Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement
Created by: Lisa DeRose
sit-in

_{The Civil Rights movement
is a topic that we encounter many times throughout our education. It is always
helpful to know where to go to get information. Have have put together this
site to help you with just that. I hope you find this site helpful.}

Picture Books:

^{Ringgold, Faith. Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in
the Sky. Crown Publishing Group: New York, 1995.}

Summary:
This picture book is about Cassie, who flies above New York in Tar Beach, into the sky. This time, she and her brother Be Be meet a train full of people, and Be Be joins them. Cassie is unable to board the train because it leaves before she can get on. With Harriet Tubman as her guide, Cassie retraces the steps escaping slaves took on the real Underground Railroad and is finally reunited with her brother at the story's end. Through this story Cassie learns the history of her ancestors well. This book is full of historical facts and beautiful paintings. "

I feel this is a great book to introduce young children to the importance the Underground Railroad played in the Civil Rights movement and the civil war.

^{Ringgold, Faith. My Dream of Martin Luther King.
Dragonfly: New York, 1998.}

Summary:
This picture book tells about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. It is told through the description of a fictional dream. After reliving the life of MLK, everyone comes mourn Martin Luther King's death by trading in bags containing our prejudice, hate, ignorance, violence, and fear for the slain hero's dream. Every one puts their bag into the big pile. The last bag that was dumped explodes into the sky. It reads, EVERY GOOD THING STARTS WITH A DREAM."

There is said to be some controversy about how well young children would understand this book, but I feel that it can be used with older students. It does a great job of informing us about the life of MLK through a picture book. MLK is a huge part of the civil rights movement.

^{Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Holiday House: New York, 1989.}

Summary:
This is a biography written about Martin Luther King Jr. in the form of a picture book. The major facts about his life are accurate. It quickly goes through the years of his life, but it is a great way for younger children to learn about who he was and what he did. It begins the day he was born and ends with his funeral.

I think this is an easy read for many students and it covers on most of the major events during Martin Luther King JR's life. This author wrote picture books for many other famous people in history and it severs as a great resource.

^{Ringgold, Faith. If A Bus Could Talk. Simon and
Schuster: New York, 1999.}

Summary:
This book tells the story of Rosa Parks. The bus tells the story. On her way to school Marcie learns why Rosa Parks is the mother of the Civil Rights movement. At the end of her ride Marcie meets Rosa Parks at a birthday party. She also meets many other distinguished guests.

This book is written for children of the ages 5-9. I thought the pictures were great and the story was just as good. It is an interesting way to tell the story of Rosa Parks. Although this book was written for younger children I think it could be read to any student and they will learn something. Most students can relate to riding a bus at some point in their life, so children will enjoy the story of her magical ride on the bus.

Biographies

^{Davidson, Margaret. I have a Dream. Scholastic: New
York, 1986.}

Summary:
This is a biography about the life of Martin Luther King Jr. It tells the story of when he was a young boy going to school and his feelings that he had about the things that were going on around him. The book goes on to tell what he did about the things, which he truly felt, were wrong. The book tells about the speeches he made and the marches that he led. The book comes to an end after he was shot and killed.

This is a good book to share with those students who want to read chapter books. This is a chapter book that is very informative, but at a level that is not too difficult for students to read. There are some fictional conversations to help make the story more enjoyable for younger readers, but the major events and facts are accurate.

^{Levine, Ellen.
Freedom's Children.G.P.
Putnam's Sons: New York,1993.}
Summary:
This is a book that tells the stories of African American children and teenagers who lived during the Civil Rights movements. We hear many stories about MLK and Rosa Parks, but very few people know about the children and teenagers who fought for their rights in the same way.

This book tells facts about the time period, as well as giving the students something to relate to. I think that the children will be interested in this book because the people that it is about are people close to their age. I feel that there is a lot of text for a student to read but they can skip around in the book because it is a collection of autobiographies. There are also some great photos in the book for the students to look at so they are able to get a visual image about the time and people.

^{Greenfield, Eloise. Rosa Parks. Crowell Biography:
New York, 1973.}
Summary:
This is a short fictionalized biography of Rosa Parks and her part in the precipitating the Montgomery bus boycott.

