This unit covers a summary of African American history, after the Emancipation Proclamation through 1965. It divides the Jim Crow laws into types: disenfranchisement, segregation, as well as miscegenation. The unit contains a listing of some of the African American leaders starting from 1865 through the Civil Rights Movement ending in 1968.

There are three lessons developed for fifth-grade students using several scaffolding strategies. There is an introduction activity to pique the students' interests and then continues using a small groups technique to introduce the actual Jim Crow laws. My second lesson will use a gradual release strategy to cover the historical events from emancipation through the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The culminating lesson is a project-based unit whereby students will research, write and present a biography of one of the African American leaders or organizations.

(Developed for Reading and Social Science, grade 5; recommended for Reading/Writing and Social Science, grade 5; and Social Science, grade 8)