Lesson 26: “Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville” Part 1

Turn and Talk

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

• Lesson 25 Homework: Students were instructed to reflect on the question “What information does an informational video provide about historical events versus reading about those same historical events in a book?”

Say these Directions: Turn and talk with your partner to prepare for today’s lesson.

• Ask: What information does an informational video provide about historical events versus reading about those same historical events in a book?

  • An informational video can add audio and visuals that shape how viewers understand events (for example, narration can summarize key points quickly, archival photos/footage can show real people and places, and music or sound can create emotion and ambience). A book like March can provide more context and depth, including a clearer sequence of causes and effects, inner thoughts, and details that the reader can revisit and annotate. Both can teach the same history, but they often emphasize information differently because of how the format delivers it.

Connection to Today’s Learning:

• Say: Today, we will evaluate how historical events are presented in two formats: March and an informational video. As we compare them, we’ll identify what each format makes easier to understand and what each format does not cover about nonviolent protest and the Nashville sit-ins.

Introduce New Words Using Morphology

Target Words: advantage, disadvantage 

Say these Directions: We’re learning about the words advantage and disadvantage today.

Introduce the Words: Present the words advantage and disadvantage to students and pronounce them.

• Ask: Have you seen these words before? Where?

Identify the Root Word: Underline “vantage” in both words.

• Say: Both words have the same root word, vantage, which means “benefit, asset, or aid.”

Language Connection: Vantage comes from French, where it was connected to the idea of a position or viewpoint (like a vantage point).

Identify Affixes: Circle “ad” in advantage and “dis” in disadvantage. Explain that the prefix ad- means “to or toward.”

• Ask: Do you know any other words with the prefix ad-? If so, which words?

  • adjust, admit

• Ask:What do you think the prefix dis- might mean based on words you know, like disapprove or disappear?

  • Dis- means “not or opposite of.”

Language Connection: Spanish and French also use ad- in words related to movement “toward” something (Spanish: adherir(se) [to adhere/join]; French: additionner [to add]) and dis- to show reversal or opposition (Spanish: disminuir [to decrease]; French: disqualifier [to disqualify]).

Determine Meaning:

• Ask: Knowing what the prefix ad- means, what does the word advantage mean?

  • “something that provides aid or benefit to someone or something”

• Ask: Knowing what the prefix dis- means, what does the word disadvantage mean?

  • “something that does not provide aid or benefit to someone or something”

Verify Meaning: Use a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference material to review and verify the meaning of the word constructed using morphemes.

Encoding Practice: Now write two of the additional morpheme examples from memory. Use the spelling of the shared morpheme as your anchor — if you know how to spell the affix, that part of the word stays the same across all the examples.

Build Word Relationships:

• Ask: How is advantage related to disadvantage?

  • They are antonyms (words with opposite meanings).

Allow students to share their work. Once sharing is complete, affirm the connection.

Connection to Today’s Learning: 

• Say: Today, we will compare and contrast a video about nonviolent protest and the lunch counter-sits with what we’ve read in March, examining the advantages and disadvantages of how historical information is presented in a book versus a video.

Part A: Watching an Informational Video (RI.8.7) (10 minutes)

Find and display a video about the Freedom Riders training for nonviolent civil rights protest, such as Freedom Riders Train for Non-Violent Civil Rights Protest. Show the video twice.

Say these Directions: As you watch the video, make a two-column note: one column for what the video shows (facts) and one for what the video emphasizes (focus/angle). You will view the video twice. After viewing, share your response to the question.

Whole-Class Discussion: Lead a whole-class discussion about the question.

• Ask: What new information did you learn about Jim Lawson and the Nashville student movement’s nonviolent sit-ins?

  • The video explains that Jim Lawson used workshops and role-playing to train students for sit-ins so they could practice how to respond nonviolently in real situations. It also emphasizes that the Nashville movement was highly organized and disciplined: students studied the department stores, planned a strategy, and even prepared to replace each other so the action could continue if someone was arrested.

