Promising Practices Teaching Young Children about the Civil Rights Movement Applying Effective & Developmentally Appropriate Strategies Janet E. Foster, Tonja L. Root, & Seungyoun Lee Introduction Considering the importance of the Selected Developmental Civil Rights Movement, children need to It is crucial for teachers to persis- Characteristics That Influence be introduced to the related concepts early Children’s Learning tently examine, be knowledgeable about, in their school experiences, and teachers and reflect on their beliefs, assumptions, need to consider students’ developmental Teachers must consider the devel- values, standpoints, experiences, biases, needs and curriculum standards in order to opmental levels of the children they are prejudices, and stereotypes about diversity provide appropriate content and methods teaching as guidance in planning instruc- and multicultural education that they of instruction. tion about the Civil Rights Movement, carry into their teaching and learning. The purpose of this article is to in- since aspects of emotional, social, cognitive, Teachers’ viewpoints and interpretations troduce a variety of resources to support and moral development are important in about the Civil Rights Movement will teaching and learning about the Civil organizing effective instruction. Accord- affect their problem-solving and decision- Rights Movement based on the premise ing to Copple and Bredekamp (2008), making as well as discussions on the topic that concrete learning experiences permit kindergarten-aged children are able to and resources and materials they choose children to build an understanding that form and sustain relationships and seek for such lessons. will impact their learning, attitudes, and peer acceptance. These characteristics The Civil Rights Movement is today beliefs about diversity and multicultural are important in understanding the Civil just as important a topic as it was in 1954 education. Rights Movement. when Chief Justice Warren of the United In order to create harmonious rela- States Supreme Court wrote in Brown v. Curriculum Standards Related tionships with people of diverse races, Board of Education of Topeka: to the Civil Rights Movement ethnicities, and cultures, children must be Today, education is perhaps the most im- able to form friendship bonds with others portant function of state and local govern- Many states have curriculum stan- and care about forming those relation- ment...Today it is a principal instrument dards that specifically relate to the Civil ships. Likewise, kindergarteners are at an in awakening the child to cultural values, Rights Movement, or standards that can age when they are becoming increasingly in preparing him for later professional be supported and fulfilled by including sympathetic and better able to understand training, and in helping him to adjust content about the Civil Rights Movement others’ minds and emotions. These devel- normally to his environment. (Brown v. as a part of the curriculum. By review- Board of Education of Topeka, 1954, Opinion oping characteristics support their under- section, para. 10) ing their state standards, teachers can standing and sympathy for the unfairness identify the opportunities that exist to of the situations which non-Caucasian As a part of children’s education, the provide children with background experi- people faced prior to and during the period study of the Civil Rights Movement can ences to allow them to build a foundation of the Civil Rights Movement. help us achieve Chief Justice Warren’s for knowledge and understanding of the In addition, children in the primary stated ideal. To this end teachers should Civil Rights Movement. and early intermediate grades are devel- include instruction about the Civil Rights Standards for grades kindergarten oping the ability to infer others’ thoughts, Movement to provide evidence that every through five typically include topics that expectations, feelings, and intentions citizen of the United States of America range from identifying and describing (Copple & Bredekamp, 2008). This social enjoys the rights and freedoms outlined Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and describing understanding will permit them to exam- in the U.S. Constitution. how historical figures displayed positive ine the historical events associated with character traits, to discussing the lives of the Civil Rights Movement and experience people who expanded people’s rights and Janet E. Foster is as associate professor appropriate emotional responses. freedoms in a democracy and important and Tonja L. Root is a professor (retired), All children have adequate life ex- events of the Civil Rights Movement. As both with the Department of Early Childhood periences and developmental growth to children engage in developmentally ap- and Special Education understand the concept of fairness. If propriate learning experiences, they can at Valdosta State University, another child receives more cookies at obtain an understanding of the events, Valdosta, Georgia. snack time, the slighted child understands people, and significance of this important Seungyoun Lee is president that his portion is not fair. The child who historical movement. of C. E. Ward and Associates, receives a negative consequence for her Douglasville, Georgia. misbehavior understands that it is unfair SPRING/SUMMER 2015 43 Promising Practices when another child does not receive the ing styles, in order to guide, activate, and portunity to reenact or represent their same consequence for the same infraction. provide practice for the children. Teachers learning and thinking about the Civil When teachers use the concept of fairness can support the children’s achievement Rights Movement. as the foundation for teaching children and successful learning about the Civil Here are some illustrations of teach- about the Civil Rights Movement, children Rights Movement by providing them with ers’ use of images to give children a con- are more likely to respond to instruction hands-on experiences in relation to the crete learning experience with people and with feelings of sympathy. topic. events of the Civil Rights Movement: Regarding cognitive development, kin- In the sections below we describe a School integration. View the photo- dergarten, primary, and early intermediate variety resources that give more owner- graph of Ruby Bridges (see Figure grade children share three developmental ship of learning to children, provide more 1) being escorted to and from school characteristics that impact their learning interaction and collaboration with their by federal marshals; discuss what about the Civil Rights Movement (Copple peers and teachers, and enhance teach- children notice about the image. Ask & Bredekamp, 2008). First, as children ing and learning about the Civil Rights questions about Ruby’s experiences, move into the early grades, they are be- Movement. such as: coming less egocentric, are beginning to understand multiple perspectives, and Iconic Images How do you think Ruby felt are able to understand the implications of A picture is worth a thousand words. when she was surrounded? being treated unfairly on people’s feelings Because the Civil Rights Movement took and responses to situations. This under- Why do you think Ruby needed place in the modern age, numerous images law officers to escort her? standing will allow them to put themselves exist to help children become acquainted into the position of people who have been with leaders and events of that histori- Allow children to write letters to treated unfairly and to reason about ways cal period. Introducing children to these Ruby Bridges to thank her for the to respond to such treatment. iconic photographs, teachers can discuss bravery she exhibited when she was Second, children in kindergarten, pri- the people or events depicted in the im- the first African-American child to mary, and even early intermediate grades ages, and provide children with the op- attend an ‘all-White’ school in New require “hands-on” learning, as they need Orleans. concrete materials for the effective teach- ing strategies that are selected. Since children need to be personally engaged FIGURE 1 with their minds, bodies, and hands, the effective teacher will examine multiple resources that can be used to support children’s learning and use them to enable children to experience and think about the Civil Rights Movement through multiple avenues. Finally, children in kindergarten, primary, and early intermediate grades demonstrate good memory of information that is meaningful to them. Therefore, teachers must help children make connec- tions between content related to the Civil Rights Movement and the students’ own lives in order for that content to be learned and to be meaningful to children. When teachers select instructional strategies that support children’s cognitive needs, they are likely to build a founda- tion of learning which will impact future opportunities to learn. When this learning is made relevant to their lives, the knowl- edge and dispositions that they obtain can impact society in positive ways, now in the present and in the future. Resources to Support Teaching about the Civil Rights Movement In order to make the curriculum ap- propriate and accessible to the needs of children, teachers should differentiate teaching according to the children’s learn- Ruby Bridges being escorted from her school (William Frantz Elementary) by federal marshals in 1960. MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 44 Promising Practices March