Summary
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., informed the American public of the challenges faced by African Americans. The movement was comprised of a series of non-violent protests that involved members of the African American community (attorneys, religious leaders, civic leaders and students) and empathic Caucasians. This movement extended greater equality to African Americans through social and legislative change. In 2013 the Black Lives Matter movement identified the need for further social and legal change. In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s to the Black Lives Matter movement. Based on their findings, and speculation about the future of civil rights, students will create a birthday message for Dr. King presenting the tenor of movements since the 60’s and their individual recommendations for change.
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Students use online resources to research/investigate the civil rights movement of the 60’s and the current Black Lives Matter movement. They gather information regarding the significance of both movements and their relevance to society. Photos, videos, news articles, speeches and other data are assembled and scrutinized for their video project.
Group work is what makes this project so interesting for middle schools whose understanding and knowledge of civil rights of the 60’s and Black Lives Matter is still remote. As they collaborate with each other, they ask questions. For example, Why did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. risk his life for the sake of everyone? Why did people seem to go back to their old ways of not treating others fairly? Has the world really changed that much since Dr. King was killed? Can anyone join Black Lives Matter? Their questions were continuous, and they have much to learn.
During this project, students had to focus and be objective as they reviewed pictures, video clips, sound tracks, etc. from the 60’s movement and today’s Black Lives Matter movement. Thinking critically about the content enabled them to generate questions, and make choices regarding their own values and perspectives on civil rights.
The digital story is unique in content. The contrast of 60’s movement with the current Black Lives Matter movement provide an authentic story for young minds to grasp and relay objectively. Facts and much data is reviewed and analyzed by the student groups according to their level of understanding. In addition, the music for the story was inspired by the music producer of this project. He took a risk in extending his feelings through musical notes not knowing how his peers would respond.
Student Artifact
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