One of the things that makes teaching meaningful for me is the chance to open a student’s eyes and help them see new possibilities. Know what I mean? But, it can be challenging to fit that in with all of the required curriculum, and it can be hard to find resources that help make that happen. That’s why I wrote 12 biographies about Civil Rights leaders like John Lewis. I researched about 20 leaders so that I could choose 12 leaders who fought for equality for women, blacks, hispanics, and farm workers. My goal was to help my students see themselves in these leaders, and I hope yours will too.
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!
This resource about John Lewis includes:
a one-page text in PDF format AND Google Slides
3 Vocabulary Practice sheets, also in PDF and Google Slides
Text Dependent Comprehension questions in PDF format AND Google Forms
vetted student friendly links for further research
Answer keys, Teaching Suggestions, Schedules, and more supports for you!
Read on to learn more about this biography resource about John Lewis and how to use it in your classroom.
Table of Contents
Why Teach About John Lewis?
This biograpy about John Lewis will introduce your students to a key Civil Rights leader who worked for equality from the 1960’s to the present day. Because John overcame discrimination as a teenager , I think he is especially inspiring to students. Maybe one of your students will follow in his footsteps and end up in Congress someday, fighting for a cause they believe in!
As a teenager, John experienced discrimination in his daily life. Luckily, he had a wonderful teacher who encouraged him, and he was able to attend college. His career as a Civil Rights leader really began as a Freedom Rider, and eventually, led him to run for Congress, and win! John’s example is definitely one that can help students see how to overcome the challenges in their own life and reach great success.
Ideas for Teaching About John Lewis
John Lewis first came to national prominence as the President of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and he spoke at the March on Washington right before Dr. King spoke. I like to introduce my students to John Lewis by playing this video clip. In the clip, an older John Lewis reflects on that experience, and clips from his speech are woven throughout. This quick video gives students a wonderful introduction to John as a young man and as an older man (and the link is included in the Teaching Suggestions page of the resource as well!)
After playing the video, I introduce the vocabulary. The resource includes practice sheets for teaching these target vocabulary terms: discrimination, segregation and nonviolent. You can choose to use the PDF printable OR the Google Slides version of the practice sheets. I use my Civil Rights Word Wall cards to introduce the target vocabulary and prepare my students to understand the text. It is a perfect companion to this resource!
OR, introduce the vocabulary using one of your favorite strategies? Need some ideas? Be sure to check out this blog post which gives quick and easy strategies for introducing new vocabulary terms.
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.
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.
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 this Google Form, and you will see how easy it is!
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!
“My students loved using this resource! It was very engaging and convenient to use! I will definitely use this again in the future.”
-Holly O.
“I used this with our week of learning on activists and our focus on the Selma march. I was looking for a resource to support my students’ ability to read more about John Lewis on their level. This was so helpful, thank you!”
-Lindsay D.
Next Steps
This resource will help you inspire your students as they learn about this amazing Civil Rights Leader. Ready to buy this biography resource about John Lewis?
If you want to dive into this more deeply, you will want to check out these resources that make a perfect companion to this resource.
This Civil Rights Activists resource includes the John Lewis resource featured in this blog post AND features biographies about 11 other Civil Rights Activists working for equality for women, blacks, hispanics, farm workers…. This resource is perfect for introducing students to many Civil Rights Leaders across time and a great jumping off place for a research project. Click the image to grab it now!
Future blog posts will go into greater detail about each of these resources. Check back soon!
And this Civil Rights Word Wall makes teaching important vocabulary terms easy and fun! Click the image and grab it today!
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.
Let’s Connect!
You can find Ms. Cotton’s Corner in various corners of the Internet – TPT, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. See you there!
Check these places to ensure that you don’t miss a thing!
Update: This Giveaway has passed, but you can still grab this resource on TPT. Missed the FREEBIE? Be sure to follow this blog, and follow MsCottonsCorner on Instagram and TPT so you never miss a FREEBIE again!
And if you need a similar resource, that is always FREE, be sure to check out this blog post about Thurgood Marshall and download the FREE resource today!
