Lesson 27: “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville” Part 2

Turn and Talk

Have students take out March: Book One with their annotations and homework assignment.

• Lesson 26 Homework: Students were instructed to read “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville” and write a sentence that explains the relationship or connection between the meaning of two selected vocabulary words.

Say these Directions: Turn and talk, sharing your vocabulary word relationships from the previous lesson with a partner. Each partner should listen and check to make sure the word relationship makes sense based on the definitions of the words.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Say: Today, we will discuss what the informational article teaches us about Jim Lawson’s nonviolence workshops in Nashville and how the students prepared for direct action. Then we will compare how the article and March present this history, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each format and explaining what each text helps us understand about nonviolent protest.

Fluency Practice

Have students get out their copies of “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville.” Tell them that they will be practicing fluency by reading the article at an appropriate rate.

Say: “Let's build a deeper understanding of this article by pausing at the commas and other punctuation and noting where the author wants us to slow down or pause.”

Model Fluent Reading: Model reading aloud the first three paragraphs at an appropriate rate. 

• Ask: “While reading, what did I do to make sure my pacing was fluent?”

• Ask: “What is happening in these first paragraphs?” 

Class Echo-Read: Reread the first three paragraphs 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. Then set a purpose for reading the text in pairs.

Say these Directions: With your partner, read “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville” aloud. Have the first partner read aloud the fourth, fifth, and sixth paragraphs while the second partner listens. Then, switch roles, having the second partner read aloud the same paragraphs while the first partner listens. Focus on reading at an appropriate rate. After each round, the listener provides feedback on the reader’s fluency.

• Ask: Did you have trouble reading at an appropriate rate? Why or why not?

• Ask: How can we improve?

Part A: Close Reading and Group Discussion (RI.8.1, RI.8.3, SL.8.1.a) (20 minutes)

Say these Directions: Work with your partner to reread ‘Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville.’ As you read, discuss your ideas together and write down your responses to the question.

Ask: What new information do you learn about Jim Lawson and the Nashville sit-ins in this article that is not included in March? Be sure to include as many details as possible from the article.

• The article explains that Jim Lawson, an Ohio native and pacifist, was studying at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School in 1959 when a local woman challenged him by pointing out that Black shoppers “bear the brunt of the racism” in segregated Nashville, which pushed him to start nonviolence workshops aimed at direct action. It also adds that Lawson had already led workshops for the Nashville Christian Leadership Council through the Fellowship of Reconciliation and that his approach appealed to students because it was more radical than moderate activism and treated nonviolence as both a theory and a practice. The article describes how the workshops moved from learning the philosophy to practicing tactics for facing real violence. C. T. Vivian recalls training for “cigarettes put out on you” and being “spit on,” while still responding with dignity to reach people’s conscience. It also includes details about strategy with local businesses: students first tried talking to restaurant owners, who dismissed them, and the article explains that some owners feared a white boycott, so students recruited white supporters to sit with them, which Diane Nash says helped prevent a white boycott. Finally, the article lists strict demonstration rules the students developed, such as “Don’t strike back or curse if abused” and “Show yourself courteous and friendly,” which is more specific than what March explains or shows about the sit-ins.

Graffiti/Table Talk

Say these Directions: Engage in the Graffiti/Table Talk routine with a larger group. Share your partner-created ideas with each other to compare and contrast the information. Then, synthesize your ideas from your discussion to craft a combined response on a shared piece of paper.

Part B: Comparing Different Text Formats (RI.8.7) (10 minutes)

Say these Directions: Look at the T-chart displayed at the front of the room. The left side is labeled ‘Informational Article,’ and the right side is labeled ‘March.’ Think about the advantages and disadvantages of different formats or mediums from the previous lesson. Discuss the following question.

Ask: “What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning about Jim Lawson and the Nashville sit-ins through an informational article versus March, a graphic memoir?”

• One advantage of the article is that it gives direct background and explanations, like who Lawson was, what motivated him to start the workshops, and why students were drawn to his more “radical” approach. The article uses quotations from those who participated in the training to describe details and specific protest rules, which provides more comprehensive information because there are multiple points of view and not just John Lewis’s point of view. A disadvantage is that the article can feel more objective and less emotional because you do not see the stress, silence, or tension of the lunch counter sit-ins. In contrast, March has the advantage of showing emotions and discipline visually (facial expressions, body language, pacing across panels), so readers can see and feel how hard it is to stay calm and organized during sit-ins; however, March may not explain as directly why certain strategies were chosen or include as many factual background details as the article does.

As the class discusses the question, hand out markers to students and have them list the advantages and disadvantages of each source on the appropriate side of the T-chart.

Transition students into reflecting on their learning from the lesson by completing a Quick Write response.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Take out your journal to prepare for the Quick Write routine. Complete a Quick Write by writing an independent 2–3 sentence response to the question below. Use evidence from the article to support your response.

• What are one advantage and one disadvantage of learning about Jim Lawson and the Nashville sit-ins through an informational article?

  • One advantage of the article is that it clearly explains the training and organization behind the protests by listing specific expectations for demonstrators, such as “Don’t strike back or curse if abused” and “Show yourself courteous and friendly,” which helps me understand the discipline required. One disadvantage is that the article does not show the tension visually the way March does, so it is harder to picture what the experience looked and felt like in the moment.

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

What is the purpose of a comma in a sentence? What does a comma signify to a reader?