1. The Quest for Equality By Jeanenne Verret & Tina Spriggs EDU 505—Harrison Yang

2. Introduction The Civil Rights Era was a time of turmoil in our country where African-Americans, along with allies of other races, decided that enough was enough. They felt that all men should be created equal regardless of the color of their skin. Racism against black people was running rampant in the United States of America. It was seen in every avenue from the use of public buildings and transportation, job discrimination, and the inability to vote. It was a time when people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up and showed the world that what was going on was disgusting, inhumane and changes were needed. Although we have come a long way since the end of segregation in the 70s, racism still lives on today.

3. Task You are a journalist from the Civil Rights Era reporting on a major event in the fight for equality. Your task is to be an eyewitness at a major event in history and write an article including the following: 1.Report the occurrences at this event – be sure to include the five W’s. 2.Explain the importance of the event – the goal that the event set out to achieve. 3.Give your opinion about how the event may affect the future of American society – discuss government action taken due to the occurrence. 4.Include pictures and captions when applicable. 5.Format your article as if it were part of an actual newspaper.

4. Process Day 1: Decide on the topic you will be writing about – be sure to explore the different events and websites provided to find one of most interest to you. Day 2: Research your specific event by gathering information from the websites noted. Day 3: Draft your article – be sure to stay in character and to complete all parts of the assignment. Day 4: Revise and Edit your draft – begin to format your article. Day 5: Complete your project – the final product is due at the end of the period.

5. Resources KODAK: Powerful Days in Black and White "With an Even Hand": Brown v. Board at Fifty (Library of Congress Exhibition)"With an Even Hand": Brown v. Board at Fifty (Library of Congress Exhibition) African American Odyssey: The Civil Rights Era (Part 1) American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream The Seattle Times | Martin Luther King Jr.

6. Resources Continued Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat | How Rosa Parks Fought for Civil Rights | Scholastic.comRosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat | How Rosa Parks Fought for Civil Rights | Scholastic.com Greensboro Sit-Ins: Launch of a Civil Rights Movement : HomeGreensboro Sit-Ins: Launch of a Civil Rights Movement : Home American Experience | Eyes on the Prize | The Story of the Movement | PBSAmerican Experience | Eyes on the Prize | The Story of the Movement | PBS

7. Rubric Quality5 Responses at this level: 4 Responses at this level: 3 Responses at this level: 2 Responses at this level: 1 Responses at this level: Content: Description of the event including the who, what, where, when and why. Include a full description of the event. Address many of the key parts of the event. Show some understanding of the event. Give a basic understanding of the event. Provide little understanding of the event. Explanation: Connect this event with and explain its importance in history. Connect ideas fully. Sufficiently connected ideas. Little connection to history. May include some historical inaccuracies. Does not connect ideas to history. Editorial: React personally to the event in the persona of an observer from the era Makes a clear, personal reaction. Makes a general reaction. Shows an attempt to react. Shows little attempt to react. Does not react to the event. Visual: Appeal to the audience using pictures and captions that are connected to the event. Uses relevant visuals with appropriate captions. Uses relevant visuals without captions. Visuals may not be specific to the event. Visuals are not connected to the event. Does not use visuals. Format: Present the article in a format consistent with that of an actual newspaper. Extremely realistic and creative. Realistic.Fairly realistic. Attempts to change format of article. Does not change the format. Score Point 0 = The student does not hand in a project.

8. Conclusion Congratulations on completing The Quest for Equality. You have learned about an important event in history, the Civil Rights Era. Hopefully you have made a personal connection with this event and it has changed your thoughts about race and equality forever! So, the question we leave you with is this, how will you take what you have learned from history, about racism, and stop it from repeating today?

9. Audience: This webquest is designed for 8th graders completing their 2nd year of U.S. History before the New York State Social Studies 8 exam. It can be modified to accommodate younger and older students by using different resources. Timeline: 5 days, including research and writing time. The project can be done independently or as a group, doing one or more topics and combining them to create a civil rights newspaper of sorts. This timeframe does not include presentations. Goal: Students will make a personal connection to the civil rights era and consider racism in society today. Objectives: Students will research one major event from the civil rights movement. Students will write a newspaper article from the point of view of a reporter from the civil rights era. Students will make a personal connection and react to an event of their choosing. NYS Standards: Standard 1: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding if major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York. Performance Indicators - Students will: oInvestigate key turning points in New York State and United States history and explain why these events or developments are significant oComplete well-documented and historically accurate case studies about individuals and groups who represent different ethnic, national, and religious groups, including Native Americans Indians, in New York State and the United States at different times and in different locations oGather and organize information about the important achievements and contributions of individuals and groups living in New York State and the United States Standard 5: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the U.S. and other nations; the U.S. Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation. Performance Indicators - Students will: oAnalyze how the values of a nation affect the guarantee of human rights and make provisions for human needs oAnalyze the sources of a nation's values as embodied in its constitution, statutes, and important court cases