Grade Level: 5th
Overview: Using class discussion and a power point presentation, students will consider how communities and local leaders worked for equality in the years leading up to Martin Luther King’s historic / Have a Dream speech, using the history of education in Harrods Creek, a small, rural community north of Louisville, as an example. They will use analytical skills in analyzing primary resources (a historic document, an oral history clip, and a photograph).

Optional follow-up activities allow students to apply the essential questions to their own community and include the opportunity to conduct short research projects, write informational pieces, and/or report on a topic. An additional follow up presentation introduces careers in Transportation Planning (Practical Living/Career Awareness).

This lesson plan can be used alone or as part of a unit including For the Common Good. As a unit, the lessons provide a case study of a rural, African American community in Kentucky and provide a springboard for exploring your local community through the lens of the Big Ideas in Social Studies. As an individual lesson, this can be used to consider the role of education in society and the impact of segregation. It is particularly timely during Black History Month.

Standards Addressed (detailed bullets in lesson plan):

• Kentucky Core Academic Standards – Big Ideas in Cultures and Societies
• Common Core in English Language Arts
• C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards, National Council for the Social Studies

Essential Questions:

• What impact did segregation have on the education of African American children?
• What role did Rosenwald schools play in rural African American communities?
• How did national leaders like Julius Rosenwald and local leaders like James and Etta Taylor work toward the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed in his famous speech?

Contents:

• An Education for Our Children Lesson Plan
• An Education for Our Children Power Point
• An Education for Our Children in pdf Format

NOTE: Several clips from oral history interviews are included. While you can play these clips separately, they are linked to the power point. When you see the audio symbol in the power point, click on it and the interview clip will play.

• Handouts:
  For each student:
• An Education for Our Children Word Bank (teacher version with definitions included)
• An Education for Our Children Word Match (answer key on page 2)
• An Education for Our Children Writing Prompt
• Written_Document_Analysis_NARA (National Archives and Records Administration)
• Photograph Analysis Worksheet

Handouts for Optional Activity 1:

• Guide to Interviews
• Interview Web
• Documentation of an Historic Building

Handouts for Optional Activity 2:

• Partial listing of the Rosenwald Schools in Kentucky is included.

Resources
For a comprehensive analysis of the Harrods Creek community, see the African American Heritage Interpretive Plan for Jefferson Jacob School, Jacob School Road, James Taylor Subdivision & Harrods Creek Village at https://www.in.gov/indot/3696.htm

Helpful websites for Optional Activity 2 are:

• http://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/tour-builder/tours/show/id/18#.UvExzfldWSo The Kentucky Historical Society’s virtual tour of sites associated with the history of Civil Rights in Kentucky
• http://www.kentuckytourism.com/things_to_do/history_heritage/historic_sites.aspx – searchable database of historic sites in Kentucky
• http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/KY/state.html List of sites included in the National Register of Historic Sites in Kentucky, searchable by county
• http://www.signsofhistory.com/kentucky/kentucky.htm This project lists Kentucky’s historical markers by county. The project also posts pictures of the markers as they are provided by participating schools, historical groups, and individuals.
• http://www.ket.org/kentuckylife/topics/kentucky-historical-markers.html Videos from Kentucky Educational Television related to selected historical markers.
• http://heritage.ky.gov/kas/kyarchynew/Site+Profiles.htm Site profiles for selected archaeological and historic sites from different time periods

Also check with your local historical society and local tourism offices for materials.