Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Blog Post: Seizing Justice: The Greensboro 4"

From Segregation to Sit-ins: The Greensboro Woolworth Lunch Counter

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:38:06 GMT

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter and it's importance to the Civil Rights movement. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 lesson plans focused on segregation and the Civil Rights movement. Also included are annotated links to other online resources that are related to the themes highlighted in the activities.

This activity is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

Join the Student Sit-Ins Classroom Videos

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 14:05:19 GMT

In this series of five short videos, students can watch a museum theater presentation. During the presentation, a fictional composite character from 1960 is conducting a training session for people interested in joining a student sit-in to protest racial segregation. The student speaks about the recent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, and coaches members of the audience in the philosophy and tactics of non-violent direct action.

Join the Student Sit-Ins Teacher Guide for the Classroom Videos

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:08:44 GMT

Watch and discuss a 22-minute video of a Museum theater presentation. During the presentation, a fictional composite character from 1960 is conducting a training session for people interested in joining a student sit-in to protest racial segregation. The student speaks about the recent protests in Greensboro, North Carolina, and coaches members of the audience in the philosophy and tactics of non-violent direct action.

This teacher guide also includes instructions for an in-classroom simulation, suggested extension activities, and lyrics for a sing-along performance of a freedom song.

Stories of Freedom & Justice: Learning Resources

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:07:52 GMT

With the right resources, learners of any age can engage with the topics of nonviolence and civil rights. This webpage is a gateway to lesson plans, videos, family activities, and instructional media related to the nonviolent civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. The content within these resources will help students build familiarity with the civil rights movement and encourage them to think critically about civil rights in the past and today.

Featured resources include videos and a teacher guide of the Museum's award-winning Join the Student Sit-Ins program, literacy-based family activities on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the student sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, and an archived webcast of an oral history of the three surviving members of the Greensboro Four.

Students Sit for Civil Rights Homepage

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:09:00 GMT

Students Sit for Civil Rights is an OurStory module that includes activities based on reading Freedom on the Menu, a work of children's literature about the Greensboro sit-ins that played an important role during the civil rights movement. OurStory is a series of modules designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history together through the use of objects from the Museum's vast collections, quality children's literature, and engaging hands-on activities. Ideal for afterschool use, OurStory resources allow students to think critically, to be creative, and to achieve academic standards both in and out of the classroom.

Youth Town Hall with the Greensboro Civil Rights Pioneers: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Woolworth Lunch Counter Student Sit-In (Lecture Video)

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:01:35 GMT

During this 98-minute archived webcast, hear three members of the Greensboro Four reflect on their experiences as nonviolent protesters during the civil rights movement. The three surviving members of the Greensboro Four, Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.), Franklin McCain, and Joseph McNeil participated in an oral history. Their bold action ignited student involvement in the Civil Rights Movement when they staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina on February 1, 1960.