Lesson Plan Title : High School Life Now and Then

Age Range: Grade 9 through Grade 12 (High School)

Overview and Purpose: The Little Rock Nine went to school despite fears for their lives in 1957. That is a stark contrast to the lives of many students today. In this activity, students compare their high school experience to that of the students in Arkansas in 1957.

Objective: The student will be able to compare high school life for the Little Rock Nine in 1957 with high school students today.

Resources:

Internet access for each student

Activities:

Talk with your students about some of the rights and privileges they have in high school today. Explain that it hasn't always been that way for all students. When schools were being desegregated in the south, students went to school in fear for their own life. Explain to the students that you want them to research the integration of nine African American students into a high school in Arkansas in 1957. Have them compare what those students went through with how their high school life is today. When they finish, come back together as a class and discuss their comparisons.

Wrap Up:

For homework, students can research the trend of some schools to go back to segregation. They can write an opinion paper on whether they think this is a good idea or not.