Introduction
Slavery, Jim Crow laws, and the Civil Rights movement are new concepts to my students. While many of my students have surely experienced racism in one form or another, they have not experienced such a brutal, institutionalized and legislated form (except when anyone says "La Migra," then they all pay close attention, as no one wants to be deported by the top division of the immigration police). I expect most will be shocked that state and federal governments fostered these racist laws. However, there will be a few who will quickly draw some comparisons to their own lives, having had the painful experience of a family member deported back to Mexico. This unit will give them the background information to understand the African American struggle and eventually use this information to help them understand their own cultural struggles for citizenship and equal rights in America. By the end of this unit, students will know what Jim Crow laws are and will also know many of the important civil right events. Students will be acquainted with the leaders who took a stand and made a difference in the lives of the African American people.
Mount Pleasant Elementary School is nestled in the east foothills of San Jose, California. It serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade with general education, ELD, intervention, and an afterschool program. We provide many services to the community and encourage parental involvement. Each year we have many community events such as our Afro/Caribbean festival, a Cinco de Mayo program, and a Science Fair. Fifth graders are also given an opportunity to attend Science Camp for four days where they learn about ecology, biology, and social skills. We have an outstanding after school program that provides additional academic help, social interaction, and broadens the student's world with field trips. Our school has primarily a Latino population but also has a diverse mixture of other ethnicities. In fact, our student population consists of 85% Latino, 7% Asian, 5% Pilipino, 1% African American, 1% White, and 1% unspecified. It should be noted that 65% of our students are English Language Learners (ELL). About 85% of our students are economically disadvantaged and on a federally subsidized reduced lunch program.
My students face a plethora of challenges that shape their lives. Students often come to class hungry, tired, emotionally drained, and without supplies or books necessary for an education. Their lives are dominated by the colors red and blue. The Norteños (American/Hispanics – northern) identify themselves using red, and the Sureños (Mexico/Hispanics – southern) using blue. While historically the area was primarily Norteños, it has recently had an increased population of Sureños. The influx of Sureños and the decrease in the San Jose Gang Task Force has "heated" up the area considerably in the last year. These two rival gangs, and the violence they bring, affects the lives of many of my students. While students are required to wear uniforms, so gang affiliation is not signified, student safety is still an ongoing issue. For many of my students, basic needs for shelter, sustenance and safety have not been met when they enter my classroom in the morning.
I teach the fifth grade consisting of nine and ten year-old students whose reading levels vary from first to ninth grade. This broad spectrum of capabilities requires that I differentiate the curriculum using small group strategies for reading, language arts, science and social science. Much of our day is reading, language arts, English language development (ELD), and math. The afternoon hours (about 1.25 hours) must cover technology, science, physical education, and social science. This leaves very little time for social science. However, with the Federal Common Core Standards peeking their head around the corner, there will be more reading of literary nonfiction and informational texts, including essays and speeches, and more opportunity to integrate reading with social science.
Comments: