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The Song of the Smoke

A poem written by W.E.B. Du Bois

I am the smoke king,
I am black.
I am swinging in the sky.
I am ringing worlds on high:
I am the thought of the throbbing mills,
I am the soul of the soul toil kills,
I am the ripple of trading rills,

Up I'm curling from the sod,
I am whirling home to God.
I am the smoke king,
I am black

I am the smoke king,
I am black.
I am wreathing broken hearts,
I am sheathing devils' darts;
Dark inspiration of iron times,
Wedding the toil of toiling climes
Shedding the blood of bloodless crimes,

Down I lower in the blue,
Up I tower toward the true,
I am the smoke king,
I am black.

I am the smoke king,
I am black.

I am darkening with song,
I am hearkening to wrong;
I will be black as blackness can,
The blacker the mantle the mightier the man,
My purpl'ing midnights no day dawn may ban.

I am carving God in night,
I am painting hell in white.
I am the smoke king,
I am black.

I am the smoke king,
I am black.

I am cursing ruddy morn,
I am nursing hearts unborn;
Souls unto me are as mists in the night,
I whiten my blackmen, I beckon my white,
What's the hue of a hide to a man in his might!
Hail, then, grilly, grimy hands,

Sweet Christ, pity toiling lands!
Hail to the smoke king,
Hail to the black!

Teaser
W.E.B. Du Bois, a famous African American poet whom through his works spoke out as a proud black man. His poems came at the time when African Americans needed it the most and he was a beacon of hope and strength in a dark time for many.

Teaching idea

Assign students to a stanza and have them analyze it and put it into their own words. After this go around the room and have the student’s describe their thoughts and feelings. Have time to reflect and have their peers share their ideas to create a constructive discussion that dissects this text.

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http://www.teachertube.com/video/civil-rights-movement-112331
Teaser

This video captures the spirit and never ending fight for equal civil rights for all in America. It is the perfect video for students who are in elementary school. It shares general facts and ideas about the Civil Rights Movement and has stories and videos that give students real life accounts of the movement.

Teaching Idea
This video would be something that I would play when first getting into a lesson or week about the Civil Rights Movement. Videos are always great to engage students and it is short enough to keep their attention. Following the video I would give prompting questions to my students on this video and what their thoughts were on it before delving into one of the activities I had planned for that lesson.

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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

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Author

Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator

Brian Pinkney

Publication date
February 3rd, 2010

Genre

Nonfiction Picture Book

Approximate interest level

PreK-2

Approximate text level

Lexile Measure AD500L

Grade Level Equivalent 3.7

Teaser

February 1st, 1960. A date to remember. It is the day of the Woolworth’s lunch counter sit in, where four college students took the advice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and participated in a peaceful protest. The students took to the daring act of sitting in the “whites only” seats at this diner. This act showed the sheer determination of these students who decided to take matters into their own hands and face those who put them down for far too long.

Teaching idea

This is an extremely expressively painted book, so the idea here is to assign each student a page full of art. The words will be covered up and they are to write down how it makes them feel and what they believe is expressed through the art. Following this the book will be read and they can analyze the differences and similarities that they now have when connecting to the book.

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Authors
James Haskins and Rosa Parks
Publication date
1992

Genre

Non-fiction Biography

Approximate interest level

9-12

Approximate text level

Guided Reading U

Lexile Measure 970L

Grade Level Equivalent 6.5

DRA Level 50

Teaser

Standing up to those who disrespect you can be a daunting task, but not for Miss Rosa Parks. She stood in the face of adversity in spite of many being against her. Her inspiring story has been told many different ways but never before like this, through Rosa’s eyes. Rosa describes the lifelong turbulences she faced and how they all built up to the iconic moment that truly changed the face of the Civil Rights Movement.

Teaching Idea
Write Rosa Park’s name on the board and have the student’s write what they know about her and the strides she made for the Civil Rights Movement. Have an open discussion about it and then delve into this novel where it shares firsthand accounts of Rosa and inform your student’s much more of Rosa’s life and the impact she has made.

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Brown v. Board of Education: A Fight for Simple Justice

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Brown v. Board of Education: A Fight for Simple Justice

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Author

Susan Goldman Rubin

Publication date
2016

Genre

Nonfiction

Approximate interest level

6-8

Approximate text level

Lexile 980

Teaser

The faces behind the fight, the faces that never received the recognition they deserved. This tells the tale of the extreme fights and life-threatening acts that activists for desegregation. Focusing on primarily the court case of Brown V. Board of Education- which desegregated America’s school systems.

Teaching idea

Assign student’s one of people spoken about in this book and have them do research about them through reading and through outside sources. They would then present a short presentation on their findings. This would highlight the important of those who were put in the “background” and pay homage to those who fought this seemingly impossible fight and came out on top.

