lesson 24 teacher’s guide the montgomery … 24 teacher’s guide the montgomery bus boycott ......

Number of Words: 1,432

L E S S O N 2 4 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

The Montgomery Bus Boycottby Ellen B. Cutler

Fountas-Pinnell Level TNarrative NonfictionSelection SummaryThe Montgomery Bus Boycott began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus. Others joined the effort to protest the segregation law, and the boycott lasted 381 days and resulted in an important victory for civil rights.

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Narrative nonfi ction

Text Structure • Third-person narrative organized in eight short chaptersContent • The beginning of the Civil Rights movement

• Segregation in the Deep South during the 1950s• Rosa Parks and the united African American community

Themes and Ideas • The convictions and courage of one person can lead to change.• Strength in numbers and solidarity• Women were instrumental to the success of the bus boycott.

Language and Literary Features

• History comes alive through inspirational text

Sentence Complexity • A mixture of short and complex sentences• Full range of punctuation; acronyms

Vocabulary • Terms from history or civics: Civil Rights, segregation, boycott, Supreme Court, U. S. Constitution

• Some fi gurative language: walk their way to equalityWords • Some challenging multisyllable words, such as distinguished, equality, signifi cance

Illustrations • Historic black-and-white photographs with captions for photographsBook and Print Features • Thirteen pages of text with photographs on most pages

• Easy-to-read chapter headings, sidebars© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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Target Vocabulary

agitation – a feeling of nervous excitement

conceive – to form or develop an idea

controversy – a public disagreement about an issue

distinguished – highly

respected and recognized for achievements, p. 8

ecstasy – extreme happinessinclined – to have a preference

for or tendency toward something

prejudice – a judgment or

opinion formed unfairly, p. 2regal – characteristic of a king or

queen, p. 11 serene – calm and undisturbed,

p. 5 signifi cance – meaning or

importance, p. 13

The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Ellen B. Cutler

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement to visualize the events described in the text. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What do you know about Rosa Parks? Do you know that she was part of a larger movement called the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Note the eight chapter heads. Tell students that this book is narrative nonfi ction so it presents facts and details about what actually happened.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

Pages 2–3: Explain that the events in the text take place in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1950s. Suggested language: In the 1950s, people in America were segregated, or separated according to their race. African Americans had to attend different schools than whites, eat in different restaurants, use separate public bathrooms and drinking fountains, and sit in the back of buses. Have students fi nd the word prejudice in the fi rst paragraph on page 2. Ask: How is segregation a form of prejudice?

Pages 4–5: Explain that Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus so that a white man would have more room. Direct students to the highlighted word on page 5. Tell students that Parks remained serene, or calm, after her arrest. Ask: How might it help to remain serene in a stressful situation?

Page 6–7: Have students read the fi rst sentence about Jo Ann Robinson calling for a one-day boycott of Montgomery buses. Make sure they understand the word boycott. Ask: What do you think the problem of the book will be?

Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to fi nd out about what happened during the Montgomery Bus Boycott and how it was important.

2 Lesson 24: The Montgomery Bus BoycottGrade 6© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Question Strategy as they read. Tell them to ask questions about the selection before they start reading, as they read, and after they read.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the selection. Suggested language: Based on her description in the text, what qualities do you most admire in Rosa Parks? If you were able to interview her for your school newspaper, what might you ask her?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Rosa Parks’s actions and arrest spurred the Montgomery bus boycott.

• Throughout the boycott, people banded together to end discrimination.

• The Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was against the U.S. Constitution.

• People can peacefully band together to fi ght injustices.

• A person’s bravery can lead to changes in unjust laws.

• Historical photographs from the 1950s offer additional insight into the text.

• Sidebars describe how Jo Ann Robinson and other women kept the boycott going.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to participate in choral reading. Remind them to stress

important words and quotes in the text and to pause briefl y after commas.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that learning common suffi xes found in words and seeing how the word is used in the selection can help them discern the meaning of the new word. For example, the suffi x –ly is added to words to tell how or how often something is done. The suffi x –ful changes a noun into an adjective. Have students identify examples from the text of words with these suffi xes.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 24.7.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillAuthor’s Purpose

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that the author had a purpose in mind

when she wrote this book. Tell students to use text details to fi gure out the author’s reason for writing. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below.

