Th e Legacy of Judge Ronald N. Davies and the Little Rock Nine ELEMENTARY VIEWERS GUIDE www .theroadtolittlerock .com CONTENTS Introduction: Courage, Honor and Determination . 2 Part I: Curriculum Content . 3-5 “I have a Part II: Glossary . 6 constitutional duty and Part III: Explanation of Activities . 7-19 obligation from which I shall not shrink.” Judge Ronald N. Davies September 7th, 1957 The Road to Little Rock First edition 2013 . Copyright Video Arts Studios All rights reserved . Activity handouts may be reproduced by teachers for classroom use . THE ROAD TO LITTLE ROCK 1 INTRODU INTRODUCTION by the “Little Rock Nine” who faced daily “Why do we need to learn this?” harassment and threats because they simply This is a question all teachers need to be sought to attend the high school of their prepared to answer . To answer this question choice . Students will also be introduced to teachers need engaging and relevant Federal Judge Ronald N . Davies, from Fargo, curriculum which demonstrates a clear North Dakota, who followed the law, ignored connection between the activities of the political pressure and required the school classroom with the lives and personal goals of district in Little Rock to integrate “forthwith” . the students . The ruling by Judge Davies provided great urgency for the desegregation of public Welcome to “The Road to Little Rock ”. The schools . The actions of the “Little Rock Nine” curriculum in this project was designed to and Judge Davies would change the course of provide teachers with additional tools to public school education in the United States help students discover accurate historical for all students . C content, demonstrate relevance of subject matter, maintain high engagement levels CURRICULUM within the classroom, teach students to source (SERVES ALL SOCIAL STUDIES TION information and to provide students the AND LANGUAGE ARTS COURSES) opportunity to apply content knowledge to “The Road to Little Rock” curriculum is contemporary issues . applicable for intermediate elementary school students . The content is also interdisciplinary . CIVIL RIGHT STORY The curriculum contains many components “The Road to Little Rock” tells the courageous that also apply to many language arts story of nine determined teenagers and one curriculums . The activities can easily be diminutive judge who demonstrated enduring differentiated by classroom teachers . positive human qualities of courage, honor, determination, and responsibility . The story “The Road to Little Rock” curriculum is begins in 1957 as nine African-American standard based with specific connections to teenagers sought enrollment at an all-white the North Dakota Social Studies Content high school in Little Rock, Arkansas . In Standards . The activities are also aligned 1957 many school districts continued to with the Common Core Standards in English ignore the 1954 Supreme Court ruling of Language Arts Literacy in History/Social Brown vs . Board of Education that declared Studies . that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional . Students will witness the The curriculum is intended to help you add courage and determination demonstrated to existing lessons/curriculum or fill in gaps which may exist in the curriculum . The activities have been designed to adapt to most classroom settings . Each activity can be easily adjusted to meet your own criteria . You are encouraged to use your professional skills to determine how to use the material to best serve the needs of your students . Please consider this curriculum as a tool that will lead your students to improved writing and reading skills as well as increasing his/her historical content knowledge and provides the opportunity to apply that knowledge . 2 THE ROAD TO LITTLE ROCK C URRI DVD (28 MINUTES): ▶ The Story of Ruby Bridges The DVD features a number of never seen by Robert Coles before interviews with three members of the The book is about six-year-old “Little Rock Nine” and U .S . Supreme Court Ruby Bridges who must confront Justice Stephen G . Breyer as well as other the hostility of white parents when individuals who played primary roles in the she becomes the first African desegregation of Central High School . The American girl to integrate Frantz DVD blends interviews with archival footage Elementary School in New Orleans and primary source documentation to tell the in 1960 . It is a similar story to that C story of the events which led to the integration of the Little Rock Nine students . of Central High School . Elementary students will be able to make several connections with this ULU VIEWER OBJECTIVES: book and the DVD and deepen their After viewing this DVD and participating in understanding of the content and the suggested activities, viewers should be able lessons learned . to do the following: • Briefly recount the events which led to the • Suggested discussion activity prior to integration of Central High School . viewing DVD: • Analyze a photo to interpret the feelings Pretend that the decision was made that and