Little Scarlett Lesson Plan

Instructors Name:
Kayla Stephens
Lesson Plan Title:
Social Environment and Discrimination Environment
Grade:

Content Area:
th

9 -12

th

Social Studies and Sociology

Concept (s) / Topic (s) to Teach:

Students will be asked to think critically on how they would react in certain social environments
in the mid to late 1960s. Students will review what constitutes as a riot and compare riots from
the Civil Rights Movement and the ones from the current day. Students will analyze
discriminatory tactics performed by one group of people and then students will analyze the
peoples reactions to the discriminatory actions that were performed on them. Students will
critically analyze and research the topic of justice and the elements that go into discovering and
finding true justice.
South Carolina State Standards
Standard USHC-8:
The student will demonstrate an understanding of social, economic and political issues in
contemporary America.
USHC8.1
Analyze the African American Civil Rights Movement, including initial strategies, landmark
court cases and legislation, the roles of key civil rights advocates and the media, and the
influence of the Civil Rights Movement on other groups seeking equality.
USHC8.2
Compare the social and economic policies of presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon,
including support for civil rights legislation, programs for the elderly and the poor,
environmental protection, and the impact of these policies on politics.
USHC 8.4
Analyze the causes and consequences of the resurgence of the conservative movement, including
social and cultural changes of the 1960s and 1970s and Supreme Court decisions on integration
and abortion, the economic and social policies of the Reagan administration, and the role of the
media.

V.A. Oglan USC /COE

Adapted from Regina Wragg

Learning Outcomes (the student will be able to):

Students will be able to define what a riot is how riots actively played into the Civil Rights
Movement and how they made them successful. Students will also review and analyze text to
world examples by comparing riot during the late 1960s with the riot currently happening in
modern day. Students will study discriminatory tactics and review how the aggressors and the
ones being oppressed handled the situations presented to them. Students will also be able to
critically analyze and research the topic of justice and the elements that go into discovering and
finding true justice.
Required Materials/Resources:
Classroom, clips from the Civil Rights Movement, Little Scarlett by Walter Mosley, Baltimore
and Ferguson riot clips from CNN (Fox News). Primary and secondary sources. YouTube
videos. Pictures and music. Worksheets: Anticipation Guide.
Before Reading Strategy:
Anticipation Guide
An Anticipation Guide is a strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior
knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic. Before reading a selection, students respond to
several statements that challenge or support their preconceived ideas about key concepts in the
text.
Students will use this strategy before they read the novel. Students will be asked to critically
think about what they know about discrimination and what they think it means or represents.
Students will be asked to write down what they think this book is about. What do you think the
title represents? What do you think this novel is about? What time period is this book written
in? What do you think will happen at the end of the story?
During Reading Strategy:
Split-Page Note taking
In this strategy, the students will be guided through Little Scarlett during a lecture every day
by reviewing each couple of chapters that were assigned each day. Students will be following
along and taking notes. The students can also take notes on their own if they are already familiar
with the novel.
After Reading Strategy:
Fishbowl
Students ask questions, present opinions, and share information when they sit in the fishbowl
circle, while students on the outside of the circle listen carefully to the ideas presented and pay
attention to process. Then the roles reverse. This strategy is especially useful when you want to
make sure all students participate in the discussion, when you want to help students reflect on
V.A. Oglan USC /COE
Adapted from Regina Wragg

what a good discussion looks like, and when you need a structure for discussing controversial
or difficult topics, such as discrimination and racial tension.
Assessment:
Discussion and Participation
5-page essay on the theme/topic of justice.
Adaptations & Extensions:
Review song lyrics to Sam Cookes A Change Is Gonna Come and Trouble Every Day by
Mothers of Invention.
Video clips from YouTube.
Pictures from the riots (1965 and modern day).
Article from Rick Perlstein: http://inthesetimes.com/article/17152/from_watts_to_ferguson
Lecture from Dr. Brian Calfano, MSU political science professor and policy advisor for the city
of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission. http://ksmu.org/post/comparing-la-riotsferguson-mo#stream/0 (10 minutes)
Primary Documents:
https://college.cengage.com/history/us/resources/students/primary/watts.htm
http://www.historycentral.com/documents/LBJwatts.html
Secondary Sources:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/11/aug-11-1965-riots-in-the-watts-section-of-losangeles/?_r=0
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/watts-riot-begins
http://www.southcentralhistory.com/watts-riots.php
http://www.ahoffman.com/la/watts_riots.htm
http://www.pbs.org/hueypnewton/times/times_watts.html

V.A. Oglan USC /COE

Adapted from Regina Wragg

Step-by-Step Procedures for this lesson:

1. Civil Rights Movement Unit Introduce vocabulary like discrimination, civil rights,
boycotts, riots, civil liberties, etc.
2. Introduce the novel Little Scarlett by Walter Mosley. Ask students to fill out an
Anticipation Guide for the novel.
3. Throughout the unit, students will be assigned chapters for homework. These chapters
will be reviewed every day in class. Students will be asked to make text-to-world
connections based on present discrimination and riots around the United States.
4. While discussing the chapters, students will be asked to take spilt-page note taking. Main
topics and themes will be presented and reoccurring throughout the novel and students
will be asked to write down passages and quotes that follow along well with the themes.
5. Students will also be reviewing and analyzing song lyrics from that time period to listen
and understand what the youth and the generation present during the mid-late 1960s were
hearing on the radio. Students will also be watching and reviewing video clips from
YouTube regarding the event of the Watts Riots of 1965. Students will also watch and
analyze pictures from the Watts Riots and critique how the media impacted this event and
the Civil Rights Movement in general. Primary document readings will also be included
in this unit.
6. Students will also be asked to read and review articles and lectures comparing the Watts
Riots of 1965 to the Ferguson Riots of 201550 years later.
7. After the Civil Rights Movement Unit is complete and students have finished reading the
novel, Little Scarlett, students will be asked to participate in a fishbowl activity. The
class will be divided into two circles (inner and outer). The inner circle will be the only
ones allowed to talk and discuss, while the outer circle will be asked to hold their
comments and questions and write down what they hear and what they would like to
discuss when their turn comes. I will facilitate the discussion by asking questions such
as,
What is the difference between allowed power and conferred power?
What does it mean to play the race card?
Does a persons race or socio-economic status impact them more? Which one lead to more
discrimination in the 1960s? Which one is more prevalent now? Has there been a change?
A five day eruption of rage that had been simmering for centuries. What is the narrator
talking about here? What is he trying to say? What does he mean?
Justice. Its all our job. You cannot forget that. What is the writer saying here? What is
justice? How is it all our job?
The American black experience. What is this? What does it look like in the 1960s? What
does it look like now? What has changed? What hasnt? Is it different from the white
experience? (This may get heated so the teacher must facilitate this question carefully)
Is this experience different depending on gender? Female vs. Male?
One of the main themes of this novel is justice. What do you think Mosley is trying to tell
his audience about justice? How does race play into this?
8. After the Fishbowl activity, students will be asked to write a 5-page essay on the
theme/topic of justice. Students will use their notes from the novel and the Fishbowl
activity to help write their paper, along with supplemental primary and secondary
sources.

V.A. Oglan USC /COE

Adapted from Regina Wragg