Today’s featured FREE Resource is a biography of John Lewis. This inspiring Civil Rights activist worked for social justice from the 1960’s until his death in 2020. This biography is simple to teach and includes everything you need to help your students grow their vocabulary and increase their comprehension of non-fiction while learning about this amazing leader.
This one-page biography features John Lewis, a long-time Civil Rights activist. His leadership began as a Freedom Rider, and took him to the United States Congress as a Representative. Your students will be fascinated by this true life story. You will love how easy this resource is to use – just print and teach!
This is part of my 12 Days of Giveaways in December. Want to get more freebies? Follow me so you don’t miss a single one! Just click the black button to the right, and the blog posts will be delivered to your inbox. Or, find Ms. Cotton’s Corner on Instagram – the daily freebies will be posted in both locations!
Do your teacher friends like free resources? Be sure to forward this to them – they deserve free resources too!
What is Included in this Biography?
The one-page text is leveled for 5th and 6th grade, and includes comprehension and vocabulary activities. As students read, they take notes on an included notetaking sheet, and there are additional online resources for helping students do more research if they want to. The resource also includes text dependent questions and Frayer diagrams to help students learn the key vocabulary – discrimination, segregated, and nonviolent. And of course, there are answer sheets to support you!
This short biography about this amazing Civil Rights Activist won’t take much time, but it is time well spent. Students will be inspired, and you’ll love watching their eyes light up as they explore the life of this amazing civil rights leader.
Why Teach about Civil Rights activists like John Lewis?
Across the US, only an average of 10% of the day is spent on Social Studies in elementary classes. I have been an elementary teacher since the mid-1990’s, and I have seen the decrease in focus during my time in the classroom. But, one area of strong consensus across party lines is the need for more civics education in our schools. (See this article by the American Bar Association for more about that.) Integration is one strategy that can help teachers bridge the gap. This biography will help you teach your students about civil rights and leadership, and also help them grow as readers.
Not only will integrating content and literacy help students directly, it also helps them build background knowledge, which results in stronger comprehension in the long run. The Knowledge Gap by Natalie Wexler is a marvelous book that explains that the Knowledge Gap and the Achievement Gap are the same thing. If American schools spent more time teaching students about science and history content, their reading comprehension would soar. This resource gives students basic background knowledge about John Lewis, and the additional resources set them off on a journey of exploration, fueled by their curiosity!
What do Other Teachers Say About this Civil Rights Resource?
“My students loved using this resource! It was very engaging and convenient to use! I will definitely use this again in the future.”
Hollye O.
“My students enjoyed the challenge of this activity. It was engaging and allowed students to show what they know.”
Corinna H.
“I used this with our week of learning on activists and our focus on the Selma march. I was looking for a resource to support my students’ ability to read more about John Lewis on their level. This was so helpful, thank you!”
Lindsay D.
Love this Biography? Check out these Civil Rights activists, and more!
This John Lewis biography is part of a bundle of 12 biographies about Civil Rights activists. Grab it today and you will have all the resources you need to teach about leadership across American history! The leaders feature little known activists like Jeanette Rankin (A US Congresswoman BEFORE women had the right to vote!) and famouse activists like Harry Belafonte. He is well known for his music and film career, but this biography focuses on his civil rights work, something that was part of his life for over 60 years.
The bundle includes the same format for each biography, plus BONUS Student Sheets!!!
Double Venn Diagram
Word Search with the key vocabulary about civil rights
Triple Venn Diagram
Somebody Wanted But So Then Summary Sheet
The BONUS file has the ENTIRE LINKED unit in it so that you can print easily without opening multiple files. OR, get the resource from the individual files. Do what works best for you!
Make sure you don’t miss a single FREEBIE this December! Follow this blog by clicking the black button to the right, and follow me on Instagram and TPT too! While you’re at it, forward this post to your teacher friends and share the love. Everyone deserves free resources this December!
I hope this biography about this amazing Civil Rights Activist, and the 11 other free resources I’m giving away in December help you have a wonderful holiday season, and your students too. Grab it today!
Let’s Connect!
You can find Ms. Cotton’s Corner in various corners of the Internet – TPT, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube. See you there!
Check these places to ensure that you don’t miss a thing!
