American Centuries

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American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > “Four Little Girls”

“Four Little Girls”

Details

Author
Holly Rodriguez
Topic/Subject Area
Civil Rights, Protest, Dissent
Historical Era
Counterculture, Civil Rights, and Cold War, 1946–1989
Grade Level
Middle School (6–8)
Creation Date
2010
Last Revision Date
2024

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About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that the exposure to segregation encouraged young adults to participate in the civil rights movement. Students will view three images and the documentary,”Four Little Girls”, in order to gather information about segregation, racial violence, non-violent protest, and leadership in the civil rights movement. They will have the opportunity to hear first-person accounts and view archival films of the aftermath of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Students will demonstrate newly acquired knowledge by creating written, visual, or multimedia presentations at three different levels: C Level (basic understanding; B Level (proficient understanding); and A Level (advanced understanding.)

Materials & Resources

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Teaching Plan

  1. Students will examine three political cartoons that deal with the civil rights movement. Each cartoon will be available at three separate areas (centers) within the classroom. In small groups, students will move through each center looking at the pictures and reading the captions. At each center chart paper will be posted so that each group can answer one of the 5 W questions (who, what, where, when and how).
  2. Students will discuss the cartoons and their reactions to them. During this discussion, they will identify the common topic or theme for the three cartoons. The theme should revolve around civil rights, segregation, and intolerance.
  3. Each student will then complete a KWL worksheet for the theme that was identified.
  4. Introduce the video, “Four Little Girls”. Explain that this is a documentary about the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in September, 1963. By viewing this documentary, students will see and hear firsthand accounts of what happened that day as well as see family members and relatives of the four girls who were killed. Caution students that there are graphic scenes of the victims and violence against African Americans. Stress that there are several examples (spoken and written) of derogatory terms that were used at that time, and remind them that these terms are unacceptable and inappropriate for use today. These words are used in the film for historical reference only so that students understand how powerful and inciteful they can be.
  5. Distribute a note-taking worksheet that lists major topics and events. This will allow students to keep track of events as they happen in the video.
  6. Periodically, stop the video to recap events and information, making sure that students have included this in their notes.
  7. At the conclusion of the video, have students complete the “What I Learned” section of the KWL. They should use their notes as a resource to complete the L part of the KWL chart. Encourage students to include names of people, events, and vocabulary.
  8. Assessment: C Level Assessment(basic understanding): From their L chart, students will choose one person, or one event, and create an informational presentation that explains/describes the person or event, gives the time and location of the event, and explains the impact that person or event had on the civil rights movement. The students must include at least 6 vocabulary words in their presentation as well as a bibliography. The presentation can be a slide show, an informational article, or a poster. Level B Assessment: In addition to completing C Level, B Level students will create a glossary of civil rights terms (no less than 20). Each term will include a complete definition and an explanation of how it is related to the civil rights movement. Level A Assessment: In addition to completing Level C, students will select 10 people who they think have had the greatest impact on the civil rights movement. They will create a Who’s Who that will include biographical information about 10 people that have a strong connection to the civil rights movement. This Who’s Who will include an actual photo of each person, biographical information including education and work history, and the impact that each has had (positive or negative) to the movement.