A Teaching Guide
for Grades 6-12
Written by Lisa Lacefield, M. Ed.
[email protected]
www.historyoutsidethelines.com
Table of Contents
 Letter to the Teacher
 Introductory Information
 Highlights from Joan Trumpauer Mulholland’s story
 Content Vocabulary
 Notable Places
 Notable Places Companion Activities
 Teachable Moments and Connections to Additional
Content
 Classroom Activities and Teaching Tools
 Character Education
 Resources for Further Study
 Common Core Standards Correlations
Dear Educator,
Two of the most important things we can do as teachers is tell our students the truth;
and then, tell the whole truth. This is even more critical when the subject at hand is the
history of our country. American history is not to be sugar-coated in the classroom
simply because some of the stories and experiences of those who came before us can
leave an unpleasant aftertaste. Nor should American history focus only on those people,
places, and events we’ve all been raised to recognize. There is so much more.
In the quest to learn “the whole truth” of our nation’s Civil Rights Movement, one must
dig deeper than the well-known arrest of Rosa Parks, the highly-publicized
desegregation crisis at Little Rock’s Central High School, Dr. King’s incredibly inspiring
speech at the March on Washington, or his untimely death at the Lorraine Motel in
Memphis. Please understand, my admiration for Mrs. Parks, the Little Rock Nine, and
Dr. King is immeasurable; they are each world-changers who deserve any and all
respect and recognition bestowed upon them. Their stories weave together to create the
tapestry of progression and change in this country. But, there is so much more.
Many students don’t know of the unspeakable tragedy that befell a young Emmett Till in
the Mississippi Delta that summer in 1955. They don’t recognize the faces of every day
“in the trenches” foot soldiers like Medgar Evers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, or
Michael Schwerner. They’ve never heard the name of a courageous young college
student-turned-activist by the name of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. And this is wrong.
Loki Mulholland has created a deeply touching film about the experiences of his mother,
Ms. Mulholland, during the Civil Rights Movement. Her story, which was untold for a
number of years, is both riveting and moving, and it shows us all that it only takes one
person to make a difference. It is my hope that with this teaching guide, you will be able
to bring Joan’s story to life in your own classroom and inspire your students to stand up
as an ordinary hero today. Watch the film, discuss the story, think, question, debate,
pledge to change the world.. and then do it all again. There is so much more.
An Ordinary Hero
The True Story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
Recommended ages for viewing: Grades 6-12
Synopsis:
Joan Trumpauer Mulholland was just a young girl living in the south
when she began to realize that segregation between races was not only
prevalent, but an expected and accepted way of life. Joan knew this was
not right and, as soon as she was able, set about to change it. Being a
white southerner who not only supported integration, but actively worked
toward it, placed her in a very precarious and dangerous situation. She was
seen as a traitor to her race and an enemy of the highest degree, later
finding out her name had been placed on the Ku Klux Klan’s “most wanted”
list.
Joan participated in the Freedom Rides in 1961, which resulted in her
incarceration in “the worst place in the country” - Parchman Prison. She
also played a significant role in the Woolworth’s sit-in in Jackson,
Mississippi, in May of 1963 where her image was captured forever in a
series of widely published photographs. Joan worked alongside many other
foot soldiers of the movement toward civil rights, some well-known, some
unknown, in a quest for equality that led her down some very frightening
paths. However, Joan never wavered. She maintains she’s the most
“ordinary” person there is, but we know the truth. Joan is a hero, and her
story is finally told in this mesmerizing film written and produced by her son.
It’s a story of courage, of strength, and of the desire to afford everyone the
well-deserved right to something so profoundly simple it ought not be so
hard to achieve: dignity.
Cautions/Recommendations for Preparation:
