BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
(10 MINUTES)

Show students the two videos about the civil rights movement at junior.scholastic.com. Then have students share with a partner one fact they learned, one question they have, and one fact they found interesting.

INDEPENDENT READING
(20 MINUTES)

Have students read the article on their own, writing down any comments or questions.

CLOSE-READING QUESTIONS
(10 MINUTES)

Have students write their answers to each question, or use these prompts to guide a discussion.

• CAUSE AND EFFECT: How did Martin Luther King Jr.’s work result in positive changes in the United States?
(Answers will vary but may include: King helped organize, and also gave a speech at, the March on Washington, which helped secure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; his involvement with the Montgomery bus boycott resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court declaring segregation on public buses unconstitutional.)

• CITING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE: What are some examples of racial inequality in the U.S. today?
(Many African Americans don’t have the same economic or educational opportunities as whites. They are also 2.5 times as likely as whites to be shot and killed by police officers.)

ANALYZING A PRIMARY SOURCE

As a class, read the skills sheet Analyzing a Primary Source: Why We Can’t Wait. Have students answer the questions independently.