Karen Ann Donaldson, Language Arts, Collinswood Language Academy
Implementing Common Core Standards (PDF)
200 Word Synopsis
We all have stories to tell. That’s one thing we all have in common. When we think of ways that we are different in this world, this is the thread that binds us together in the human experience. Thus begins my unit of study, Our Common Threads: A Month of Our American Stories Through the Art, Music, and Literature of the Civil Rights Movement. I have designed a twenty day unit to be used by teachers of Kindergarten through third grade students to take a close look at the individuals and events that gave a voice to African-Americans and changed laws that gave them rights and
freedoms enjoyed by Whites. Since the audience I am sharing this unit with are so young, I have presented the
material in four, one week segments arranged from simplest to most complex ideas. We will explore tolerance, freedoms, activists who worked for peace, and the rights that African-Americans deserved as citizens. Students will be exposed to artwork, poetry, stories, and music showcasing the main ideas of the movement, and grapple with the ways these big ideas impact themselves. How is the story of this person or that event related to my life’s story? The students will
respond through thought provoking seminar discussions, art creations and written reflections that give voice to their newly discovered opinions.
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