Posted by Kristy Lundstrom, Head of Middle School on May 3, 2021

Inspired by the Picture the Dream exhibition at the High Museum of Art, 5th grade students have been creating their own art to tell the story of The Civil Rights Movement.  In Mrs. Mitchell’s ELA class, students worked thematically to:

1. investigate Jim Crow Laws and look at the causes and conditions that sparked the movement 

2. dive deep into the key people in and events of the movement

3. consider current events and their ability to be a change agent in their community and the world

Beginning with a study of human rights, students were asked to...

1. analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources to understand the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
2. determine which four human rights are most important to them and create a poster display to visually represent their choices
3. read and analyze the short story Liars Don’t Qualify by Junius Edwards, a  story of a young black veteran trying to register to vote before the Voting Rights and Civil Rights acts were passed

Then, students moved on to expand their learning by considering how art reflects society. Students were asked to...

1. think critically about the events, people, and themes of the Civil Rights Movement represented in illustrations in a variety of children’s picture books

2. create three original works of art; one that represents the causes and conditions that sparked the movement, one that represents key people and events during the movement, and one that demonstrates their understanding of current events with regards to race and equity in our world today

Finally, students engaged in a shared novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963,  a historical-fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis.

To showcase their knowledge, students created their own Picture the Dream exhibition. If you visit Mrs. Mitchell’s classroom today, you can see student art displayed.