Ms. Cotton's Corner

This is the second in my series on inspiring Civil Rights Leaders. Today we are going to focus on Thurgood Marshall, but make sure you check out my previous post on John Lewis. It’s one of my best sellers for a reason – John Lewis was such an inspiring Civil Rights Leader! 

Thurgood Marshall is often overlooked in the history books, but students who are passionate about justice and about solving problems democratically really resonate with Thurgood Marshall. His persistent approach of arguing for equal rights for all eventually earned him a seat as the first Black Supreme Court Justice. That story of persistence and determination is a great one to share with students.

And if you need even more inspiring biographies, be sure to check out this bundle of 12 biographies about Civil Rights Leaders. Each biography is short – just one page – and focuses on comprehension and vocabulary skills so you can meet your standards AND inspire kids! Win win! 

Read on to learn more about this biography resource about Thurgood Marshall and how to use it in your classroom.

Why Teach About Thurgood Marshall?

Thurgood Marshall had a passionate, lifelong committment to justice that many fifth and sixth graders find relevant. One year I taught this passage to my fifth graders, and I will never forget one girl’s response. Cute as a button, and knee high to a grasshopper, people often underestimated her intelligence and her committment. When she read the passage about Thurgood, she felt such a kinship with him that she went on to read more biographies and do more research about his life. When I asked her what made him so special to her, I will never forget her response. She said, “He’s just like me, Ms. Cotton. Because he was Black, people didn’t think he could do things, or be things. But he could. And he makes me know that I can too.”

And that’s why I continue to teach about Thurgood Marshall.

Ideas for Teaching About Thurgood Marshall

I like to introduce Thurgood by first introducing the key vocabulary term, segregation. I usually introduce the term with M&M’s. In the morning, I give each student either a yellow M&M or a red M&M. I also give each student a colored dot that matches the color of their M&M because they will almost immediately eat the candy! Then, I tell them the rules for the day. No yellow M&M kid can talk to, sit with, play with, or interact in any way with a red M&M kid. We move the desks to opposite sides of the room, and begin our day. 

At first, the kids think it’s funny. Then, I pass out the math papers. Oops! Somehow I only have enough copies for the kids on the yellow side of the room. No worries! I give the red candy kids a piece of paper, and tell them to copy the work from the document camera. See? Everything is the same. Everything is equal. Everyone gets to do the same math assignment.

The day continues, and I deliberately favor the yellow candy kids in any way I can. They are usually sitting on the side of the room with the drinking fountain, and if a red candy kid wants a drink, they can’t cross into that territory. Too bad, no drink for you! And so it goes.

At the end of the day, I give each kid a red and a yellow candy, and we have a talk about segregation. How did it feel to the red candy kids? How did it feel to be a yellow candy kid? And what would happen if it continued for many, many years? And then finally, I show the image of Thurgood Marshall, and ask, “How would you feel if this man came to say segregation was wrong, and everything had to change?” 

We finish up the introduction by biting the red and yellow candies in half, and talking about the differences on the outside, and the similarities on the inside. And then we complete the vocabulary practice page about segregation, and I promise that the students wil learn more about Thurgood the next day.

Google or PDF?

This resource includes Google Slides, Google Forms, and PDF Printables so that you have the maximum amount of flexibility. Personally, I prefer to have my students work on the vocabulary as a printable. This allows them to add the pages to their Word Work notebook, and makes it easy for them to find and use the words later. But, I prefer the Google Slides text and Google Form comprehension questions practice. There are two reasons.

1. Reading online text is an important skill and students need practice. This resource is formatted so that students read a paragraph, and take notes right on the Google Slide. The slides also include highlighting bars so that the students can easily highlight important information.
2. Google Forms are so easy to grade, and that saves me time! Want to know more? Check out this video where I walk through my process of grading a Google Form, and you will see how easy it is! The Google Form in the video is from my John Lewis resource, but follows the same format as the Google Form in the FREE Thurgood Marshall resource.

What Do Teachers Say About this Resource?

This resource will inspire your students, and help you meet goals in reading, comprehension and vocabulary. Plus, it’s versatile and easy to use! But don’t take my word for it. Here is what other teachers are saying!

“Students loved the lesson. I will be using this resource again in my next school year.”

-Yvette P.

“Great Resource! Helpful to students. Well made. Thank you!”

-Brittney V.

Next Steps

This resource will help you inspire your students as they learn about this amazing Civil Rights Leader. Ready to download this FREE biography resource about Thurgood Marshall?

If you want to dive into Civil Rights more deeply, you will want to check out these resources that make a perfect companion to this resource.

I hope these resources help you inspire students to be leaders as well as learners. And I hope they help make your teaching life easier.