Civil Rights Movement

This week in reading, the 5th graders have been immersed in reading and learning about an important time in our country's history.  In previous weeks, we spent some time learning about how our government works, particularly how the separation of powers keep any one person or branch from having too much power.  This background information set the scene for our jump into the Civil Rights Movement.  

After an exploration of videos and other resources, the students participated in a jigsaw activity. I began by modeling how the students will engage with the text. After reading the section for understanding, I went back and read it again with the purpose of identifying the relationships between people, events, and ideas.

Once I modeled the expectation for each student, I assigned each team member a section/topic to read and reflect on. The students spent time analyzing their section. They took notes, paying close attention to the information that would be most important for others to know.

Once each student had an opportunity to read and determine important information, they met as an expert group. Each member of the expert group shared their information using a round robin. So much learning was taking place during these conversations. Moving forward, our experts will take on the role of educators as they teach their respective teams about their assigned topics. The ultimate goal is for all students to gain insights into different facets of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. This jigsaw activity has proven to be a dynamic strategy, promoting active participation, collaboration, and enhanced comprehension of the historical text among our students.