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Author

Mary C. Turck

Publication date
2000

Genre

Nonfiction

Approximate interest level

4-8

Teaser

Looking for activities to keep student’s intrigued and motivated to learn about the Civil Rights Movement? This is the book you are looking for. It described the constant struggle that African American’s had to face during the time of segregation along with activities for student’s to engage in.

Teaching Idea

As this book has many different activities, I would have stations, were the students were assigned a chapter to read aloud to their group and then they would complete the activity that goes along with it. They would rotate so as to go to each table and gain the knowledge from each chapter.

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Author

Debbie Levy

Illustrated by
Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Publication date
December 17, 2013

Genre

Fiction

Approximate interest levels

PreK-5

Approximate text level
Lexile Measure AD930L

Guided Reading R

DRA Level 40

Teaser

“We Shall Overcome”, a song rooted deeply in the trials of slavery in America and is now seen as a cry for equality and freedom. This book illustrates the importance of this historical song and shows how change can be made using those around us as our guides.

Teaching Idea

First, play the song for the students. Then have them come up to the board and write how the song made them feel. Afterwards, read the book aloud to them and reflect on what was written on the board and how those ideas expanded once reading We Shall Overcome.

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When the Children Marched: The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement

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When the Children Marched: The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement

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Author
Robert H. Mayer

Publication date

February 1st, 2008

Genre
Nonfiction

Approximate interest level 7-12

Teaser

The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement was one that took over the nation. At the forefront- children. Children of all ages who were fighting for their right to be free. This novel tells the incredible accounts of the leaders of this movement and the children who propelled it forward.

At least one teaching idea and/or links to teaching ideas on the web

Set up a ‘mock march’, where students are told to make posters of quotes the find in this book and phrases that attach to this book and the marches of Birmingham. Then have them march outside (around the school) and feel what it feels like to have something that they are that passionate about. They will connect themselves to those in the book and it will allow for better understanding.

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Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories

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Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories

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Author

Ellen Levine

Publication date

1993

Genre

Nonfiction

Approximate interest level

9-12

Teaser

It is the 1950’s in America, the time for segregated drinking fountains and giving up bus seats. We see the view of 30 African-American teenagers and the everyday struggles that they continually faced. Follow along their journey of breaking barriers of segregation and being the forefront for change.

Teaching Idea

Have the student’s be separated into two separate groups, and have a game set up from them to play. Give each group a different list of rules. One will be extremely strict and allows them to have little to no interaction and treated unfairly. The other group will have little to no rules against them and will not be penalized, and the game is rigged for them to win. Following this, see who sticks up for the other group and who does not. Then afterwards describe how this related to the mistreatment of African Americans and how it is important for minorities to be an ally.

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The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery

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The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery

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Author

Judith Bloom Fradin and Dennis Brindell Fradin

Illustrator

Eric Velasquez

Publication date
January 8th, 2013

Genre

Nonfiction History

Approximate interest level

3-3

Approximate text level

Lexile: 940

Teaser

The freedom we have can easily be taken advantage of, and this book takes you back to humble beginnings. This is the story of John Price and his Ohio community who rallied up and stood behind him and fought back in the bitter face of slavery.

Teaching Idea

Have the students all pull out a sheet of paper, and in the middle write freedom. Tell them to then draw whatever background and pictures that they think relate to the topic. Following this, discuss the similarities and differences that were found in the pieces.

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Marian Wright Edelman: The Making of a Crusader

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Marian Wright Edelman: The Making of a Crusader

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Author
By Beatrice Siegel

Publication date
1995

Genre

Illustrated biography

Approximate interest level

5-8

Teaser

Marian Wright Edelman, a crusader for those who need it the most. This novel is the heroic story of her life and how she came to be the noted children’s advocate and civil rights activist. It includes real life accounts, quotes, and pictures to capture her story.

Teaching Idea

Research papers can be very challenging for students without the use of helpful resources. This novel would be perfect for any type of research paper having to do with civil rights, activism, children rights, and many more. Students would read certain chapters (marked for them) that are relevant to the topic and can then use them for their papers. This allows for early exposure to things such as research papers.

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Author

By Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Illustrator

Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Publication date

October 9th, 2012
Genre

Speech
Approximate interest level
PREK-K, 1-2, 3-5
Approximate text level

Lexile Measure 1030L
Teaser
We all know and love Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s infamous “I have a dream speech”. This picture book takes you through a passage of his speech with incredible illustrations to paint a picture for the reader.
Teaching Idea

This book is perfect for engaging students in a lesson all about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is easy to follow and the pictures make the speech truly come to life. This would be an ideal book to read aloud to students on Martin Luther King Jr. day and then discuss each page and how it relates to the illustrations.