We Are All Birmingham: Local History through Primary Sources and Writing

English Language Arts

Literacy R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

Social Studies

SS.4.5. Describe Alabama’s entry into statehood and establishment of its three branches of government and the constitutions.

SS.4.10. Analyze social and educational changes during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for their impact on Alabama.

SS.4.14. Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.

SS.7.5. Compare duties and functions of members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of Alabama’s local and state governments and of the national government. (Alabama)

Students will be able to

• Compare significant events in Homewood’s early history to Civil Rights in Birmingham.
• Create and analyze a dual timeline of important Civil Rights history in Birmingham and important events in Homewood’s founding using primary resources.
• Plot important events in Civil Rights history and Homewood’s founding chronologically in a timeline.
• Answer reflection questions on how larger events happening in Birmingham affected life in suburban areas around the city.

7 days to complete, spending 45 minutes to 1 hour for each lesson

• Handouts (linked above)
• Notecards
• The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson, here
• We’ve Got a Job to Do by Cynthia Levinson, here
• Construction paper or cardstock
• Paper

Day 1 Students will investigate primary sources and begin building their background knowledge on Civil Rights movement, specifically Rosa Parks’ arrest and the March on Washington.

Day 2 Students will continue investigating sources to build background knowledge of the Civil Rights movement through reading the book The Youngest Marcher, which focuses on the youngest child who participated in the Children’s Crusade.

Day 3 Students will read Virginia Jones’ account of growing up in Birmingham as a young white woman and being unaware of the Civil Rights violence and unrest happening around her. Afterward, students will write responses to the question “What surprises you most about this account?” and discuss as a whole class.

Day 4 Students will investigate newspaper articles to determine causes of different events that occurred in Homewood and Birmingham, such as Homewood (and Mountain Brook) considering merging with Birmingham in both 1959 and 1964 and Homewood City Schools getting established in 1970.

Day 5 Students will use their background knowledge and reasoning skills to arrange national timeline events in chronological order.

Day 6 Students will synthesize what they have learned with a summary. Using their timelines from the previous day and any materials they would like to consult from previous days, students will write a summary of the events that addresses different questions.

Day 7 Students will choose one event, person, or place they have learned about to create a historical marker. The history marker will include a description of what their marker is commemorating, who was involved, where the event took place, when it took place, and why it should be remembered.