Please preview the film prior to sharing it with your students. Some may
deem the racial language and descriptions of violence too intense for
middle school students. No matter what grade level you teach, it is
incredibly important that this film not be shown in isolation. Please take the
time to establish a context for learning. To best prepare your students to
gain the deepest understanding of the content of the film, please ensure
they have been exposed to some degree (the more the better) the following
background information:
 The social climate in the southern United States during the 1950’s
and 60’s (can be traced from before the Civil War through the end of
slavery, Reconstruction, the informal institution of Jim Crow, the
Great Migration, World War ll, and Brown vs. Board of Education of
Topeka, 1954)
 Jim Crow laws (definition, examples of specific laws, how they were
“enforced”)
 The Ku Klux Klan (definition, purpose, activities)
 The catalysts for change in the south (the murder of Emmett Till, the
arrest of Rosa Parks, etc.) that propelled people toward action
 A general understanding that a dividing line cannot simply be drawn
between “black” and “white” and that people from both racial
backgrounds had varying beliefs and degrees of involvement in the
movement.
“You can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.” ~ Medgar Evers
Points of explanation to teachers concerning the
materials in this guide:
1. This document is not written with the formality of strict lesson plans. It
is created as a teaching tool and guide for using “An Ordinary Hero”
in your classroom. The film itself stands alone as the primary lesson;
these materials are an accompaniment and are designed for
flexibility.
2. In order to provide suggested learning activities for a wide span of
ages and abilities, teachers will find a variety of tools included here.
Some will not be challenging enough for your students; some will
prove too difficult. You know your students best; please choose
activities that you deem most appropriate for them.
3. Time constraints will likely not permit you to complete all learning
activities found here; they are included to provide you with choices.
4. Specific instructions for implementation are not included for some
activities to allow for teacher interpretation. For example, when using
the “What Would You Do?” situation cards, the teacher could provide
one card to each student, ask students to complete all cards, create a
journal of answers, present their responses to the class, etc.
Teachers know best how to use the tools they are given.
5. There are no separate assessment tools included; teachers can
determine which activities and tasks they’d like to assess within their
classrooms.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.” ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Highlights from Joan Trumpauer Mulholland’s story
(as discussed in the film)
 Descended from a family of slave owners and sharecroppers
 Raised in a southern, religious home by parents who were
segregationists
 Took notice of “separate and unequal” at a very young age
 First attended Duke University after high school
 Became involved in non-violent protests of the Civil Rights Movement
during college (NAG, sit-ins, etc.)
 Became the first white student to enroll in and attend Tougaloo
College
 Worked alongside Medgar Evers and others during her time at
Tougaloo
 Rode the train from New Orleans, Louisiana to Jackson, Mississippi
during the Freedom Rides in 1961 and was arrested
 Imprisoned in the Hinds County jail before being transferred to
Parchman State Prison Farm’s death row for two months
 Participated in the now-famous sit-in at Woolworth’s in Jackson,
Mississippi in 1963 and is depicted in the widely recognized
photographs from that day
 Helped plan, and attended, the March on Washington in 1963
 Faced her most terrifying moment when she and others were stopped
by the Ku Klux Klan outside Canton, Mississippi in 1964
Content Vocabulary
The following terms are referenced in the film and form an excellent content
vocabulary list. Scores for knowledge and use of content vocabulary rank
consistently low on literacy tests across the nation; using these words as
instruction in the classroom will not only serve to deepen the understanding
of the subject matter, but also increase students’ working vocabulary base.

