Ruby Bridges Erin Whitlow

Why I needed Ruby…

• Common Core Fix• My own teaching style• Struggle to connect informational

text to students in third grade• 3rd Grade Social Studies Unit

How I Found Ruby… Scholastic

View Scholastic Resources

Common Core Standards

• ELACC3RI1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

• ELACC3RI2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

• ELACC3RI3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

Common Core Standards

• ELACC3RI7: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

• ELACC3RI9: Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

• ELACC3RL3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Georgia Performance Standards

• SS3G2 The student will describe the cultural and geographic systems associated with the historical figures in SS3H2a. (Thurgood Marshall- civil rights)

• SS3CG2 The student will discuss the character of different historical figures in SS3H2a.

• a. Describe how the different historical figures in SS3H2a display positive character traits of cooperation, diligence, courage, and leadership.

• b. Explain how the historical figures in SS3H2a used positive character traits to support their beliefs in liberty, justice, tolerance, and freedom of conscience and expression.

• c. Explain how the historical figures in SS3H2a chose when to respect and accept authority.

Reading about Ruby

Lessons from Ruby

• Main Idea• Vocabulary Acquisition• Letter Writing• Text Dependent Questioning and Close Reading• Comparison(s) of Text(s) and Movie• Character Mapping• Responding to Art

Image-Based Slides Image-Based Slides from Scholastic

o The image-based slides explain the time period and the obstacles that Ruby faced.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/slideshow/ruby-bridges-and-civil-rights-movement-slide-show-kindergarten-grade-2

o Image-based slide show led to a discussion of the attitudes and outlooks during the Civil Rights Era.

What is Fair?

What is fair?

Ruby Bridges Goes to School

• Vocabulary: As students found examples of their vocabulary words used in context, they would mark the place in the book with a sticky note. At the end of class, students had an opportunity to draw illustrations for each word and write the sentence with the word from the book.

Main Idea Mobiles

Comparing the Books and the Movie

Movie about

Ruby’s Life

Books about

Ruby’s Life

Students worked individually and then in

pairs to complete the Venn Diagram.

Character MappingStudents noted their observations about Ruby during and after reading.

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Character Map

Ruby Bridges

What character says and does.

How the character looks and feels.

What others think about the character.

How does the character change?

Dear Ruby,

Dear Ruby,

Dear Ruby,

Dear Ruby,

Dear Ruby, • The letters that students wrote to Ruby

highlighted the deep connections that students made.

• In their letters, there was evidence of deeper understandings of the character traits.

• Students commented that the letter writing activity was their favorite activity.

Responding to Art

“The Problem We All Live With” Painting by Norman Rockwell,

1964

Responding to Art How is Ruby Bridges relevant today?

Connections

• Using the Georgia Performance Standards in Social Studies, you can find books that

your students will connect to. • Research using Read, Write, Think, Amazon, Good Reads, and Teachers Pay

Teachers.• Take some time to get into grade level

groups and find your grade level standards. Here are some suggestions of

books that may help.

Social Studies Connections

Third grade social studies content is often very difficult for our students to understand. We are constantly searching for new ways to engage our

students in learning about events in our nation's history. We teach about segregation through the lives of Thurgood Marshall and Lyndon B.

Johnson. Trust me, their eyes do not light up!

This year, third grade was buzzing when I introduced the concept of segregation. At first, I didn't know why the students seemed to

understand so much about this difficult topic. Then I noticed I heard one comment over and over again: THAT'S LIKE RUBY!

By teaching this historical era through the life of a little girl close to our students' ages, Mrs. Whitlow was able to do something I had struggled to

accomplish. Our students understood what segregation was, and they were broken-hearted that Ruby Bridges had the experiences she did.

They were engaged and empathetic in a way I had never observed previously. Students were constantly telling me about the letters they had written to Ruby. They asked questions, made applications, and asked to do

extra writings about the Civil Rights Movement. I loved that reading/language arts and social studies were authentically integrated. I

hope next year's students "meet" Ruby as well!-Debby Wood, 3rd Grade Social Studies, Hull-Sanford Elementary

Your Turn

• How can you integrate Social Studies into your classroom?

• Each grade level has standards that involve Civil Rights, justice and

equity.• By using concepts that students

understand such as fairness and equality; we allow them to make

meaningful connections to history.

Meet Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Johnny Ray Moore

Martin’s Big Words By Doreen Rappaport

The Little Plant Doctor

By Jean Marzollo

My Brother MartinBy Christine King Farris

A Sweet Smell of Roses

By Angela Johnson

If a Bus Could Talk By Faith Ringgold

Henry’s Freedom Box By Ellen Levine

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend

By Calvin A. Ramsey