[ABCDE] VOLUME 3, ISSUE 8 Boom and Brown INSIDE Map It Sputnik First 9 15 in Space The Seeds Law and Order 17 of Desegregation 20 May 25, 2004 © 2004 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 3, ISSUE 8 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Boom and Brown Brown v. Board Online KidsPost Article: “The Unboring Illustrated True Story of http://www.brownat50.org/ the Washington Area from 1600 to Right Now, Part 8” Fulfilling the Promise Howard University School of Law and Lesson: In the midst of a booming first American in space and the University played significant roles in economy, the nation’s capital was Berlin Wall went up here on earth. the decision. Web site provides timeline faced with communists, Cold War In 1963 Sylvia Plath’s novel The and cases that lead to Brown, biographic and a challenge to segregation Bell Jar and Maurice Sendak’s information of key figures and helpful that was practiced in its customs children’s classic Where the Wild links to educational and other resources. and laws. The nation was asked to Things Are were published, Martin evaluate democracy by the quality Luther King delivered his “I Have http://www.npr.org/news/ of education received by its children a Dream” speech at the Lincoln specials/brown50/ and if the classroom should be the Memorial and President John F. Brown v. Board of Education proving ground for social change. Kennedy was assassinated in Dalles. Listen to NPR broadcasts that include Level: All This guide features articles about 1989 interview of Thurgood Marshall, Subjects: History, social and activities for studying Brown memories of adults who were chil- studies, civics v. Board of Education. They dren in 1954, letters to President Related Activity: Language arts, range from KidsPost articles for Eisenhower, behind-the-scenes at the art, geography, technology younger students to Law and Order Supreme Court deliberations and provided by a Marshall Brennan perspectives of individuals involved About This Series Fellow at Washington College of in today’s educational environment. This is the eighth of nine parts of Law. In addition to studying an KidsPost’s illustrated look at the important Supreme Court case and http://www.landmarkcases. history of the Washington area. America in the 1950s, students may org/brown/home.html Each installment treats a different be asked to write the first draft Brown v. Board of Education (1954) period—European settlement, the of their school’s history—educa- Street Law and the Supreme Court creation of the nation’s capital, tion in 2004 at my school. Historical Society provide activities; the Civil War era, the turn of case background and questions are the century, up to the present. Read and Discuss provided on three reading levels. Give students “Q&A,” a reproduc- Political cartoons to analyze and regional May: Beltway Boom and Brown ible that provides information about newspaper coverage for students to The Washington area boomed daily life and the first visit of the study, compare and draw conclusions. during World War II, as thou- Beatles in New York City and D.C. sands of people moved to the You might relate to students http://www.nea.org/brown- nation’s capital to help in the war that some parents complained that vboard/index2.html effort. From Northern Virginia the music was bad for kids. Elvis The National Education Association to Northwest Washington to Presley, for example, was broad- provides concise presentation of what the suburbs of Maryland, thou- cast from the waist up when he the Court said about education, prior sands more worked to build performed on TV. A group called cases with links, aftermath of decision office buildings and homes Danny & the Juniors responded in a and current desegregation litigation. for all the newcomers. hit record with these words: “Rock Classroom activities and lessons. Along with post-war growth ‘n roll is here to stay, it will never came the baby boom and the Beat die. I don’t care what people http://www.trincoll.edu/ Generation. By 1950, scientists say, rock ’n’ roll is here to stay.” depts/educ/brown/ had invented the transistor (1948), Separate Is Not Equal Jonas Salk had developed a vacci- Alonzo Smith, research historian at nation for polio (1947) and televi- the National Museum of American sion was a “must have” in homes. History, provides background on In 1961, Gagarin became the first the case and questions to guide all man in space, Shepard became the students in a study of Brown. May 25, 2004 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 8 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program present the decades. Play hit tunes In the Post of each period for background. How Read Art do these reflect the economic condi- http://www.washingtonpost.com/ Provide