Lesson Overview:
This lesson was written to compliment and enhance the Scholastic Book, Color Me Dark and subsequent production staged and produced by the Kennedy Center. This lesson also stands individually and may be taught without referencing the book or the play.
How can a group change things for the better? In this lesson, students explore the function of organizations in our society. By studying various civil rights organizations and their accomplishments, students learn how groups of individuals can effect social change. Students then design a flyer for an organization that they belong to, or that they would like to join. The flyer's design must effectively communicate the organization's purpose.
Length of Lesson:
Three 45-minute class periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 5-6.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- identify significant accomplishments of the NAACP, as well as its purposes and goals (students will also understand that the NAACP still exists).
- understand the concept of organization and purpose.
- understand what the term civil rights means.
- understand why certain modern-day organizations exist and for what purpose.
Supplies:
- Chalk, chalkboard
- Chart paper
- Computer
- Crayons/Colored pencils
- Marker
Instructional Plan:
Part 1: Why Do Organizations Exist?
Begin this lesson by telling students that there are many organizations and groups that work to make life better for people, animals, and the environment. Ask the class to define what an organization is. (A group of people who come together for a particular purpose or cause.) Write the acronym "PTA" on the board. Explain what an acronym is. (A word made from the first letters of other words.) Now ask students what the acronym PTA means (Parent-Teacher Association).
Ask students if they know what this organization does (answers might include works to get the best education for children).
Next write "ASPCA" on the board. Ask students if they know what this organization is and what it does. (Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; protects animals and the rights of animals)
Write "CDF" on the board. Ask if anyone knows the group or what it does. (Children's Defense Fund; an organization that fights for the rights of children.)
Finally, write "Kids F.A.C.E" on the board. (Kids for a Clean Environment is an international children's environmental organization started in 1989.) Tell the class that this organization was established to help children who wanted to learn more about the world in which they live; provide a way for children to be involved in the protection of nature; and connect children with other children who share their concerns about global environmental issues.
Next write the term “civil rights” on the board and discuss its meaning.
Civil rights: (noun) The rights belonging to an individual by virtue of being a citizen, such as equal treatment under the law and freedom from discrimination.
Tell the class that several groups working for the civil rights of African-Americans started to organize in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ask the class why they think that a need for civil rights organizations might be formed (answers might include discrimination, segregation). It might be hard for students to realize this, but there was a time in this country when there were separate schools, hotels, buses, even water fountains set up African Americans and white people. These unfair laws were known as Jim Crow laws and were an example of injustice, discrimination, and segregation. Ask the class if they know any examples of Jim Crow laws (African-American people not allowed into restaurants that catered to white people; African-Americans were not allowed to vote in elections, or being intimidated to not vote; African-American people had to sit on the back of the bus; the Rosa Parks bus incident, etc.)
In 1914, a man named Marcus Garvey started two organizations to fight this injustice. These organizations were called the Universal Negro Improvement and Conservation Association and African Communities League, usually called the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Note: This Web site is for teacher reference only, not student use). UNIA’s purpose was to “promote the spirit of race, pride, and love; to administer to and assist the needy"; and to further the educational opportunities of boys and girls of African ancestry. Tell the class that Marcus Garvey made speeches at churches and other gathering places to attract like-minded individuals to join UNIA. Flyers would also be passed out on street corners, in churches, and other meeting places as a means of gathering members. Ask the class if they've heard the phrase "United we stand, divided we fall." Ask how this phrase can apply to an organization's effectiveness. Make sure the class understands that a group is usually more powerful than an individual in bringing about change.
Have the purpose of UNIA prepared on chart paper, and show it to the class. Ask the class how they can put the purpose into their own words. Under the "official" purpose put student suggestions.
Another organization working for the rights of African-Americans at this time, as well as the rights of women, was Ida B. Wells-Barnett and her Women’s Club of Chicago and the Alpha Suffrage Club. Wells-Barnett was also a founding member of the NAACP in 1909. (Students will learn more about the NAACP later.) The purpose of both the Women's Club and the Alpha Suffrage Club was to provide a forum for African-American women to "learn about civic matters and to develop strategies for empowerment." Again, have the official purpose posted for the class to read and list their suggestions below it. Have the class focus their thoughts on the ability of women to group together and find ways that they can have a voice in the way things in the United States were done. Remind the class that women did not have the right to vote until 1920.
