Remember: The Journey to School Integration

Remember: The Journey to School Integration

By: Toni Morrison

Published by: Houghton Mifflin Company

Nonfiction, Diverse Literature

2005 Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award

 

This beautifully told tale of the integration of schools in the United States is a photographic journey of the timeline of events. The story begins with decrepit school houses for colored children only, while white children were going to school in nicer schools. The next step on the journey towards integration was the Supreme Court Decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. After this important decision was made, the photographs take you through the upheaval throughout the country and the protesting. The story also includes such iconic figures as Ruby Bridges and Martin Luther King Jr. Of course, at the end of the story, all children were in school together and learning amongst one another. Each photograph is accompanied by what the author, Toni Morrison, believed the people were thinking or saying. This gives an interesting perspective for children reading the story and how the story is told. 

Reading Level:
     Grade Level Equivalent: 5.7
     Lexile Level: 660

Suggested Delivery:
     read aloud, independent read, group read

Electronic Resources:
http://zinnedproject.org/posts/category/explore_by_theme/civil-rights-movements
This website would be a great resource for teachers in teaching this book. There are multiple different resources and lessons about the Civil Rights movement, including Brown v. The Board of Education, Martin Luther King Jr., and specific lessons on school integration.

http://www.multcolib.org/homework/civilrights/lessons.html
This website also had many resources and lesson plans for teachers about Civil Rights.

http://pbskids.org/wayback/civilrights/index.html
This PBS site has games, photos, important people and articles about Civil Rights and other important historical events.

Key Vocabulary:
segregation, integration, Brown v. The Board of Education, Supreme Court, NAACP, Freedom Riders, Ku Klux Klan, Little Rock Nine, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King Jr.

Comprehension Strategies:

Before Reading:
This book relies a lot on the photographs to tell the story, so knowing the historical background behind the photographs is important. Give students a brief lesson on some of the vocabulary and historical events they will need to know before reading.

During Reading:
During reading, remind students how important the pictures in books can be. Tell them to look carefully at each picture to see what was going on when it was taken. How would they feel if that were happening to them? Why do they think this is happening? Do they know who some of the important people are in the photographs?

After Reading:
Have the whole class work together to make a list of all the important events that happened in the story. (HINT: there is a timeline in the back of the book) Assign at least two students to each large event and have them write a newscast about the event. They can then present this to the class.

Writing Assignment:
Students can do what Toni Morrison did to write this book with their own photographs. Find photographs of this time period or another important time period for each student. Students will write a story explaining what is happening in their photograph, being sure to use all the important parts of a story.

Morrison, T. (2004). Remember: the journey to school integration. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co..