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Lesson 15: Comparing Texts: March: Book One, “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words,” “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk”
50 min
California CCSS: Focus Standards
California CCSS: Supporting Standards
ELD Standards
Student Lesson
Lesson 15: Comparing Texts: March: Book One, “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words,” “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk”
Student Learning Objectives
1
Content
Students will compare and contrast the depictions of the Montgomery bus boycott in the “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” article and pp. 58–59 of March.
2
Language
Students will compare how different texts interpret the same historical event using comparison structures (both texts . . . , however . . .), credibility language (frames, emphasizes, omits), and perspective markers (according to . . . , from the viewpoint of . . .), and supported by evidence.
3
Foundational Skills
Students will practice reading at an appropriate rate during a fluency activity.
Essential Question
How does storytelling become a tool for civic change?
Connections to
Knowledge-Building:
Students will analyze the Montgomery bus boycott further through a primary source newspaper article.
Enduring Understanding:
People shape civic memory through storytelling.
Future Lessons:
In Lessons 16 and 17, students will write an explanatory analysis connecting March to a primary source.
Unit Performance Task:
Learning how to compare and contrast multiple sources and perspectives will help students when analyzing sources for their Civic Memory Brief.
Lesson Pacing
| Lesson Flow | Purpose of Learning Experience |
|---|---|
Launch5 Minutes | Students will engage in a turn-and-talk discussion reflecting on what they already know about the Montgomery bus boycott and Rosa Parks from March. |
Literacy Lab10 Minutes | Students will practice reading at an appropriate rate using “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words.” |
Learning in Action30 Minutes | Part A: Perspectives on the Montgomery Bus Boycott (RI.8.2, RI.8.3) After reviewing pp. 58–59 of March, students will reread the “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” article and discuss the article through the Think-Pair-Share routine. Part B: Comparing Texts (RI.8.9) Students will construct a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the depictions of the Montgomery bus boycott in “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” and March. |
Vocabulary
Vocabulary Addressed in Lesson
Not available for this lesson
Additional Vocabulary
- boycott
- to refuse to buy, use, or participate in something as a way to protest or demand change
- domestic
- related to the home, family, or household
- fabricated
- to invent or create for the purpose of deception or being untruthful
- inspired
- motivated or encouraged to do something, often because of something seen, heard, or experienced
- prolonging
- to lengthen in time
- radicals
- people associated with extreme political views, practices, or policies
- strife
- a conflict or fight
Material List
March: Book One, by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell
Unit 1 Lesson 15 Student Edition
Venn Diagram graphic organizer
Routines
Turn-and-Talk
Think-Pair-Share
Reflection
Lesson Sequence
Turn-and-Talk
Have students take out March: Book One with their annotations.
Lesson 14 Homework: Read “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk,” and then write a brief summary (two to three sentences) of the article. Remember to write the summary in your Journal.
Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following question to prepare them for today’s lesson.
Ask: What do we already know about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott from March and/or prior learning?
(Student responses may vary based on background knowledge.) In March, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus and was arrested, which became the immediate spark for the Montgomery bus boycott. The boycott is shown as a community-wide response led by local leaders, including Dr. King, and it lasts for more than a year. The boycott challenged unfair segregation practices like forcing Black Southerners to give up their seats to white folks on buses when asked.
Connection to Today’s Learning:
Say: Today, you will use your close-reading skills to analyze conflicting accounts of the Montgomery bus boycott. You will compare how March and the ‘Mayor Stops Boycott Talk’ article frame the boycott’s purpose and impact, and identify which voices are highlighted or missing. Then you’ll use evidence from both sources to explain where the texts align in their information and where they disagree.
Fluency Practice
Have students get out their copies of “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words.” Tell them that they will be practicing fluency by reading the biographical excerpt at an appropriate rate.
Model Fluent Reading: Model reading aloud the first paragraph at an appropriate rate.
Ask: While reading, what did I do to make sure my pacing was fluent?
Class Echo-Read: Reread the first paragraph aloud. This time, have students read aloud with you.
Ask: Did you read the paragraph at an appropriate rate? Why or why not?
Partner-Read: Place students in pairs to read aloud and practice fluency.
Say these Directions: Read “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words” aloud with a partner. Have the first partner read aloud a paragraph while the second partner listens. Then switch roles, having the second partner read aloud the same section while the first partner listens. Focus on reading at an appropriate rate.
Ask: Did you have trouble reading at an appropriate rate? Why or why not?
Ask: How can we improve?
Part A: Perspectives on the Montgomery Bus Boycott (RI.8.2, RI.8.3) (15 minutes)
Briefly review the depiction of the Montgomery bus boycott in pp. 58–59 of March with students, revisiting key panels and captions.
Think-Pair-Share
Have students respond to questions about the article by, firstly, independently forming ideas, and secondly, sharing and refining their ideas through brief discussion with a partner.
Say these Directions: Re-read “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” and then use the think-pair-share routine to answer these questions with your partner.
Ask: How does the mayor describe the boycott and the people involved?