Explain to the class that they will next learn about an organization that still exists today called the "NAACP." Write NAACP on the board. Ask, "Has anyone ever heard of the NAACP and what it does?" ("The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People" is an organization that works for the civil rights of African-Americans.) Write the full name of the organization on the board.
Next, write the word purpose on the board. Ask students why an organization like the NAACP is needed and what its purpose is. Have the class access the NAACP timeline Web site and read the "roots" of the organization. Discuss with the class why the NAACP was needed. Organize the class into five small groups. Assign each group to research a time period on the NAACP timeline and report on the advances that the organization had during that time period. Assign groups to the following periods: 1900? 1920? 1940? 1960? and 1980 to the present. Have the small groups discuss and rewrite the accomplishments of the NAACP in their own words. Call on individuals within the group to report to the rest of the class their research of the pertinent accomplishments.
Part 2: How Do Organizations Create Change?
Ask students if they belong to, or can think of any groups/organizations that are causing things to change for the better. Suggest organizations like the Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts; the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) or the local Humane Society for the protection of animals; various disease-fighting organizations like the American Cancer Society; or local groups in your community or area.
Note that an important part of organizations is that people working together to make change can achieve more than just one person working alone. Organizations can work because many people can come together to get things done.
Explain to students that it is important for organizations to get their message out and to recruit members. One important way that organizations do this is through advertising their purpose and letting people know what they are about and how they can get involved. Now we are going to look at examples of flyers of some organizations. Discuss the use of flyers to promote various organizations. Emphasize that flyers are important because they represent a large group speaking with one voice. (Local community centers or the school office may have examples that the teacher can bring to class.)
Review with students what sort of purposes flyers can serve, such as:
- Attract new members
- Establish the organization's message
- Get the organization's message out
Brainstorm with the class the features of a flyer. Create an "experience chart" that lists the class suggestions of flyer features. Some of these features should include:
- A clear, strong message that includes a call to action and a call to join
- Bold, eye-catching graphics
- Important information to know
- Name of organization
- Reason organization exists
You can access the following for an example of a flyer that you can look at in class:
You Can Be a Responsible Pet Caregiver!
http://www.hsus.org/web-files/HSI/E_Library_PDFs/eng_responsible_owner.pdf
Also, bring in a collection of flyers that you have collected from your local community, such as in local markets, laundromats, churches, gyms, etc. Collect flyers with a purpose, as opposed to advertisements selling products or sales. Look for flyers that are interesting and focused, as well as some that are dull and uninspiring. Suggest to the class that they be on the lookout for flyers as they are grocery shopping with their family, at the mall or other shopping centers, at movie theaters, on street post, etc. Ask the students to bring in any examples that they find. Distribute the Vocabulary Handout. Have the class view a variety of the flyers and discuss which flyers seem to be the most interesting, and why. Put class suggestions on chart paper that can be viewed as the class starts to work on their own flyers.
Part 3: Create Your Own Flyer with a Purpose
Distribute the Getting Organized!:
Creating a Flyer Handout. Have students work in groups to create flyers for either an organization of their choosing or one that is teacher-directed.
Students should decide upon an organization with a purpose that they
- are a member of;
- are interested in finding out more about or possibly even joining; or
- think would be a good group to create or form.
Flyers can be created on drawing paper with teacher-supplied materials. Should teachers/students have access to computer software, such as Riverdeep Print Shop® or Microsoft Word® that have ready-made templates for flyer production, students can create their flyers on these.
Suggest to the students that good flyers make good use of the space on paper. Words and graphics shouldn't be tiny so you can't read it easily, pictures should be big and bold, try to make the information on the flyer balance so you look at the whole and not a section.
Have students explain their flyers and then, as a group, analyze which flyers are most effective and why. Discuss with the class which flyers are the most interesting and why, which have too little information, too much information, etc. When looking at the flyer do you:
- know what the organization is?
- know what the purpose of the organization is?
- think the information and graphics make good use of the space?
- think the message is clear?
- want to learn more about the group?
Display the flyers in the classroom.
Assessment:
Refer to the Assessment Rubric to assess student performance.
Extensions:
Each student will create a timeline detailing the accomplishments of the NAACP.
Sources:
Web:
Authors:
-
Scholastic Inc.
New York, NY
