Grades K-6: Fairness & Equal Treatment
A Famous Kansas Child
by Carol Roach
(download this entire lesson as a word doc.)
Learner Results
Students will read about a Kansas child involved in a famous United States Supreme
Court case. They will think critically to form opinions about equality, segregation, and
integration. Students will distinguish between fact and opinion.
Also includes: reading, research, vocabulary, reporting, drawing, map skills,
role-playing, writing; authority, property, freedom, diversity.
Materials Needed
One teacher copy or student photocopies of A Famous Kansas Child
(4 chapters); drawing supplies; research materials; photocopies of Which Is It?
Procedures
This lesson can be used by the classroom teacher alone, or by a teacher and resource
person working together. A story has been written on the elementary level about Linda
Brown and the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education. The story is
divided into four short "chapters," with questions or activities provided at the
end of each.
If used by the teacher alone, all of the story may be covered in one day, or it may be
broken by chapters into several days’ lessons. The story can be read to the children
by the teacher, or it can be duplicated and used in place of a reading assignment from the
basal text. Any of the questions or activities can be used to stimulate discussion and
critical thinking.
The teacher might choose one of three ways to use these materials: 1) the teacher reads
the story to the students and may choose only some or all of the questions and activities
for student participation; 2) students receive photocopies of the story to read
themselves, but questions and activities are not included in the photocopies. Teacher
chooses those questions/activities students should address; or 3) students receive
photocopies of story and questions/activities, thus participating in all
suggestions given.
A resource person can use this lesson by reading the story to the children,
interrupting the text with the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. The
teacher can use the other suggestions as follow-up activities. If time does not allow
covering the whole story in one day, the teacher could do the first chapter (or two
chapters) and activities in advance, then the resource person can finish the story with
the children and explain the Supreme Court process and its decision.
In either case, it should be pointed out to the children that the Supreme Court’s
decision affected not just the students in Topeka, Kansas, but in all of the United
States.
Present any necessary vocabulary words to the students before reading each chapter.
Suggested vocabulary words include:
Chapter 1 – Oliver, Leola, troupers, welders, solemn, pastor
Chapter 2 – Monroe, weathervane, sculpture, Sumner
Chapter 3 – podium, situation, organization, Advancement, segregation/segregated,
testified, integration
Chapter 4 – Amendment, guaranteed, previous, criticized
A Famous Child
This is a true story about a little girl in Topeka, Kansas, who didn’t really know
that anything special was happening in her life. And yet her name became known by people
all over the United States. Her name, and facts about her life, introduced one of the most
important cases ever to be decided by the Supreme Court.
>>Fair Treatment
>>Fair or Unfair? Handout
>>"A Famous Kansas Child"
>>A Girl Named Linda
Law Day For Schools Home
| Law Day Lessons Home |
