Lesson 13: Text Structures
Lesson Practice
Use the Reading Guide to help you understand the passage.
Reading Guide
The passage tells a true
story from history. Which
text structure would be
most appropriate for this
kind of passage?
Look for patterns of
organization in the passage.
Key words like after, at
that time, finally, and
eventually help you track
the information.
Identify a text structure
used in paragraph 3.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Which word in paragraph 4
signals a sequence?
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Rosa Parks and the Bus Law
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was riding a bus in
Montgomery, Alabama, when she was ordered by the bus driver
to give up her seat to a white man who had just boarded. Rosa
Parks refused. A city ordinance at the time made this action
illegal. The bus driver stopped the bus and had her arrested.
At that time, there were a number of laws, called Jim Crow
laws, that denied African Americans the rights enjoyed by white
people. Public places such as restaurants, schools, and movie
theaters were segregated. African Americans had trouble voting in
elections and were mistreated in other ways. Rosa Parks knew that
obeying unfair laws would only lead to more mistreatment. By
refusing to give up her seat, she took a stand against Jim Crow laws.
She was born Rosa Louise McCauley in Alabama in l913.
Her mother believed that one should “take advantage of the
opportunities, no matter how few they were.” She instilled
this belief in her children. When Rosa was eleven, she began
attending the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls. The
philosophy of the school was self-worth, so Rosa learned from a
young age to value herself in a society that often treated African
Americans as if they had no worth.
As a girl, Rosa knew what it was like to live in fear. She was
painfully aware that African Americans were subjected to lynching
and house burnings. On some nights, she lay awake, wondering if
men were coming to burn down her house. After she was arrested,
Rosa said that growing up in fear had helped her get through a
situation that might have terrified others.
Rosa married Raymond Parks in 1932. Her husband
belonged to the local chapter of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Mrs. Parks joined as
well. Together, they worked for many years trying to improve the
lives of African Americans in the South. Their successes were few,
but Mrs. Parks never gave up trying because, as she explained,
it was important “to let it be known that we did not wish to
continue being second-class citizens.”
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Remember, causes are the
reasons; effects are the
results.
Find a cause and several
specific effects described
in paragraph 8.
How does the comparison
with U.S. presidents add
to your understanding
of Rosa Parks’s
achievement?
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Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Rosa Parks’s arrest started a chain of events that for many
historians signaled the beginning of the civil rights movement.
After learning of the incident, a group of African Americans,
including a young pastor named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
formed the Montgomery Improvement Association. They called
for a boycott of the bus company, which was owned by the city.
African Americans answered the call. They walked, carpooled, and
rode bikes, refusing to ride the buses until the law was changed.
The boycott lasted 382 days, despite pressure, threats, and violence
against the boycotters. African Americans had boycotted before for
different reasons, but never for such an extended period of time.
Mrs. Parks’s arrest enabled lawyers to challenge the city
ordinance. They took the case all the way to the U.S. Supreme
Court. Finally, on November 13, 1956, the court ruled—
declaring segregation on buses unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks sparked a local revolution that spread across much
of the country. African Americans realized how much they could
accomplish if they worked together. Dr. King gained a following
as a result of his organization of the boycott, and he soon had a
national platform from which to continue his struggle for equality
and justice. Many whites also joined the cause; some even
sacrificed their lives. Eventually, federal laws were instituted to
guarantee equal rights to all people. African Americans could eat
in the same restaurants, go to the same schools, and vote in the
same elections as other Americans.
Rosa Parks passed away on October 24, 2005. Her casket
was placed in the United States Capitol for two days to allow
the nation to pay its respects. She is the only woman and second
African American in U.S. history to lie in state at the capitol. It
is an honor usually reserved for U.S. presidents, but one that this
quiet woman from Alabama richly deserved.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
In paragraph 6, the phrase
chain of events suggests
that causes and effects
will be discussed. What
happened leading up
to the formation of the
Montgomery Improvement
Association? Who
formed the Montgomery
Improvement Association,
and why?
Lesson 13: Text Structures
Answer the following questions.
1.
What was the effect of Jim Crow laws?
3.
A. African Americans gained new
rights.
A. previous boycotts received more
support from African Americans.
B. African Americans were treated
unfairly.
B. the Montgomery bus boycott did
not have the intended effect.
C. Whites had their rights taken away.
D. Lawyers were banned from
arguing cases.
2.
A key difference between the
Montgomery bus boycott and previous
boycotts by African Americans is that
C. the Montgomery bus boycott ended
rather quickly.
D. previous boycotts had not lasted
as long.
Rosa Parks joined the NAACP
A. after she got married.
B. after she was arrested.
4.
Lawyers challenged the city ordinance
C. just before she passed away.
A. when it first became a law.
D. before she graduated high school.
B. after Rosa Parks passed away.
C. after the bus boycott ended.
D. after Rosa Parks was arrested.
5.
What were the effects of the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama?
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
Duplicating any part of this book is prohibited by law.
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