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Lesson Plan

Chapter 12 Lesson Plan: The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963

Grade Level:

Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade

Subject:

Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies

Lesson Duration:

90 Minutes

Essential Question

What did children experience in Birmingham in 1963?

Objective

In this activity, students will draw upon first-hand accounts and other primary sources from
the Kids in Birmingham 1963 website to research other ways children might have
experienced Birmingham that summer.

Background

While chapters eight and nine briefly mention racial unrest in Birmingham, it barely
comes up in chapter 12. Their first morning in Birmingham, Kenny overhears Momma
and Grandma talking about “how much trouble people were having with some white
people down here, who got married to who, how many kids this one had, how many
times that one was in jail, a bunch of boring junk like that.” While Momma asks about
changes in the neighborhood, she seems too focused on Grandma Sands’ friend, Mr.
Robert, to really talk about Birmingham. Meanwhile, Kenny is still struggling to
understand Grandma Sands’ accent, a task made more difficult by Alabama’s
unrelenting heat. So far, the Watsons’s experience of Birmingham is relatively quiet,
barely moving beyond the immediate vicinity of Grandma Sands’ home. In this
activity, students will draw upon first-hand accounts and other primary sources from
the Kids in Birmingham 1963 website to research other ways children might have
experienced Birmingham that summer.

Preparation

Gather materials:

• Tablets or other devices with internet access
• Kids in Birmingham 1963 website: Kids In Birmingham 1963
• Young People in 1963 Birmingham worksheet (provided)

Materials

Download Chapter 12 Worksheet

Young civil rights demonstrators speaking at a press conference at the Gaston Motel during the Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama. Andrew Young (dressed in overalls) is standing behind them. Photo taken 5/8/1963. Copyright, Alabama Department of Archives and History. Donated by the Alabama Media Group, http://www.alabamamediagroup.com

Download Youth Demonstrators at Gaston Motel

Procedure

• Do now: Brainstorm a list of adjectives that would describe the Watsons’ first day in Birmingham. Share with a partner.
• Explain the goal of today’s activity is to research other ways children might have experienced Birmingham that year. Introduce the Children’s March and play one or both of the following videos:
  • “Birmingham and the Children’s March.” PBS. April 25, 2013. Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | Birmingham and the Children’s March | Season 16 | PBS
  • “Children’s Crusade of 1963: American Freedom Stories.” biography.com. The History Channel. January 10, 2014. Children's Crusade of 1963 | American Freedom Stories | Biography - YouTube
• Distribute worksheets. Direct students to https://kidsinbirmingham1963.org >
  “Stories” > “I was there”> “Participated in or witnessed 1963 Children's
  March”; “Segregated places”; and “Bombings and violence.” Have students
  choose one or more accounts per topic and complete the corresponding
  worksheet.
• Ask students to share their findings with the class.
• Lead the class in a discussion of whether their findings make it seem more, or less, understandable that Mr. and Mrs. Watson are sending Byron to the South.
• To shorten this activity: Ask students to use fewer sources and share their research with the class.
• To lengthen this activity: Ask students to imagine that they are a child or teen in Birmingham in 1963 and Grandma Sands has arranged for them to be a host for one of the Watson children for the summer. Have them draft a letter to Joey, Kenny, or Byron, introducing themselves, their city, and what it’s like to be a kid in Birmingham right now (i.e., 1963)

Vocabulary

Racial Segregation: Laws and customs that separated people based on raced in all areas of life. However, separate was never equal. The opposite of segregation is integration.

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