events experienced during the everyone who has blue eyes has to leave the M integration of Central High School . room while rest of the students receive some • Discuss Judge Ronald N. Davies’ role in the chocolate or treats. Discuss answers to the civil rights movement and how he stood up following questions with a partner: against discrimination . ▶ In this situation, how would you feel if • Explain how Judge Ronald N. Davies you had blue eyes? became a hero and role model for others . ▶ Do you think it’s reasonable for your teacher to decide who receives a treat RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS: based on the color of their eyes? What • http://beyondthebubble.stanford.edu/ if your teacher decided that only about-us students who had green eyes could • http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas. receive a treat? net/encyclopedia/entry-detail . ▶ How would you feel if you had green aspx?entryID=718 eyes and were allowed a treat when • http://www.loc.gov/teachers/ your best friend, who had blue eyes, is usingprimarysources/guides .html not allowed to eat a treat? • http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=aUXCJ37sTuM ACTIVITIES: Two post-activities are included in the packet . Teachers are encouraged to make modifications and The activities include primary source text changes to the following lesson plans whenever it will analysis (including quotes and photographs), enhance the students’ learning experience. Only by character education, sourcing information, tailoring the material to a unique classroom situation will and application of knowledge . You are teachers be able to maximize the learning experience encouraged to use each activity in the manner afforded by these materials. that best serves the needs of your students . Each activity has reproducible handouts . PRIOR TO VIEWING THE DVD: As a class, discuss the following: Teachers are encouraged to pre-screen the ▶ Who is being treated unfairly in this video to become familiar with the content. situation? These people are being • Suggested literature to read prior to discriminated against . viewing DVD: THE ROAD TO LITTLE ROCK 3 C URRI ▶ If you were the one being discriminated when one man, Federal Judge Ronald against, what would you do? N . Davies, stood tall for doing the right ▶ What would you do if you saw a thing and enforced the law . The actions classmate being discriminated against? carried out by the” Little Rock Nine” and Judge Ronald N . Davies resonated • Introduce the DVD Program: throughout the world in 1957 and ▶ What kind of person is a hero or continues to provide an example for all heroine? (Help students understand future generations on the importance C that heroes and heroines can be of taking a stand for what is right . afraid or discouraged, but still press on to meet their goals . Discuss how • Vocabulary to address: ULU there can be many different kinds of ▶ desegregation heroism .) Have you ever taken a stand ▶ discrimination against something you believed to be ▶ integration unfair? Did anyone join you when you ▶ integrity took a stand against an unfairness or ▶ litigation inequality? ▶ mobbed ▶ Tell the class that they will now be ▶ opposition watching a video on a story of nine ▶ unconstitutional courageous students (The Little Rock ▶ race M Nine) and one Federal judge (Ronald Preview other vocabulary terms found N . Davies) who changed the course of in Glossary. public school education . ▶ Have you heard of segregation? What DURING THE DVD VIEWING: does that word mean? Does it still Suggested activities while the viewing DVD: exist? • Segment Discussions: ▶ Explain that at one time, there were The DVD can easily be segmented for segregation laws that kept African- teaching purposes . As with the entire Americans apart from whites . Then the curriculum in this project teachers are U .S . Supreme Court decided in 1954 encouraged to use their skills and judgment that segregation in public schools was concerning the use of this material . The not allowed . Although many people content of the DVD could be approached in understood that segregation was four segments: unfair and against the law, not much happened after this ruling until the ▶ Segment #1 (7 .5 minutes): events unfolded in Little Rock in 1957 Introduction/background to segregation in the U .S ./Brown v . Board of Education, and ends with the Supreme Court order to desegregate immediately ■ Questions to consider: What does it mean to desegregate? ■ Explain to students as mentioned before, there were segregation laws that kept African-Americans apart from whites . Then the U .S . Supreme Court decided in 1954 that segregation in public schools was not allowed or unconstitutional . Not much happened after this ruling . Schools were still segregated . ■ Why do you think people decided not to follow this ruling even though it was unfair and against the law? 4 THE ROAD TO LITTLE ROCK C URRI ▶ Segment #2 (8 .5 minutes): Discussion ■ Did you ever ignore something or of the impact of the Brown v .