Display notes of student responses and keep them displayed for the next part of the lesson.

Part B: Comparing Text to Video (RI.8.7) (20 minutes)

Transition students into small groups to engage in the Group Accountability Share routine. Provide them with the Venn Diagram graphic organizer as an option for them to record their ideas.

Group Accountability Share

Say these Directions: Use the Group Accountability Share routine to discuss your ideas, and record your thoughts in the Venn Diagram organizer. Compare and contrast what you learned from the video with what you read in pages 76–90 of March. Work with your group to agree on one response to the questions and support your answers with evidence.

• Ask: What information does the video provide about the nonviolence training and the Nashville counter sit-ins? How does the video share the information?

  • The video highlights how Lawson trained students through workshops and role-playing to “set the stage” for real sit-ins, and it stresses how disciplined the Nashville movement became. It shares this information through speakers describing the training and strategy, which helps viewers understand the planning behind the actions.

• Ask: What information does March provide about the nonviolence training and the Nashville counter sit-ins? How does March share the information?

  • March shows the sit-in process as a step-by-step sequence: students plan, enter calmly, buy something to appear like regular customers, sit at the counter, and then leave without making a scene when they are refused (pp. 84–86). It shares information through captions, dialogue, and panels, so readers can see the calm body language, the refusal, and the group’s controlled exit.

Say these Directions: Different formats or media share information in different ways, and you get to decide which format shares the information in the best way and why. Add to your discussion by considering the advantages and disadvantages of how historical information is presented in a book versus a video.

• Ask: What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning about nonviolent protest and the Nashville sit-ins in March, the graphic novel, versus the informational video?

  • An advantage of March is that the panels and dialogue make the tension and discipline feel personal and immediate, so readers can track the sit-in steps and the group’s calm reactions moment by moment (pp. 84–86). An advantage of the video is that speakers can explain the training and strategy directly, which can add background and clarify why the movement was so organized. A disadvantage of either format is that it may leave out some details that the other includes, so you sometimes need both to get a fuller picture.

• Ask: What are the pros and cons of how each medium shares information? Why?

  • The video can efficiently explain context and emphasize key takeaways through interviews and narration, but it moves quickly, so viewers may miss details unless they pause or rewatch. March can slow time down through paneling and captions, letting readers reread and notice visual clues, but it may not explain the background as directly because it is one person’s memoir, so readers have to infer more from what Lewis shares.

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

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Respond to the following question in 2-3 sentences.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning about nonviolent protest and the Nashville sit-ins in March, the graphic novel, versus the informational video?

  • An advantage of March is that the panels and dialogue make the tension and discipline feel personal and immediate, so readers can track the sit-in steps and the group’s calm reactions moment by moment (pp. 84–86). An advantage of the video is that speakers can explain the training and strategy directly, which can add background and clarify why the movement was so organized. A disadvantage of either format is that it may leave out some details that the other includes, so you sometimes need both to get a fuller picture.

Provide students with the article "Jim Lawson Conducts Nonviolence Workshops in Nashville" and the following list of vocabulary words with student-friendly definitions:

• pacifist: someone who believes people should not use violence to solve problems

• radical: very different from the usual way; extreme or far-reaching

• humiliated: made to feel embarrassed or ashamed

• inferiority: the feeling that you are less important or less good than others

• tactics: specific actions or strategies used to reach a goal

• conscience: your inner sense of right and wrong; what helps you decide if something is fair or honest

• boycott: to refuse to buy from or use something as a way to protest

Tell students that they should read the article and use the vocabulary definitions for comprehension support if needed. Then remind them that they practiced using the word association strategy in Lesson 25 when analyzing the relationship between the words “humiliating” and “dehumanize.” After reading the article, students need to select two vocabulary words and write a sentence that explains the relationship or connection between their meanings.

Example: “In the workshops, students learn discipline, which connects to strategy because staying calm helps them follow their plan during a sit-in.”