Creator: National Endowment for the Humanities | visit site
Grade Range: 8 - 11
Four documentary films related to the Civil Rights Movement, available to stream either in part or in their entirety, form the centerpiece of this effort from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The films cover time periods beginning with the Abolitionist Movement and continuing through the Freedom Marches and the turbulent 1960s. Explore the meaning of freedom and equality in the United States with relevance still today. There are teacher resources, lesson plans, and suggestions for aligning lessons to the Common Core.
In the Classroom
The documentaries, or the excerpts presented, are all available to stream from the site. While they may be too lengthy to show in their entirety during one class period, they have also been divided into clips according to themes. For example, Equality is part of the full video about Law and the Strategy of Nonviolence. This makes them more adaptable for classroom use. Share the videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector, or flip your class using EdPuzzle, <a href="/single.cfm?id=15288">reviewed here</a>, and have students watch clips at home and come back to class ready to discuss. EdPuzzle is a great way to take sections of videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. Alternatively, you could use VideoAnt, <a href="/single.cfm?id=14943">reviewed here</a>, to enhance student learning with students asking questions about the parts where they need clarification. The issues raised by these Created Equal documentaries may be easily incorporated into lessons related to the Civil Rights Movement, modern U.S. history, Black History Month, or civics and government. Use these videos as conversation starters in the classroom.
At Home
Do you have a historian living in your home? Or does your family just have a thirst for American history? Take your preteen or teen back in time using these video clips to reveal what life was like (for some). Discuss what is different today (and is the same).
Tags
segregation, black history, bill of rights, emancipation proclamation, civil rights, civil war,
Subjects
American History, Current Events, Government/Civics: U.S, History & Culture: The Americas, Social Studies, Social Studies,