, what, when, where, why and how).
2. Then give them 10-15 minutes to browse the NewseumED interactive “Making a Change”
timeline for additional ideas or answers.
3. Expand upon the earlier list of civil rights knowledge with information from the timeline.
4. Once students run out of ideas come up with a list of what they still don’t know about the
civil rights movement. Craft six to eight compelling questions.
5. Break students into groups. Each group will be responsible for answering one of the
questions.
6. The groups will create a hypothesis for their question and use the timeline to complete the
worksheet to the answer the question.
DISCUSS
Discuss their findings as a class. Prompts include:
x What evidence or prior knowledge did you consider when forming your hypothesis?
x Did you have to change your hypothesis? Why or why not?
x Which hypotheses/evidence are the strongest? Why?
x Which hypotheses/evidence are less satisfying? Why? What could be done to
strengthen them?
x If multiple groups considered the same question, compare and contrast their hypotheses
and evidence. Can you settle on a single answer to that question?
x If you were going to dig further into this question and look for more support for your
hypothesis, what sources and methods would you use? (Other reference resources,
research techniques, etc.)
OPTIONAL EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
1. Debating Civil Rights History: Choose one compelling question about the civil rights
movement that your students find interesting and that connects to your curriculum. As a
class, come up with two opposing hypotheses to answer the question. Divide the class in
two and have each half gather evidence to support one of the hypotheses. Then have a
class debate in which representatives from each side take turns presenting their evidence,
allowing the opportunity for the opposing side to respond to each argument. At the end of
the debate, try to reach a class consensus as to which hypothesis is correct. Or, if it proves
impossible to reach a consensus, discuss why this is the case.
2. At the Newseum: Visit the “Civil Rights at 50” exhibit. Have your students work individually
or in small groups to create a compelling question about this year in civil rights history. Then
they should switch questions with another group and write a paragraph in response. When
forming questions, it may be helpful to give students specific themes to get started, such as
cause and effect, media coverage of civil rights events, the photographic record of the
events, etc. Alternatively, have students respond to the following question: Which of the
events profiled in this exhibit do they consider the most important, and why?
1. Ask students what they know about the civil rights movement -- the “knowns.” Brainstorm
lists using the reporter’s questions to organize their responses: Who? What? Where?
When? Why? How? (Create the lists using a method that will allow you to save them for
students to refer to later or have a student recorder copy down the lists from the board.)
Possible prompts and answers:
x What was the civil rights movement? A social and political movement in the United
States aimed at abolishing legalized racial discrimination against African Americans
and restoring voting rights, etc.
x Why was it needed? Plessy v. Ferguson and the “separate but equal” doctrine, Jim
Crow laws, etc.
x How did the civil rights movement work? Committed individuals worked together;
they formed groups that organized protest marches, sit-ins, etc.
x What tools did this movement involve? Nonviolent protests, marches, sit-ins, courts
cases, legislation, boycotts, etc.
x Who was involved? Who led the movement? Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood
Marshall, the Little Rock Nine, James Meredith, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, etc. Who
else was involved? People whose names we don’t know today — hundreds of
thousands of people who marched, protested and worked for legislative changes,
possibly your relatives or people you know, etc.
x When did the civil rights movement take place? The most famous events mostly
occurred from the early 1950s to the late 1960s, but events before that time paved
the way for change and civil rights advocacy continues today.
x Where did the civil rights movement take place? The majority of marches and
protests, as well as some of the legislation, occurred in Southern states, but other
events occurred across the United States, and much of the legislation and court
cases happened at the national level in Washington, D.C.
2. When students run out of answers or ideas, give them the opportunity to browse through the
interactive NewseumED civil rights timeline. You may choose to break your class into
groups and assign each group a different time period to be sure that students get beyond
the beginning of the timeline in the time allotted.
3. After exploring the timeline, come back together as a class and ask students to continue
their brainstorm lists using the knowledge gained in their brief exploration of the timeline.
4. When students again run out of ideas, ask them to think about what they still do not know
about the movement – or the “unknowns.” Create a new set of lists, again using the
reporter’s questions to organize responses and gather the class’s ideas. Their questions can
be broad or specific. Sample ideas:
x Who, besides Martin Luther King Jr., spoke at the March on Washington?
x What were the key elements of the movement’s successful protests?
x Where did the movement begin?
x When did the movement face the most resistance and why?
x Why didn’t the movement organize big protests in the North, even though
discrimination existed there as well?
x How did Martin Luther King Jr. become the movement’s leader?
