Lesson 12: March: Book One, Going to School

Turn and Talk

Have students take out March: Book One with their annotations and their homework from Lesson 11.

• Lesson 11 Homework: Students were instructed to respond to the following prompt in their Homework Journals: Why might an author organize events and reflections in a particular order?

  • Scan March pp. 36–46, and find one specific panel where the story “pauses” for a reflection (a thought bubble or a caption with no action).

  • Write down the page number, and explain why you think the author chose to slow down the story at this exact moment.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with a partner about the following question to reflect on your homework and prepare for today’s lesson.

• Ask: Why might an author organize events and reflections in a particular order?

  • Depending on the story the author wants to tell, they might want to put certain events first and then reflect on those events, or explain the events first before showing them. For example, Lewis slows down the story when he arrives in Buffalo and takes in the whole city on page 42. He is so awed by the city that he wants to show his reactions and then let the reader know how “otherworldly” it was for him (p. 43).

Connection to Today’s Learning: Say: Today, you will work with pp. 47–56 of March to trace how the author makes connections and distinctions among individuals, ideas, or events. First, I will model how to track those connections. Then, you’ll answer text-dependent questions that ask you to cite evidence and consider how the author is connecting individuals, ideas, and events.

Vocabulary Review: Example/Non-Example

Target Words: segregation, injustice, inauguration, generation, dignity

Say these Directions: Today we will review the words segregation, injustice, inauguration, generation, and dignity using the Example/Non-Example routine. For each scenario, we will develop example and non-example sentences to display our understanding of the word’s meaning.

Model Examples and Non-Examples: Write two scenarios on the board for the word inauguration, labeling them “A” and “B.”

1. “A mayor is sworn in at an official public ceremony and gives a speech about starting the new term.”

2. “A student council president suggesting a break during a meeting.”

Then model determining which is an example and which is a non-example of inauguration.

• “1” is an example because it’s an official public beginning of a role.

• “2” is a non-example because it’s not about beginning a role.

• When I’m unsure, I look for context clues. The phrase “official public ceremony” is a great clue that tells me “1” is the example for inauguration.

Review the Words: Provide students with 3-Column Chart graphic organizers.

Identify Examples and Non-Examples: Write the examples and non-examples for each word below on the board in scrambled order. Then, for each word, have students work in pairs to write the correct example in the center column and the non-example in the right column in that word’s row of the graphic organizer, as shown below.

Say these Directions: With your partner, use your three-column chart to identify the correct examples and non-examples for each word below. Write the word in the left column, the examples in the middle column, and the non-examples in the right column.

Say these Directions: Explain your choices. How does each example help show the meaning of the word? How does each non-example get close but miss the full understanding of what the word means?

• The non-example for generation is close because it is talking about families, and you can have multiple generations within a family.

Connection to Today’s Learning: Say: Knowing these words will help you read pp. 47–56 of March with precision. As you trace connections across individuals, ideas, and events, pay attention to how segregation and injustice shape what Lewis experiences and how these connections help you see his deepening awareness about the impact of segregation.

Part A: Model Determining Connections Between Individuals, Ideas, or Events (RI.8.3) (10 minutes)

Model how a text creates connections and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events.

Model Determining Connections

Say these Directions: Turn to pages 38–45 in March and follow along as you examine how Lewis connects the events of his road trip with the broader impact of segregation. As you read, pay attention to how the text and images show similarities and differences that help explain these ideas.

• Say: In this lesson, we are going to analyze the text for how Lewis makes connections between himself, his larger community, and important events and ideas. We are also going to look at how he makes distinctions between himself and others due to systemic segregation.

Remind students that the word distinction means “difference or contrast.”

• Say: Nonfiction writers organize the information in their texts in purposeful ways to make connections between individuals, ideas, or events.

• Say: In this excerpt from March, we are going to focus on how Lewis uses compare-and-contrast and cause-and-effect to draw connections between his life and different events and ideas.

