December
Poem
Rosa Parks
Rosa’s Ride
Rosa Parks was on the bus.
A man said, “Get in back.”
Famous American of the Month © Pamela Chanko, Scholastic Teaching Resources
The seats in front were just for whites,
And Rosa’s skin was black.
But Rosa would not move an inch.
She said it was unfair.
She knew she had the right to sit,
And do it anywhere!
Now we’re free to choose our seats
On every bus in town.
Thanks to Rosa, who took a stand—
And did it sitting down!
December
Mini-Biography
Rosa Parks
Famous American of the Month © Pamela Chanko, Scholastic Teaching Resources
(Born: 1913; Died: 2005)
Rosa Parks lived in Alabama
when unfair laws separated
African Americans from white
people. One of those laws said
that African Americans had to ride
in the back of the bus. But on December 1, 1955,
Rosa broke that law. The driver told her to give up
her seat for a white person. Rosa wouldn’t do it, and
she got arrested.
Then other African Americans decided not to ride
the bus until they could sit where they wanted. This
was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and it lasted 381
days. Finally, the law was changed.
But Rosa didn’t stop there. She gave speeches
all over the country and went on marches for civil
rights. In 1964, a law was passed that said all people
must be treated equally. Many people call Rosa
Parks the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”
That’s because Rosa’s ride helped get all Americans
on the road to freedom.
Teaching Tips
A
ttheheartofeverygoodstoryisacompellingcharacter—
andthestoryofourcountryisnodifferent!This
featuresa heroicAfrican American—Rosa American’staleistoldin
contenteasytounderstand—and remember. As a companion to
poem,you’llfindashort,
morebackgroundinformation.
biographdomuchmore
reading,this
Famous American of the Month © Pamela Chanko, Scholastic Teaching Resources
It’stimetorhyme,America!Enjoy!
Before Reading
Print and distribute copies of the poem,or
interactive whiteboard.Makesurechildrencanseethetext,
whetherworkingwiththewholeclassorasmallgroup.
Beforeintroducingpoemtochildren,findoutwhatthey
mayalreadyknowaboutthesubject.Askquestionstospark
priorknowledge,forinstance:What do you know about George
Washington? Where can you see his face?Youmightthenpass
aroundadollarbillforchildrentoexamine.
Forfigureswhomaybelessfamiliartochildren,suchasDian
Fossey,youmightbeginamoregeneraldiscussion:What’s your
favorite wild animal? Do you think it’s important to protect animals
in the wild? Why?
Finally,readtheperson’snamealoudandhavechildrenlook
attheillustration.Ifappropriate,youmightexplaintheholidayor
occasionbehindyourreading.
During Reading
Thefirsttimeyoureadpoem,readitthewholewaythrough,
givingchildrenachancetoappreciatethelanguage,rhythm,
andrhyme.Useyourvoicetoaccentuatethenaturalbeatsofthe
language,aswellastoexpressmeaning.
Onasubsequentreading,youmighttrydoingaline-by-line
echoreadingofthepoem.Readalinealoud,thenhavechildren
echoitbacktoyou.
Whenchildrenhaveheardthepoemseveraltimes,trydoing
clozeactivitieswithpredictabletext.Youmightplaceastickynote
overthesecondwordinarhymingpair.Whenyoucometothat
pointinthepoem,pauseandhavechildrensupplytheword.
Readthepoemindifferentsharedreadingcombinations.
Partnerscanalternatelines.Groupscandochoralreadingsof
stanzas.Youmighteventryaround-robinversion!
Whenyouread
biography,gooveranyvocabularythatmaybe
difficultforchildren.Thenreadthepiecealoud,slowlyandclearly.
Ifyoulike,useapointeroryourfingertotrackthetext.
Youcanusechunksofthebiographytextforfluencypractice.
Modelpacing,tone,andexpression,andthenhavechildrenrepeat
thechunkafteryou.
After Reading
Invitechildrentosharetheirfeelingsaboutthesubjectand
hisorheraccomplishments.Whatdidtheylikebestaboutthis
person?Iftheycouldmeettheperson,whatquestionswouldthey
ask?Ifchildrenhavealotofquestionsaboutaparticularsubject,
do research to find out more!
Invitechildrentocreatetheirownillustrationsforthepoem.
Theycanshowasceneinthesubject’slifeandaddacaption.Bind
thepagestogetherforaclassbook!
Havechildrendramatizeascenefromtheperson’slifestory.
Theycanworkinsmallgroupstoimproviseactionanddialogue.
Givechildrenawritingprompt.Theycanwritealettertothe
person,orpretendtobethepersonandwriteajournalentry.
Youngerchildrenmightwriteapostcardordictateashortmessage.
Trythecomprehensionquestionsbelowtoassesshowwell
childrengraspedthebiographicalinformation.Youcanusethe
questionsashomework,inclass,orforanimpromptuquiz-showstylegame!
SeeHowWellYouKnow…
Rosa Parks
What law did Rosa Parks get arrested for breaking?
How did the law get changed?