Slave owner

Sharecropping

Lynch mob

Segregation


Racism

Colored
Segregationist


Sit-in
Ku Klux Klan


Inferior
Firebomb

Reverse integration

White supremacist

Power structure


Death row
Jim Crow laws
Content Vocabulary Definitions
 Slave owner – a plantation or farm owner who used slaves as
laborers
 Sharecropping - a system of agriculture in which a landowner allows
a tenant to use the land in return for a share of the crops produced on
the land (the way the system was run on many farms in the south
was unfair to the African American sharecroppers)
 Lynch mob – a group of people (in this particular time and setting the
group would be white males and likely members of the Ku Klux Klan)
who joined together with the intent on harming or killing someone
 Segregation – to separate by race (in places like schools, train
stations, movie theaters, neighborhoods, etc.)
 Racism - prejudice or discrimination directed against someone of a
different race
 Colored – a word used to describe the African-American race in the
early to mid-1900’s; it was considered an “acceptable” term at that
time
 Segregationist – a person who believed in, and often actively worked
toward, maintaining the separation of races
 Sit-in – a peaceful act of protest during the Civil Rights Movement
where participants would sit in a restaurant or at a lunch counter and
asked to be served (in places where they were normally not allowed
to enter)
 Ku Klux Klan - a secret society in the southern U.S. that focuses on
white supremacy and terrorizes other racial or ethnic groups
 Inferior – the view that someone isn’t as good as someone else (the
opposite is “superior”, or “better than”)
 Firebomb – a bomb designed to ignite fire upon impact (used in the
attack on the Freedom Riders in Anniston, Alabama)
 Reverse integration – in the context of the Civil Rights Movement, this
occurred when a white student enrolled in and attended an African
American institution of learning
 White supremacist - a person who believes that the white race is
inherently superior to other races and that white people should have
control over people of other races
 Power structure – the unofficial hierarchy in the south during the Civil
Rights Movement; white males ruled city and state governments, the
police force, and other entities that exercised their power in acts of
control over the black population
 Death row – the area of a prison where criminals who have been
convicted to death are housed; the area designated as “death row” at
Parchman State Prison Farm was used to hold Joan and other
Freedom Riders in 1961 for “breach of peace”.
 Jim Crow laws - state and local laws passed from the end of
Reconstruction in 1877 through the mid-1950s by which white
southerners reasserted their dominance by denying African
Americans basic social, economic, and civil rights, such as the right
to vote.
“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” ~ Rosa Parks
Notable Places
The following places are referenced, either directly or indirectly, in the film.
In order to continue weaving together the story of the Civil Rights
Movement, please consider incorporating the identification and location of
these places on a map or in an atlas as you view and/or discuss the film.
Suggestions for further use follow this list.
 Mississippi Delta
 Little Rock, Arkansas
 Virginia
 Glen Echo Park, Maryland
 Anniston, Alabama
 Birmingham, Alabama
 Montgomery, Alabama
 Jackson, Mississippi
 Parchman Prison
 Tougaloo College
 Washington, D.C.
 Canton, Mississippi
 Philadelphia, Mississippi
 Memphis, Tennessee
Notable Places
Companion Activities
 Distribute the “Where in the United States?” handouts (included in
this packet) to your students prior to viewing the film. Instruct them to
use the first page to record the names of places that they hear
mentioned in the documentary. Then, compile the students’ notes to
create a master list of locations referenced in the film. Allow time for
students to research and plot those locations on the map included on
the second page.
 Using road maps or MapQuest online, have students trace the routes
of the Freedom Rides, the drive from Canton, Mississippi to Jackson,
etc.
 Allow students to choose one location from the list to research in
regard to the Civil Rights Movement and complete the “I Was a
Witness: The Civil Rights Movement through the Eyes of a Place”
handout (included in this packet).
 Contact a teacher in the cities or states referenced in the film and set
up communication between your students. Encourage pairs to
research together through letter writing, emails, or web camera
interation such as Skype, etc.
“What’s easy and what’s right are rarely the same thing.”
~ An Ordinary Hero
Where in the United States?
Use the spaces below to record the names of places that you hear while
viewing the film.
Where in the United States?
With help from your teacher and available learning
resources (maps, atlases, books, internet, etc.), locate
and label the states, cities, and other places you heard
discussed in the film.
I Was a Witness:
The Civil Rights Movement through the Eyes of a Place
The story of the Civil Rights Movement is normally told through the eyes of
a person who experienced events of the movement. Their stories are
incredibly important, but have you ever wondered what a particular place
might have to say about the things it saw during that time? Choose a
location discussed in the film and research to finish the following
sentences.
1. As I looked down on my streets and neighborhoods, I
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. When I observe the faces of the people who travel my sidewalks and
roads, I
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. Today must have been a significant day for me in the story of the Civil
Rights Movement because
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4. When people hear my name today, they often think back to
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
“Every American ought to have the right to be treated as he
