In 1849 the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools are allowed under the state’s constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court will later use Roberts v. City of Boston to support “separate but equal.” Over100 years later, the Supreme Court overturns Plessy v. Ferguson that states separate schools are unequal, but they don’t enforce the decision right away. Almost half of the country (northerners mainly) believe that whites and blacks should attend the same schools during this time. Taking the next step became difficult and scary as Black families decided to send their children to all-white schools.
In 1961, a group of African-American 6-year-olds bravely entered integrated white classrooms. The history of school desegregation is not an easy topic to teach, but it is essential. The Memphis 13 Opinion Writing Unit will help students understand how these students, who are now adults, felt as they created history.
School Integration
The process of ending segregated school settings was a tumultuous one. Even though governments ruled it was time for desegregation to occur, many society members did not accept this. Therefore, there is so much to learn and understand about the bravery that children in schools and their families had to show.
Going Beyond the Well Known
When learning about school desegregation, Ruby Bridges and the Little Rock Nine are almost always addressed. She was the first African-American child to desegregate her school. Likewise, the Little Rock Nine consisted of nine teens who were the first African-American students to enrolled at the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Of course, both of these examples are essential to learning about. However, there can be others brought into classrooms as well. Students need to understand that there were many other acts of violence against African-American children who tried to integrate into white schools.
Memphis 13 and Charlottesville 12
The Memphis 13 and Charlottesville 12 represent two additional groups of African-American students that integrated all-white schools. Unfortunately, like others, their transitions were not easy. Students were ignored, targeted, and harassed. Sadly, communities continued to fight against integration. Although they were supposed to integrate, children were subjected to cruelty and inhumane treatment. Thankfully, these families did not give up and pushed for full integration.
Memphis 13 Opinion Writing Unit
Should African American parents allow their children to integrate all-white schools? This is the essential question that students will answer throughout this unit. While opinion writing is a tough skill, it is so vital to learning.
Undoubtedly, the unit will transition students from single sentences to a full paper. First, students will learn how to draw readers in with a strong hook. Additionally, they will be given examples and models to use when writing their own.
Second, students will begin to form reasons for their opinion. It is important to ensure they will not be judged for their opinion. Simply, it just needs to be supported with reasons and examples. The unit even includes transition words to progress students from paragraph to paragraph.
Before publishing, it is important to teach students how to edit. Therefore, a checklist has been provided. The checklist involves every aspect of the writing process that students go through. Even better, it can be completed in a variety of ways. For example, it may be done independently, with a guardian, or with a buddy in the classroom! When students are ready to publish, there are multiple versions included. There is even a schoolhouse for students to design!
The Memphis 13 Opinion Writing Unit serves many important purposes in the classroom. First, it gets students used to writing longer pieces. Second, it teaches students how important it is to be able to explain their opinion. Lastly, it incorporates a historical topic to learn about. History and writing are coming together to create a thought-provoking, profound lesson.
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