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Lesson 2: Jim Crow Laws: A Dark Chapter in American History
50 min
California CCSS: Focus Standards
California CCSS: Supporting Standards
ELD Standards
Student Lesson
Lesson 2: Jim Crow Laws: A Dark Chapter in American History
Student Learning Objectives
1
Content
Students will analyze how text features organize ideas in an informational text.
2
Language
Students will explain inequity using causal and contrastive language in discussion and a short paragraph.
3
Foundations
Students will use context clues to determine the meaning of domain-specific words in an informational text.
Essential Question
Why were some contributions overlooked in historical accounts, and how can research help us build a fuller record?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building:
In Lesson 1, students learned why the Space Race required many experts. This lesson adds historical context about segregation and discrimination that shaped who had access to education, training, and scientific careers. After the Civil War, Black Americans briefly gained new rights during the Reconstruction era. In the following decades, many states created Jim Crow laws and policies that enforced racial segregation and limited opportunities.
Enduring Understanding:
Scientific discovery depends on people, but historical conditions have not always given all contributors equal access to education, careers, or recognition.
Future Lessons:
Students will next explore how some innovators of major scientific breakthroughs such as space flight were hidden, overlooked, or underrecognized because of discrimination and segregation, such as the women in Hidden Figures.
Unit Performance Task:
Background on segregation and exclusion will help students explain the obstacles hidden innovators faced and why their work deserves recognition.
Lesson Pacing
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch15 Minutes | Students will build background knowledge about Jim Crow segregation and connect it to the previous lesson’s exploration of who had access to opportunity and discovery in the fields of math and science. |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Part A: Explore How the Article Is Organized (RI.6.5.a) Students will analyze how “Jim Crow Laws: A Dark Chapter in American History” uses title, headings, bold terms, and other text features to organize information and help readers understand exclusion and barriers. Part B: Explain Barriers to Opportunity (RI.6.5.a) Students analyze how the author organizes information and uses text features to explain how Jim Crow laws created barriers to opportunity. They discuss how these text structures help readers understand segregation and its impact on daily life. |
Look Back5 Minutes | Reflect in writing on how the article’s structure deepened understanding of exclusion and why that matters for the unit. |
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson
- segregation
- forced separation of people by race
- discrimination
- unfair treatment of a person or group
- perspective
- the way someone sees or explains something
Vocabulary for Additional Support
- claim
- the main point someone wants others to accept
- credible
- believable and trustworthy
- reframes
- presents something in a new way
Material List
- Unit 3 Lesson 2 Student Edition
- 3-Column Chart graphic organizer
- Structure and Purpose graphic organizer
Routines
- Think-Pair-Share
- Quick Write
Lesson Sequence
Lesson Texts
Short-Form Text
Jim Crow Laws: A Dark Chapter in American History
Library of Congress, adapted by Newsela
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