Think-Aloud Example:

• In Lewis’s road trip north, I notice how he compares driving through the South to driving through the North. He shows that Black drivers have limited places to stop and eat or use the restroom. These limitations cause anxiety for his Uncle Otis, who visibly relaxes once they enter Ohio. In the panel on p. 40, he also describes how Northern Black drivers “faced an added danger” and could receive “worse” treatment in the South than Southern Black drivers. These road trip comparisons connect to the idea of how segregation negatively impacts the Black community in the South.

Part B: Tracing Connections in the Text (RI.8.3, RI.8.5) (20 minutes)

Place students in pairs. Remind them that they have closely read pp. 47–56 of March. Now, they will further engage with the text through the Think-Pair-Share routine, answering questions to determine connections across individuals, ideas, and events.

Think-Pair-Share

Say these Directions: Respond to the questions about pages 47–56 of March. First, think about your ideas independently. Next, discuss and refine your ideas with a partner. Finally, be prepared to share your ideas with the whole class.

• How does Lewis show that black children’s lives are different than those “of white children” (p. 47)?

  • Lewis draws comparisons between his life and those “of white children” (p. 47). He explains that the bus for his school is a “hand-me-down” and “old” compared to the white children's buses (p. 48). He compares the white children’s “nice playground equipment” with his Black community’s “dirt field” (p. 48). His comparisons demonstrate that the youth in his community experience distinct inequalities resulting from segregation in most aspects of their young lives.

• What do the panels on pp. 51–53 reflect about Lewis’s character?

  • The panels show that when Lewis is committed to a decision or idea, he will find a way to make it happen. Lewis shows ingenuity and bravery in hiding and then running toward the bus when it drives by, even though he knows his father will “scold” him (p. 53). These actions demonstrate his commitment to his education and how it would be “near-impossible” to turn him away from his decision to attend school (p. 53).

• How does the event of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruling impact Lewis and his community?

  • When Lewis reads the Brown v. Board headline, it feels like hope for real “change” (pp. 53–54) because it seems like it could finally address the inequalities he has experienced. However, for Lewis and his community, nothing changes as a result of the ruling. He does not suddenly attend “an integrated school,” and his parents are not “excited” (p. 54). Instead, his parents are worried, and the ministers at his church do not mention the “injustices” (p. 54).

• At the beginning of this excerpt, Lewis states that after his trip north, he never “felt the same” (p. 47). How do the events in this excerpt support this idea?

  • Lewis’s awareness of racial disparities and inequalities grows deeper in this excerpt. He realizes that “white children” have access to better buses, roads, and schools and that most prison work gangs are composed of “black” folk (pp. 48-49). He also realizes that school is “heaven” (p. 49) and is exposed to Black media for the first time. His avoidance of farm work to attend school reflects his developing commitment to education. The event of the Brown v. Board ruling demonstrates a change for Lewis in that he realizes the impact this constitutional decision could have in his life, like attending “an integrated school” (p. 54). He also first encounters Dr. King speaking and feels like he is “preaching directly to me” (p. 56), showing the changes he is starting to experience as his awareness grows.

Transition students into reflecting on their learning by having them get out their journals in preparation for the Quick Write routine.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Write a Quick Write response to the following question. Be sure to use evidence from the text to support your ideas.

• Which panel or sentence from pp. 47–56 of March conveys an important idea about Lewis’s growing awareness of segregation and its impact on his community?

  • On p. 54, the headline “Segregation in schools outlawed!” is placed like a breaking-news marker, then the next panels show Lewis’s excitement next to adults warning him not to “get in trouble.” This panel highlights Lewis's growing understanding that segregation does not have to exist and can be changed, but people fear consequences, and change does not feel safe or equal right away.

Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• What is a developing central idea in pp. 47–56 of March? Write your initial thoughts in your Journal to prepare to discuss this central idea in Lesson 13.