Lesson Plan - The Fight to Go to School

Build Vocabulary

Distribute or assign the Skill Builder Words to Know. Ask students to rate their knowledge of each term using a four-point scale: 1—I’ve never heard it; 2—I’ve heard it, but I’m not sure what it means; 3—I think I know what it means; 4—I could explain it to someone else. Have students read all the definitions and write sentences using two terms they feel less confident about.

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently or in pairs. As students read, direct them to underline or highlight details that relate to the “As You Read, Think About” questions.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses, or use the Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• Who is Sylvia Mendez? How was she a key figure in a battle for equal education? (Key Details)
Sylvia Mendez was 8 years old in September 1944, when the Westminster Main School refused to enroll her and her brothers. Her family was furious that the district said the children would have to go to the town’s “Mexican school.” In March 1945, Sylvia’s family joined with four others to sue four Orange County, California, school districts. After they finally won the case, California banned racial segregation in its schools, and the ruling helped lead to the end of racial segregation in schools throughout the U.S.

• How were many Mexican Americans discriminated against in the 1940s? (Central Ideas)
In the 1940s, few jobs were open to people of Mexican heritage. Most of the workers who picked produce in Orange County were Mexican American citizens or migrants from Mexico who were paid poorly. Mexican Americans were also prevented from living in certain areas as well as shopping or dining at many places. Their children were forced to attend inferior schools. For example, Sylvia’s school had torn books and no training in science and math.

• What happened during the Mendez v. Westminster School District trial? (Analyzing Events)
The families’ lawyer, David Marcus, had members of 13 families testify about the discrimination they had faced. The parents explained how their children weren’t allowed to enroll in their neighborhood schools. He called students as witnesses to disprove officials’ claims that they were assigned to separate schools because they didn’t speak English well. Marcus also questioned school officials, who admitted that they thought Mexicans were less intelligent and should be segregated. He also had experts testify that racial segregation hurt children.

• Summarize the section “The Judge’s Decision.” (Summarizing)
On February 18, 1946, a judge ruled that segregating Mexican American students violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees people equal protection of the law. The school districts appealed the decision to a higher court. In April 1947, that court agreed with the previous decision. Two months later, Governor Earl Warren signed a bill banning racial segregation in California schools. The case helped pave the way for Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which would lead to the end of racial segregation in all U.S. schools.

• How does the sidebar “Defeating ‘Separate but Equal’ ” support the article? (Text Features)
The sidebar provides information about how the fight for equal education continued after Sylvia’s family’s victory in California. It explains that Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka began with 13 Black families who sued because their children weren’t allowed to enroll in neighborhood schools. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled unanimously that “separate but equal” schools were unlawful because they violated the 14th Amendment. The decision said that “segregated schools are inherently unequal.”

Analyze a Primary Source

Guide students to complete the Skill Spotlight activity at the end of the article. Help them cite specific details from the recent interview with Sylvia Mendez and the article in their responses.

Practice Using Vocabulary

Use the Skill Builder Word Workout to have students learn and practice using additional domain-specific and academic vocabulary from the article.

Assess Comprehension

Assign the 10-question Know the News quiz, available in PDF and interactive forms. You can also use Quiz Wizard to assess comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.