5. Using the list of unknowns as a starting point, work as a class to craft six to eight compelling
or “thick” questions about the civil rights movement. These are intriguing questions that
spark debate rather than a simple answer and that draw on students’ interests and
curiosities. (For example, a thin/not compelling question: What is your name? A
thick/compelling question: Does your name reflect your personality?) For younger grades,
you may choose to use some or all the following questions as a starting point:
x When did the civil rights movement officially begin?
x When, if ever, did the civil rights movement end?
x Would segregation still exist if television had not been invented?
x Were the news media impartial observers and recorders of the civil rights movement
or active participants in it?
x Would the civil rights movement have succeeded without Martin Luther King Jr.’s
leadership?
x Schools were the most important battleground of the civil rights movement. Agree or
disagree?
x Which of the Supreme Court’s civil rights decisions was the most important?
6. Discuss the questions the students generate to be sure they understand the significance
and complexity of each.
7. Break students into groups. Assign each group one of the questions your class created. You
may choose to assign the same question to multiple groups to compare and contrast
findings or you may assign each group a unique question. Instruct each group to form a
hypothesis — an educated guess — that answers the question. Students can consider the
brainstorm lists of what they already know about the civil rights movement to inform their
process. Each hypothesis should be formulated as a complete sentence and include the
reason(s) for their guess. For example:
x Question: Would segregation still exist if television had not been invented?
Hypothesis: Segregation would still exist if television had not been invented
because people who lived in areas with less discrimination would not have had a
way to see the suffering of those living under Jim Crow laws.
x Question: Would the civil rights movement have succeeded without Martin Luther
King Jr.’s leadership?
Hypothesis: The civil rights movement would have succeeded without Martin Luther
King Jr. because many other individuals were trained in the same approach to the
problem and would have risen to his leadership position if needed.
8. Have each group use the interactive timeline to complete the “Civil Rights: Knowns and
Unknowns” worksheet, gathering evidence to support their hypothesis. Tell students that
they may need to reconsider and edit their hypothesis if they have trouble finding evidence
to support it. See attached example.
9. For higher-level students, you may also ask the groups to consult additional reference
sources to find more evidence in support of their hypothesis and/or write up their findings in
essay form.
10. When students have completed the assignment, discuss their findings as a class. Possible
discussion questions:
x What evidence or prior knowledge did you consider when forming your hypothesis?
x Did you have to change your hypothesis? Why or why not?
x Which hypotheses/evidence are the strongest? Why?
x Which hypotheses/evidence are less satisfying? Why? What could be done to
strengthen them?
x If multiple groups considered the same question, compare and contrast their
hypotheses and evidence. Can you settle on a single answer to that question?
x If you were going to dig further into this question and look for more support for your
hypothesis, what sources and methods would you use? (Other reference resources,
research techniques, etc.)
Example Worksheet: “Civil Rights: Knowns and Unknowns”
Question: Would the civil rights movement have succeeded without the leadership of Martin
Luther King Jr.?
Hypothesis: The civil rights movement would have succeeded without Martin Luther King Jr.
because many other individuals were trained in the same approach to the problem and would
have risen to his leadership position if needed.
Use the timeline to gather evidence that supports your hypothesis. Choose at least three events
and/or sources (newspaper front pages, photographs, interviews) and explain how they support
your answer to the question above.
Evidence 1:
Event title, date: March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963
Summary: Some 200,000 people assembled in Washington, D.C., to petition the government
for equal access to jobs and schools and for the passage of a civil rights act. Civil rights leaders
gave speeches to the crowd and met with members of Congress to present their demands.
Source of evidence (event description, front page, photograph, etc.):
The Washington Post
Aug. 29, 1963
Page One
How does this support your hypothesis? The article says that “A. Philip Randolph, director of
the March and head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, drew great applause in his
remarks at the Memorial” and that there were 10 civil rights leaders who spoke with members of
Congress. These two statements show that other leaders were as respected, supported and
connected as Martin Luther King.
Evidence 2:
Event title, date: Brown v. Board of Education, May 17, 1954
Summary: The Supreme Court nullifies the doctrine of “separate but equal” and declares that it
is illegal to segregate schools based on race. At some point, all public schools must be
desegregated.