would wish to be treated, as he would wish to have his children
treated.” ~ President John F. Kennedy
Teachable Moments and Connections to
Additional Content
The following people and events of the Civil Rights Movement are
referenced in the film. If time allows, please let these references be a
jumping off point for further discussion and learning. At the very least,
please briefly identify or discuss items on the list to broaden students’
knowledge base.
 The connections that civil rights workers made to the Holocaust
perpetuated by Nazi Germany before and during World War ll
 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 1954
 The murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi, 1955
 The desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas,
1957
 The Freedom Rides and the firebombing of a bus in Anniston, Alabama,
1961
 Lunch counter sit-ins throughout the south, including in Jackson,
Mississippi at Woolworth’s, 1963
 The assassination of Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, June 1963
 The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, which resulted in the
death of four young girls, 1963
 The March on Washington, best remembered by Dr. King’s now-famous
“I Have a Dream” speech, 1963
 Freedom Summer and the subsequent murder of Andrew Goodman,
James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner at the hands of the Ku Klux
Klan in Philadelphia, Mississippi, 1964
Classroom Activities and
Teaching Tools
Say What?
There were many colloquialisms that helped define the cultural and social
climate of the southern United States during the struggle for civil rights. A
colloquialism, according to dictionary.com, is a word or phrase appropriate
to conversation and other informal situations. These words or phrases often
emerge as specific to a certain region, time period, or social movement.
Below you will find colloquialisms that are spoken by those people featured
in the film. Based on what you know about the Civil Rights Movement, write
what you think each sentence or phrase means on the lines below. Then,
during or after you view the film, assess your answers. Were you correct?
Are there correct answers or are the meanings best described by your
personal opinion rather than specific facts? Could there be more than one
right answer? Discuss this with your classmates. Change any of your
responses if you choose.
1. “That’s the way things were.”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
2. “No turning back.”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
3. “The movement”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
4. “The front lines”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
5. “The courage of my convictions”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
6. “The system”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
7. “The south”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
8. “The Klan”
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
What Would You Do?
As students today, there’s really no way for you to fully understand just
what these workers for freedom and equality experienced during the Civil
Rights Movement. No matter how much you learn now, it doesn’t take the
place of being there then. Our role in this story begins today; we are to take
the lessons learned from those years and in those places and work to
create a country that would serve as a source of pride to those who came
before us to pave the way. It’s our job to stamp out hatred and intolerance
when we observe it, and stand up for those “certain inalienable rights”
we’ve always heard so much about.
Think for a moment, though, about how you might handle the following
situation if you’d been alive during the movement. Record your response
on the back of your card.
What Would You Do? Situation Cards
You are a white southerner attending college in Mississippi.
You have heard of others protesting peacefully in nearby areas
for equality among all citizens, regardless of race. You mention
to your parents that you would like to become involved,
especially after witnessing the mistreatment of AfricanAmericans at various times throughout your life. Your parents
forbid you from participating. What would you do?
You are a sixth grader when you learn that your school is about
to become integrated. This means that black students will now
join you and your classmates as one school instead of attending
classes on a separate campus. Your parents think this is a good
idea but most of your friends are saying very negative things
about desegregation. You’d like to tell your friends this is the
right thing to do but you’re afraid of what they will think. What
would you do?
You have been a member of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama for
several years, but recently have decided that things have gone
too far. Instead of just burning crosses and making hate
speeches, the Klan has started committing violent attacks on civil
rights workers, including murder. You do not want to be a part of
this violence. When you share your concerns with the FBI, they
ask you to work undercover and report Klan activities back to
them. If the Klan finds out that you are an informant, you will be
killed. What would you do?
As you walk down the street of your town, you notice a
crowd has gathered outside a store. Inside, you can see
people screaming at some young men and women sitting
at the lunch counter. You recognize many faces in the
crowd; some are classmates and lifelong friends. You
then notice that one of the young men at the counter is
your brother. What would you do?
As an African-American citizen in the south, you have been
subjected to many injustices in your life. You are weary of the
mistreatment, but you’re also worried that the recent activities
of protestors in your town could affect you in a negative way.
You know deep down that it’s time to work for equality. Putting
yourself in the movement could cost you everything, including
your life. But sitting back and allowing others to carry the
burden for you isn’t what you want either. Become involved in
