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“Enough is Enough!- The Montgomery Bus Boycott”
Holly Blakely
In this lesson students will extend the scope of the Rosa Parks story beyond 1950s Montgomery and examine in closer detail the role of the individual in a democracy. Students should come away with a sense of how ordinary people can stand up to powerful forces and traditions to create social change.
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90 minutes
3Y3
In what ways can ordinary people create social change?
Students will complete a brief word search that contains vocabulary relevant to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
The teacher will involve students in a class discussion about the following:
Have you ever spoken out or taken action against something you believed was unjust? (It could be something that occurred at school, at home, or something you heard about or saw on the news.)
Discussion questions:
- Why did you feel the way you did?
- How did this law, policy, or rule affect you and your peers/friends?
- What course of action, if any, did you take?
- Did anyone help you or did you act alone? What kind of help did you receive?
- What are the benefits of acting as part of a team? Acting alone?
BEFORE LESSON
Key vocabulary:
- The teacher will discuss key vocabulary listed on the word search and have students match the words to their meanings on the board.
- Boycott
- Montgomery
- Activists
- Citizenship
- Nonviolent
- Segregation
- The teacher will ask students to share what they know about Rosa Parks.
- Who is Rosa Parks?
- Where and when did she live?
- Why is she considered a national hero?
- What was the impact of her actions on the course of history?
DURING LESSON
Teaching Strategies:
- The teacher will inform students that they will be viewing a video about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. The teacher will show Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks. (available for purchase at amazon.com)
- Post-viewing discussion questions:
- o What was life like for African Americans in the south when Rosa Parks was a child?
- o How was Mrs. Parks "raised a little different"?
- o Describe the first encounter Mrs. Parks had with bus driver James Blake in 1943. How do you think this particular event influenced her actions in the 1955 encounter with the same bus driver?
- o In what ways did her experiences at Highlander Folk School inspire Mrs. Parks when she returned to Montgomery?
- o In what ways were young people involved in the Montgomery Bus Boycott? How do you think young people today might best communicate with each other about a protest?
- o How was Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. instrumental in the Montgomery Bus Boycott? How do you think the boycott may have been different without his leadership?
- o What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship? Do you have to obey all laws to practice good citizenship? Why or why not?
- o What economic effects did the bus boycott have on the city of Montgomery? Did all white people react the same to the boycott?
- o How did the Supreme Court rule on the bus segregation laws of Montgomery?
- o In what ways did many ordinary individuals, in addition to Rosa Parks, contribute to the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Do you think any changes would have taken place in Montgomery without the commitment of the black people to stay off the buses?
***If video/DVD is not available, direct students to http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/ to find the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and a biography of Rosa Parks. A short video clip is also available at this website.
AFTER LESSON: Questioning
- Is it possible for ordinary people to make social changes?
The teacher will assign students to three different literature circles, to read and report on the following book titles: (all available at www.amazon.com )
- My Story, Rosa Parks and Jim Haskins (higher-level readers)
- Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth, Rosa Parks and Gregory Reed (average readers)
- Take a Stand, Rosa Parks, Peter and Connie Roop (Lower-level readers)
Suggestion: Have students write summaries of their readings in bus-shaped booklets, to be displayed for others to read.
The teacher will provide copies of Rita Dove's "Rosa," a poem written in tribute to Mrs. Parks. (found at http://www.nortonpoets.com/ex/doveronthebus.htm ) The teacher and students will examine the poem together, discussing the following questions:
- What event is Rita Dove describing in the poem?
- Explain the phrase "so wrong it was ready."
- What does Dove imply by describing Mrs. Parks' coat as "sensible"?
- What is the irony in "doing nothing was the doing"?
- What is the contradiction in "How she stood up"?
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Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 Word Search_Y3 Blak
Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 Word Search Solutio