Source of evidence:
The Topeka State Journal
May 17, 1954
Page One
How does this support your hypothesis? The main article in this newspaper, “School
Segregation Banned,” shows that legal decisions advanced the civil rights movement and had
broad impact — in this case, “a total of 17 states that have laws requiring separation of the
races in school, plus three other states having laws which permit — but do not require —
segregation.” In this case, the African Americans who brought the lawsuit, their lawyers and the
Supreme Court justices provided momentum and direction for the civil rights movement, not
Martin Luther King.
Evidence 3:
Event title, date: First Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In, Feb. 1, 1960
Summary: Four black students sat at the “whites-only” section of a lunch counter in a
Woolworth store. Despite being asked to move, they stayed until closing. Their actions inspired
many other students to join the “sit-in,” and eventually led to the desegregation of lunch
counters in North Carolina and in other states.
Source of evidence: “CORE and the Lunch Counter Sit-ins”
How does this support your hypothesis? In this video, former journalist and editor Claude
Sitton explains that CORE, the student group, supported the youth in North Carolina and helped
the movement spread beyond the state. This clip shows that many young volunteers caused a
big change, without the direct involvement of Martin Luther King Jr.
Name:
Date:
Question:
Hypothesis:
Use the timeline to gather evidence that supports your hypothesis. Choose at least three
events and/or sources (newspaper front pages, photographs, interviews) and explain how they
support your answer to the question above.
Evidence 1:
Event title, date:
Summary:
Source of evidence (event description, front page, photograph, etc.):
How does this support your hypothesis?
Washington, D.C., area school groups are sponsored by WTOP 103.5 FM.
Name:
Date:
Evidence 2:
Event title, date:
Summary:
Source of evidence:
How does this support your hypothesis?
Evidence 3:
Event title, date:
Summary:
Source of evidence:
How does this support your hypothesis?
Washington, D.C., area school groups are sponsored by WTOP 103.5 FM.
Bring the Cold War to life for your students with social media! In this activity, you will use Twitter and
the Newseum’s Berlin Wall Gallery (Hubbard Concourse) to explore the role of the citizen journalists in
reflecting and shaping public opinion.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle and high school
TIME: 30 minutes
MATERIALS: Mobile devices with Internet access
PREPARE
1. Choose a hashtag for your students to use in each tweet and write it on the board. We suggest
#ClassNameColdWar (ex: #English9ColdWar).
2. If desired, create two Twitter accounts for your students to use, one for East Berliners and one for
West Berliners.
DO
1. Tell students: Residents of East Berlin and West Berlin had very different experiences of the Cold
War. Today, you are going to take on the role of a loyal resident of the East or West. They will read
about key events during the Cold War, and tweet their reactions from their assigned perspective.
2. Assign students to one of two groups: East Berlin or West Berlin.
3. Go to the concourse level and gather students at the exhibit entrance.
4. Remind students to read each exhibit panel, to tweet using the assigned hashtag, and to respond to
each other’s tweets.
DISCUSS
As a group, review the series of tweets. Analyze the factors that affect point of view and the role of
technology in shaping public opinion. Prompts include:
x How were the East and West Berlin tweets similar? Different?
x What clues did you use to tell if someone was from East or West Berlin?
x If you were an outsider, which side’s record would you find more believable? Why?
x Do you think tweets provide a more or less accurate record of current events than print
newspapers? Why?
x Do you think the Cold War would have turned out differently if Twitter existed? Why or why not?
x What makes a modern Twitter campaign successful?
Washington, D.C., area school groups are sponsored by WTOP 103.5 FM.
Name:
Date:
Instructions
1. Circle your assigned role:
East Berliner
West Berliner
2. Write your Twitter handle:
3. Write the activity hashtag:
4. It is Nov. 9, 1989. You just heard a radio announcement that East Berliners will be able to
cross the border. Write a sample tweet reacting to this news from your assigned role.
5. Check that your tweet will be published correctly. Does it:
Have fewer than 140 characters (including spaces)?
Include the activity hashtag?
Twitter Vocabulary
Tweet = a tiny statement
x Tweets must be 140 characters or fewer.
Feed = your homepage
x This is where you will see tweets from everyone on Twitter.
x Follow people to more easily find their tweets in your feed.
Handle = a username
x Include someone’s handle in your tweet to make sure it shows up in their feed.
x Example: Hey @NewseumED! This is a great activity!
Hashtag = a grouping
x Include a hashtag to make sure your tweet shows up with other tweets on the same
topic.
x Example: I’m going to use #edtech in my #classroom.
x In this example, if your colleagues search Twitter for #edtech or #classroom, they will
see your tweet.
Washington, D.C., area school groups are sponsored by WTOP 103.5 FM.