the movement or not? What would you do?
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
We’ve all heard the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Think for
a moment about what you think that means and write your response below:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
You can learn a great deal simply from looking at a picture. Look closely at
the photograph you are given. It is an image from the Civil Rights
Movement. Carefully observe and record everything you notice about the
picture on the handout provided. Think about these questions:
 What do you think is happening in the picture?
 Are people in the photo? If so, do you know who they are? Can
you figure it out by observing their surroundings?
 Where was the picture taken?
 If there are people in the picture, how are they dressed?
 Do you see items in the image that speak of a specific time
period (ie. signs, buildings, cars, clothing styles, presence or
lack of technology, etc.)
 If there are people involved, what kind of emotion do you see
on their faces?
 Do you think this picture is “famous” or easily recognized?
Now, read the photograph’s description that you are given. Compare what
you wrote to the information provided. Then, complete the bottom section
of the page that asks “what can you learn from this photo?”
Photograph Observation Sheet
What do you see?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
What can you learn from this photo?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Photograph Descriptions
Photograph #1: Joan Trumpaeur Mulholland’s mug shot, taken during her
arrest for participating in the Freedom Rides in the summer of 1961 (Joan
road the train from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Jackson, Mississippi
Photograph #2: Participants, including Joan Trumpaeur Mulholland, at the
Jackson, Mississippi Woolworth’s sit in during the summer of 1963
Photograph #3: A bus transporting Freedom Riders was firebombed in
Anniston, Alabama by the Ku Klux Klan in the summer of 1961
Photograph #4: An aerial photograph taken of the site where three civil
rights workers’ bodies (Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael
Schwerner) were located in August of 1964.
Photograph #5: Escorting Dr. King
Photograph #6: Joan and friends
Photograph #7: The FBI poster depicting missing civil rights workers
Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner who
disappeared near Philadelphia, Mississippi in the summer of 1964 and
whose bodies were later discovered buried in an earthen dam. They had
been murdered by the Ku Klux Klan.
Photograph #8: Picket line
Photograph #9: Joan and friends
Primary Sources
A primary source is a firsthand piece of information. When studying history, it is
important to locate and study as many primary sources as possible. That way, the
story’s facts are much more likely to be accurate instead of altered from being retold or
repeatedly passed down. An excellent example of a primary source in regard to An
Ordinary Hero is Joan’s participation in the film. She is telling what happened to her;
you cannot get closer to the source than that. A secondary source is information taken
from a primary source. An example of a secondary source would be a paper that a
student writes based on the things Joan shares in the film. What other primary sources
of information did you see when watching the documentary? Record them in the spaces
provided.
Music in the Movement
Freedom songs were an important part of the Civil Rights Movement.
Often, protesters who were jailed or participating in marches would sing
together to lift their spirits. Music has long been a source of comfort and
inspiration in times of trouble. Many times Joan and her friends found
comfort in singing freedom songs together. Find and listen to some of the
following music from the Civil Rights Movement, paying close attention to
what the song is trying to tell us.
 “Oh, Freedom”
 “We Shall Not Be Moved”
 “ Go Tell It On the Mountain”
 “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
 “People Get Ready”
 “We Shall Overcome”
 “Change Gonna Come”
Music in the Movement
Write words to your own freedom song for the Civil Rights Movement.
Think about how the events of the movement make you feel and how you’d
like to express your hope for the future. Record your words here.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Character Education
One of the beautiful things about Joan’s story is that she was truly “an
ordinary hero”. At a very young age, she saw injustice and sought to right it.
Such a simple concept, yet such a difficult thing for many people to do.
Below you will find some activities you can use with your students to
explore the concept of “ordinary heroes”.
Characteristics of a Hero
In your opinion, what is the definition of a hero?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
In your opinion, is Joan a hero?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
In the space below, brainstorm a list of characteristics that you think a hero
should possess. Circle those characteristics that you feel you have already
or would like to have one day.
Just One Thing
If just one person does just one good thing, could it make a difference?
Anne Frank, a victim of the Nazi Holocaust in Europe during World War ll
said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before
starting to improve the world.” Do you have the courage to do just one thing
that could make our world a better place for the people who live in it?
Choose just one thing and do it today. When you’ve done it, write about it
here.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Just One Thing
Teachers, print and cut out the picture below and have students write an
abbreviated description of their “one thing”. Encourage them to complete
more “one things” throughout the remainder of your school year. Create a
bulletin board or wall display with the cut-out “ones”. Snap a picture and
submit to An Ordinary Hero’s Facebook page!
Resources for Further Study
Common Core Standards
Correlations