I am Rosa Parks (Character Education Lesson Plan)

Lesson Set-Up
Time Allotted 30 Minutes
Prior Assessment Anticipatory set/Hook will serve as a pre-assessment question to
see what students know about kindness and respect.
Standards Addressed ELA Standard
SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read
aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in
order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or
deepen understanding of a topic or issue.

ELD Standard
2.I.A.1 Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral
collaborative conversations on a range of social and academic
topics [Emerging] Contribute to conversations and express ideas by
asking and answering yes-no and wh- questions and responding
using gestures, words, and learned phrases.
2.I.B.5 Listening actively to spoken English in a range of social and
academic contexts [Expanding] Demonstrate active listening to
read-alouds and oral presentations by asking and answering detailed
questions, with oral sentence frames and occasional prompting and
support.

History/Social Science Standard

2.1 Students differentiate between things that happened long ago
and things that happened yesterday.
2.5 Students understand the importance of individual action and
character and explain how heroes from long ago and the recent past
have made a difference in others’ lives

Social Justice Standard

JU.K-2.12 I know when people are treated unfairly.
JU.K-2.13 I know some true stories about how people have been
treated badly because of their group identities, and I don’t like it.
AC.K-2.18 I will say something or tell an adult if someone is being
hurtful, and will do my part to be kind even if I don’t like
something they say or do.

Objectives Comprehension Strategies:

1. Questioning – Students answer open-ended questions that
relate to the read aloud.
2. Making connections – Students make connections between
Rosa Parks’ experience/actions and their own
experiences/future actions.
3. Using visualization – Students visualize how divided it was
in the past and what it was like to be on the bus with Rosa
Parks.
Materials

I am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer

Lesson Design
Teacher Actions Student Actions
Anticipatory Set/ Hook (3 1. Teacher asks students 1. Students will
minutes) to gather on the carpet follow directions
for a read-aloud using and sit down
a transition signal properly by the
(Criss-Cross Apple end of the rhyme.
Sauce Rhyme)
2. Before the book, the 2. The students will
students will be asked raise their hand if
to raise their hand if they agree with
they respect and are the given question.
kind to others.
Check for Understanding Diagnostic Assessment – I will ask the students about
kindness and respect. This will allow me to understand what
they know about the topic.
Modeling (15 minutes) During the book, the teacher The students will listen to the
will emphasize the key words story and observe the
(Rosa Parks, respect, unfair, illustrations that are being
colored, civil rights, pointed out by the teacher.
segregation, Montgomery
Bus Boycott) while pointing
at the illustrations.
Check for Understanding Formative Assessment – I will ask students “What”, “How”,
and “Why” questions regarding the story.

Question Examples:
1. Was the boy being kind when he pushed Rosa?
2. How did Rosa feel when the bus driver asked her to
get off the bus?
3. Was the bus driver being respectful?
4. Why did Rosa Parks get arrested?
Guided Practice Hear: Teacher reads I am Hear: Students listen
Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer. attentively to teacher.

See: Teacher points out See: Students observe the

specific illustrations relating book’s illustrations.
to each key word.

Independent Practice (5
minutes)
Check for Understanding
Closure (7 minutes)
Input (What do students need
to know in order to be
successful?)
Purpose/Learning Outcomes
Accommodations
(Comprehension Strategy:
Using Visualization) Do: Students raise their hand
to answer questions asked by
Do: Teacher asks questions the teacher.
relating to Rosa Parks and her
experience.
(Comprehension Strategy:
Questioning)
After the book, the teacher While sitting on the carpet,
will ask the students to turn to students will share their
their elbow partner and answers with an elbow
participate in a Think-Pair- partner.
Share discussion. The
question asked will be “How
did Rosa Parks’ actions create
change in our country?”
(Comprehension Strategy:
Making Connections)
Summative Assessment – After reading the book, I can ask
each student about how they can be kind and respect others.
1. Teacher uses an 1. Students respond
Attention Getter
2. Teacher uses equity 2. Students, who get
sticks to pick students called on, share their
to share what their partner’s answer.
partner said during
Think-Pair-Share
Vocabulary/Key Terms:
 Rosa Parks
 Respect
 Unfair
 Colored
 Civil Rights
 Segregation
 Montgomery Bus Boycott
SWBAT participate in collaborative conversations with
diverse partners about a given topic.
SWBAT identify real-life connections between words and
their use (e.g. how to treat others fairly)
SWBAT use words and phrases acquired through
conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to
texts.
Special education students – provide different methods of
sharing answers (oral, written, point to the picture)
English learners – state key words in Spanish and write them
in the Translation Box on board (respect – el respeto, unfair -
injusta, colored – de colores, civil rights – derechos civiles,
segregation - segregación, Montgomery Bus Boycott - boicot
de autobuses de Montgomery)
 Students at-risk of failing – sit closer to the book and teacher
so they can see the words and hear the story better

Advanced learners – ask higher leveled questions regarding

the story (e.g. Why did other people join Rosa Parks and her
movement?)

Academic Language The planning supports academic language development by

introducing key terms through a read aloud. The key terms are
then connected to illustrations and Rosa Parks’ experience to
further their understanding. Lastly, the students are asked to
participate in partner and whole-class discussions where they
must use the given academic language to express their
thoughts.
Reflection When the whole-class discussion finishes, I will take notes on
things that went well during the lesson and things that did not
work. I will also write down the names of students who did
not have a full grasp on the lesson.
Next Steps Later in the same day, I will arrange a small group discussion
(with those who struggled) to revisit the topic and address the
gaps of understanding. This helps with the language demands
of the lesson relative to the students’ current levels of
academic language proficiency.