Our class has been discovering and discussing the connections between the separation of the colonies from Britain, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement. In all cases, there were those who favored change, those who favored no change, and those who were undecided. For those who favored change and fought for it, there were risks. Sacrifices were made. New freedoms were awarded.
We previewed Freedom Walkers, and students have been invited to read it on their own. Each has a copy in their desks. We watched a few video clips about MLK, Jr., Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the civil rights movement. On Tuesday, we will join Mrs. Tranters class to watch the Disney movie Ruby Bridges. A young African American girl faces a world of racism as she begins her education in a school that until now had only served white students. Next week, we will also begin the reading of the fictional novel The Liberation of Gabriel King. This book is read by all fifth graders in D25 as part of the Writer's Express Response to Fiction unit. This book is about a friendship between a boy and a girl and is set in the 1970's in the south where racial discrimination affected the community.