Think Aloud

On pages 8–9, the author describes how Montgomery’s citizens banded together to end segregation. On page 12, she includes a photograph depicting the Supreme Court ruling that banned segregation in public schools. These details support the author’s purpose, which is to tell about an important event in the history of the United States.

Practice the SkillEncourage students to share their examples of another book in which the Author’s Purpose is to inform readers about an important event in U.S. history.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• On page 6, why is the second paragraph important to the book?

• How is the text organized?

• What is the meaning of signifi cance on page 13?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text How did Rosa Parks contribute to the boycott?

2. Think within the text How did taxi drivers help during the boycott?

3. Think beyond the text Boycotts are considered a nonviolent way to

bring about change. Why do you think boycotts work?

4. Think about the text The author says it took years after segregation

was made illegal for people to get equal rights. Why did it take so

long?

Making Connections When people work together, they can often bring about change. Give an example of a change that people worked hard to make together. What did they try to change and how did they do it?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Lesson 24B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 4 . 7

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

Critical Thinking

9Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Grade 6, Unit 5: Taking Charge of Change

Name Date

She refused to give up her seat on a bus.

Some of them lowered their fares.

Just because the laws changed does not mean that everyone’s

attitudes changed.

Possible responses shown.

Boycotts can show how things can change without the support of

a certain group of people. They can also gain enough attention to

bring about change.

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First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the selection softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that the bus boycott was the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.

Idioms This selection contains idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meanings of the idiomatic expressions give up their seats (page 3), walk their way to equality (page 5), and the right person at the right time (page 8).

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: Where did African Americans have to sit on the bus?

Speaker 2: in the back

Speaker 1: Who refused to give up her bus seat on December 1, 1955?

Speaker 2: Rosa Parks

Speaker 1: What did ministers ask their church members to do?

Speaker 2: join the bus boycott

Speaker 1: How were white bus drivers rude to black passengers?

Speaker 2: Sometimes they drove away after passengers paid their fare but before they got on the bus.

Speaker 1: Why did the boycott upset Montgomery businesses?

Speaker 2: They were losing money because black citizens weren’t shopping in their stores.

Speaker 1: What perils did bus boycotters face?

Speaker 2: Some were fi red from their jobs and couldn’t fi nd work, while others were arrested or had their houses set on fi re by angry white citizens.



Name Date

The Montgomery Bus BoycottThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

On page 8, the author asserts that Rosa Parks “was the right person at the right time.” Why is Parks an inspiration to people who seek freedom around the world? What qualities did Parks have that helped her advance the struggle for civil rights?


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Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text How did Rosa Parks contribute to the boycott?

2. Think within the text How did taxi drivers help during the boycott?

3. Think beyond the text Boycotts are considered a nonviolent way to

bring about change. Why do you think boycotts work?

4. Think about the text The author says it took years after segregation

was made illegal for people to get equal rights. Why did it take so

long?

Making Connections When people work together, they can often bring about change. Give an example of a change that people worked hard to make together. What did they try to change and how did they do it?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.


Lesson 24B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 4 . 7


Critical Thinking

Name Date


1414474

Student Date Lesson 24

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 4 . 1 1


Running Record Form

The Montgomery Bus Boycott LEVEL T


Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

cat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

8 Rosa Parks’ decision not to give up her seat was one of the

first important events of the Civil Rights movement. The Civil

Rights movement was an effort to end segregation and gain

equal rights for African Americans.

From the point of view of Montgomery’s black leaders, Rosa

Parks was the right person at the right time. They needed the

African American community to get angry enough to support a

boycott. A bus boycott would show that the segregation laws

were unfair. Parks was the perfect person. She was an

educated person who always obeyed the laws. She was a

distinguished member of the community.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/105 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections


lesson 24 teacher’s guide the montgomery … 24 teacher’s guide the montgomery bus boycott ......

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