students copies of tions and attitudes of the time? education/specials/brown/ “D.C. Rocks,” Patterson Clark’s 50 Years After Brown v. Board illustrated portrait of D.C. Check out Geography Archives of The Washington Post What does the artist think is Give students “Map It” which coverage of the decision and its influ- important to know about the reflects D.C. in 1965. If you are ence on the present are available era? See if students can find a using the previous maps for to you. The Web site includes print U.S. President (Dwight David comparison, note the section Eisenhower), a Supreme Court of the Potomac River that was articles, video clips, manuscripts of Justice (Thurgood Marshall) and filled in order to create the online discussions and graphics. a musician (Elvis Presley). runways of National Airport. Reporting includes: There was a new box in the This is the first map in the living room, the TV. Toddlers soon series to include the highway • Revisiting Topeka were watching Romper Room or numbering system. As students Progress Made, But More to Go Saturday morning cartoons such as are asked to identify the different Mighty Mouse, while their older highways that are completed or • Education Review: April 2004 brothers and sisters watched a under construction, you might How Far Have We Really Come? marionette named Howdy Doody. discuss the importance of having Rebuilding McKinley (video) What are children watching on a good highway system. Breaking Down Barriers (video) the TV in the illustration? In April 1939, President Roosevelt A new kind of music—rock- submitted a report and recom- and-roll—became hugely popular mendation for a “special system of • In the News with teenagers. On record players, direct interregional highways, with Remembering a Segregated Childhood: they listened to vinyl discs called all necessary connections through Education Secretary Paige 45s playing the new music of and around cities, designed to meet Bill Haley and the Comets, The the requirements of the national Schools and Lives Are Still Platters, Little Richard, Chuck defense and the needs of a growing Separate: Summerton, S.C. Berry and Elvis Presley. peacetime traffic of longer range.” Art in this period went from plain Years of study and disagreement Integration Slow in Coming: Maryland to psychedelic. In the 1940s, the passed. Finally, the first funds for model airplanes that manufacturers interstate highways were provided Shaping an Argument—and an Era made to sell aircraft to the military with the Federal-Aid Highway Act began to be sold in kits. Made first of 1952 which “authorized $25 of balsa wood, then plastic, the million for the interstate system If Only White Virginia Had planes required assembly. Children on a 50-50 matching basis.” A Followed Its Better Instincts and adults put the parts together small beginning to a large task. and sometimes even painted their “Ike” Eisenhower had trav- • From Newsweek models. In the 1950s paint-by- eled from D.C. to San Francisco A Dream Deferred: Fifty years after number packages were sold with in 1919 in the U.S. Army’s first Brown v. Board, the fight for decent brush, small paint bottles and transcontinental motor convoy schooling for black kids goes on a canvas that was mapped and and experienced the travails of numbered for the at-home “artist.” inadequate roads, and during the http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- Bright colors and patterns to the war he had seen the benefits of the dyn/articles/A31973-2004May16.html max expressed the spirit of baby German autoban. “Together, the boomers reaching their teens in the united forces of our communica- Brown Isn’t Enough 1960s. You might share examples tion and transportation systems Washington Post columnist William of toys, art and color pallets of each are dynamic elements in the very Raspberry begins with the ques- decade with students—or divide the tion, How much better off are we as a class into three parts and have them society as a result of that decision? May 25, 2004 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 8 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Give students a copy of “Sputnik Read About It First in Space.” Excerpts from name we bear—United States. four passages about the successful Giff, Patricia. Lily’s Crossing Without them, we would be a launch of Sputnik are provided. Lily is no saint, but through this 12- mere alliance of many separate After reading them, ask students year-old children learn what life at home parts,” stated President Dwight to compare and contrast the works. was like in 1944. During summer at D. Eisenhower, Feb. 22, 1955, Use these passages to develop skills Rockaway Beach, Lily meets Albert, a in his letter forwarding the Clay needed for reading comprehension.