The mayor frames the boycott as a threat to the community’s “social fabric,” calls boycott leaders “radicals,” and claims they are trying to “stir up racial strife.” He also suggests white residents are not concerned about whether Black riders return to buses and implies the city has already treated Black residents “fairly.”
Ask: Who is speaking or being quoted, and whose voices are missing from the article?
Most of the article quotes Mayor Gayle at length and includes statements from the bus company manager and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The voices of everyday Black residents and riders, the people most affected by bus segregation, are largely missing, and the article does not quote women boycott participants or Rosa Parks. While King is quoted, his perspective is brief compared with the space given to the mayor’s statement.
Ask: What tone does the article take toward the boycott?
The tone is largely sympathetic to the mayor’s position and critical of the boycott and those participating, emphasizing his arguments in presenting the boycott leaders as unreasonable or deceptive. The tone of the article is also judgmental of the boycott participants in claiming that they are trying to destroy the “social fabric” of the community and that they are “radicals.”
Once students have finished discussing the questions, bring the class back together to co-construct a 3–2–1 Summary of the article on the board.
Say these Directions: Build a 3-2-1 summary of the article that includes:
3 key claims made in the article
2 details used to support those claims
1 overall message or stance toward the boycott
3 Key Claims | 2 Supporting Details | 1 Overall Message |
|---|---|---|
1. The city will not continue discussions with boycott leaders unless the boycott ends. 2. The mayor frames the issue as “community relations,” not simply bus riding, and suggests white residents are not concerned about Black riders returning. 3. The mayor portrays boycott leaders as unreasonable and as harming Montgomery’s stability/relationships. | 1. The mayor states there will be “no more discussions” until the boycott ends. 2. The mayor repeatedly emphasizes that whites are not “alarmed” about whether Black riders return and calls it a matter of “community relationship.” | The article casts the boycott as a disruptive problem caused by unreasonable Black citizens and positions the mayor/city leadership as justified in shutting down further negotiation until the boycott stops. |
Pulse Check (RI.8.3) |
|---|
What is the main idea of Mayor W. A. Gayle’s statements about the Montgomery bus boycott? A. The bus boycott is mostly about making bus rides better for Black people.
B.The city leaders have already made an agreement with Black leaders.
C. The bus boycott is seen as a threat to the community, and the city won’t talk with the leaders until it ends.
D. The bus company is fixing all bus routes, so the boycott doesn’t matter anymore.
|
Part B: Comparing Texts (RI.8.9) (15 minutes)
Provide students with the Venn Diagram graphic organizer.
Say these Directions: Fill in the Venn diagram by comparing and contrasting the “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” article with the depiction of the Montgomery bus boycott in March. Use the prompts below to support you.
“Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” | Similarities | March: Book One |
|---|---|---|
1. Frames the boycott as pressure/coercion that is “destroying the social fabric” and should end. 2. Emphasizes the mayor/city commission’s authority and “compromise” (restored routes, fewer standing passengers, “courtesy”). 3. Suggests the boycott continues even after the city’s changes, implying organizers are unreasonable or escalating demands. | 1. Both treat the boycott as a major, community-wide event that affects Montgomery's daily life. 2. Both reference leaders and public messaging (official statements vs. movement leadership). 3. Both suggest that the boycott shapes what people do and how they think about segregation, like unfair busing practices. | 1. Connects the boycott to injustice and turning-point events (e.g., Rosa Parks’s arrest) and shows why people feel compelled to act. 2. Portrays the boycott as sustained, collective action (“more than a year”) with visible impact (empty buses). 3. Emphasizes Lewis’s growing awareness and inspiration of civil rights events. |
Ask: How does March describe the purpose and impact of the boycott?
March presents the boycott as a collective response to injustice that proves people can challenge segregation together. The panels show the boycott’s impact through community participation and visible results—like buses running nearly empty—and connect that sustained action to Lewis feeling “inspired” and more committed to speaking out (pp. 59–61).
Ask: How does the newspaper article describe the same events?
The article frames the boycott as a disruptive campaign that pressures the city and threatens community stability. It centers the mayor’s viewpoint, describing the city’s “compromise” and arguing the boycott should stop because officials have already made changes. The article also suggests that the boycott participants are unreasonable and not “fair-minded” and that they are treated better in Montgomery than in other places in the South.
Ask: Where do the texts disagree in how they interpret the boycott or the people involved?
March interprets the boycott as principled, community-driven action with a purpose to disrupt unfair and unequal treatment from segregation, while the article interprets it as a harmful situation, created by unreasonable people that needs to be shut down because it is destroying their “heritage” and “way of life.”
Reflection
Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.
Say these Directions: Reflect on your ability to determine the central idea of an excerpt using the Reflection routine.
Ask: Based on our work today, how confident are you in analyzing conflicting accounts of events across multiple texts in future lessons? What goal would you like to accomplish next?
Instruct students to reread the newspaper article “Mayor Stops Boycott Talk” and take notes in their journal on the following prompt:
As you read, annotate the text for the following: What information about segregation conflicts with what you read in March?
