TEACHER'S GUIDE: The Road to Equal Education: From HBCUs to Brown v. Board
TEACHER'S GUIDE: The Road to Equal Education: From HBCUs to Brown v. Board
This lesson focuses on three main ideas:
- Thurgood Marshall education at Lincoln University and Howard University, both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) founded after the Civil War.
- The role of HBCUs and the Freedmen’s Bureau in expanding educational opportunities for African Americans.
- Marshall’s fight for school desegregation, from the Murray v. Pearson (1936) case in Maryland to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision.
PROCEDURE
Introduction (15 Minutes)
- Read the lesson introduction to students and review the new vocabulary. Students will watch the Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect video clip.
- As a class, discuss the essential questions and thinking questions aligned to the topic and video. This could be done via a think-pair-share or as a whole-group discussion.
Extension (20-30 minutes)
Complete extension activities with students, as you see fit.
Summative Assessment (30 minutes)
Have students apply their newfound knowledge by using the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) framework to analyze the lesson and support their responses using evidence from the videos and activity resources.
- Make a claim about whether Thurgood Marshall achieved his goal of expanding freedom for African Americans. Use evidence and reasoning from the lesson and video clips to show the impact of his work on freedom and equality.
Summative CER Rubric
Use the provided rubric to evaluate students’ work.
Emerging Score Point 1 | Not There Yet Score Point 2 | Beginning To Score Point 3 | Yes Score Point 4 |
The claim is missing. The claim is incorrect. | The claim is only partially accurate. The claim is not clearly stated or difficult to find. | The claim is accurate but not clearly stated. The claim may have a misconception. | The claim is accurate. The claim is clearly evident |
There is no evidence. The offered evidence is not accurate or not related to the claim. | The evidence supporting the claim is partially accurate. There is evidence of student understanding of the topic and sources. | The evidence is mostly accurate and supportive of the claim. The student understands the task, but has some errors in their application. | The evidence supports the claim without error. The student uses appropriate and accurate sources of information as evidence. |
Reasoning is not provided. The reasoning provided shows poor word choice, and there is no or little relationship to the claim and evidence. | The reasoning provided is not accurate. The word choice does not align with explaining the evidence or in support of the claim. | There is partial alignment with the claim and supporting evidence. Vocabulary is mostly appropriate in supporting the claim. | The chosen reasons wholly support the claim and explain the evidence. The correct sources figure prominently in the explanation. |
Reflection (20 Minutes)
Have students complete a reflection in response to the following questions:
- Why was the Freedmen’s Bureau created?
- What is important to know about the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) decision that can be related to the life and actions of Thurgood Marshall?
- Did segregated schools prevent African Americans from achieving great things? How does Thurgood Marshall’s life help to explain this?
- Why were HBCUs important to the education of many African Americans in the late 1800s and early 1900s?
- How was Maryland important in the educational history of African Americans?
- Explain how the Murray v. Pearson (1936) case was a special case for Thurgood Marshall?
- What did the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) case do for African American students?
STANDARDS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Reference
A film clip from Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect was used in this lesson. Continue to watch the full documentary to hear Thurgood Marshall tell his own story through a rare eight-hour oral history that serves as the documentary’s foundation.