Although this book is old I think it tells the story of Rosa Parks well. It talks about her feeling as a young girl. I like the relationship she and her mother had and I feel it is a positive and expiring book for young children.

Folk tales

^{Lester, Julius.
Black Folktales. Richard
W. Barron: New York, 1969.}
Summary:
This is a collection of folktales that were told by the people of the villages and the cities in Africa, Afro- America during the time of slavery, the south and the cites during the time of slavery. There are many kinds of stories some teaching you something, some to make you laugh and some to make you think.

This is an interesting book to read because these were stories that were told during the time of slavery by the very people that were fighting for their civil rights. Many of the stories are just fun to read.

Poetry and Song

^{Finlayson, Reggie. We Shall Overcome. Lerner Publications:
Minneapolis}^{,
2003.}

Summary:
This is a book tells the story of the civil rights movement. It covers stories such as the murder of Emitt Till and the "I have A Dream" speech. The author tells these stories in a very creative way. He uses quotes from civil rights songs to convey the emotions of the people at that time.

This is a well written book about the Civil Right movements. It has great pictures and accurate information that truly conveys the time. Although it is a book with tons and tons of non-fiction information it is written at a level where young reader (4th grade and up) could understand the language.

^{Livingston, Myra Cohn. Let Freedom Ring: A Ballad of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Holiday House: New York, 1992.}
Summary:
This book tells the story of MLK's life in a ballad; drawing upon quotes from his famous " I have a Dream" speech. The book captures the feelings of MLK and his visions of the world he lived in. The story ends with the death of MLK.

I feel this is a great book. The pictures are powerful and the text tells many facts of the Civil Rights movement in a way that is appropriate for children.

Chapter Books

^{Crowe, Chris.Mississippi Trial. Phyllis Fogelman:
New York,2002.}
Summary:
This book is based on historical events told from the perspective of a white teenager confronting racism. When he goes to visit his grandpa he witnesses racism first hand. This story tells the story of the lynching of Emitt Till.

I read this book and I truly loved it. I never really knew that much about Emitt Till. This book got me really interested in learning about him. Doing a project on this book and researching to find how accurate the information truly is helped me to realize what in important role this event played in the Civil Rights movement.

^{Armistead, John. The Return of Gabriel. Milkweed
Editions;1st ed.,1902.

Summary:

This is a story
about a friendship between two teenage boys in the south during the time
of the Civil Rights movement. One of the boys is white and one is black;
this causes some problems. The novel touches on the struggles that they had
and how they come to some sort of resolution.

I thought this would be a good book for the students to read because
it discusses facts about the time period. It also touches on the struggles
that some teenagers of that time may have had, so they can relate to the
book.}

Informational Books

^{Crowe, Chris. Getting away with Murder. Phyliss
Fogelman: New York, 2003.}
Summary:
This book tells the story of Emitt Till and how he was brutally lynched and murdered.

I felt this was a great book to go along with Mississippi Trial. This book I feel is for a more mature audience. It has pictures that may be hard for some to handle. I feel this book does a great job of showing the impact and importance this crime had on our history.

^{Kallen, Stuart. The Civil Rights Movement. ABDO:
Minnisota, 2001.

_Summary:_{This book is
a very structured informative book. It is organized into chapters that are
about different topics and events in the Civil Rights movement.

I feel that this book is a great resource for students and teachers.
The information is organized and is easy to follow and find. The pictures
enhance the quality of the book and I feel that students would really enjoy
learning from this book.}

Fireside, Harvey.The Mississippi Burning Civil Rights
Murder Conspiracy Trial: A Headline Court Case.Enslow: New York,2002}Summary:
This book examines the trials of the men accused of killing three Cilvil Rights workers, in Mississippi in 1964. This verdict marked the first time, in Mississippi, that a white man was was convicted of the murder of a black man.

I feel this is a great book for students to read because it shows the reality of what was happening at this time. This was an actual case that is a part of our history.

Professional Resources

Amazon has many books on the topic of the Civil Rights movement. I found it to be a great place to find ideas for books for every grade level.
Go to Amazon and see the results that I found.

There are so many web sites that can help to find information about the Civil Right movements. Take a look for yourself to see if they help. If you click on the picture below it will take you there.