I have been away from my students for 2 days at a workshop. This morning I came back and wanted to discuss Rosa Parks’ life and legacy with the kids. I wanted to tie it in with our writing practice.
Usually, I teach about Rosa Parks around her birthday in February. This year though, with the death of Rosa Parks this week, I chose to do it early. No one really knew who she was. Here is what I got:
-She was a slave
-She was Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife
I read several books and answered questions. Then the kids were asked to write about Rosa Parks. Here is a sampling of what I got: (I kept the spelling and grammar as it was written)
********************************
1) Rosa Parks yego muy cansada del trabajo y no la dejaron quedarse con su silla en el autobus porque tenia la piel negra. Ella no quiso dar su silla al hombre y la yevaron a la carcel. Rosa Parks se murio esta semana. La recordamos mucho porque era muy Buena.
2) Rosa Parks was a very nice and brave person. One day Rosa Parks sat on the bus and a white man said stand up and she said no. The bus driver called the police and she got arrested. When she was arrested her husband came to get her out. She had to go to court and pay fourteen dollars. She did not pay it because she didn’t think it was fair to pay. It is important to remember Rosa Parks because she helped to change the bad laws. Rosa Parks died when she was 92 years old on October 24th on Monday. She was a brave lady because she was helping us all to have freedom.
3) Rosa Parks was an old lady. She helped us learned how to be brave and smart. She is not alive anymore. She died.
**********************************
When we write in class there are always a handful of kids who fight me on it because it is difficult and challenging for them. Today I had no arguments. The kids were so engaged and interested in the topic that I guess they were motivated enough to not argue today.