(K-3) Week-long Lesson Plan – Eckford’s Epic Courage

Lesson Plan. Courage, Civil Rights, Desegregation. A multi-day lesson where students learn about courage through Eckford's story through reading, stations, role play, sequencing, and primary sources.

Objectives

• Students will…
  • Define and identify the civic virtue of courage.
  • Describe how Elizabeth Eckford showed courage.
  • Demonstrate understanding of courage and civic virtue through discussion, art, and roleplay.

Facilitation Notes

• This lesson is intended to be implemented over several days or class periods. 3-5 days are likely, flex the activities to fit your class time. For example:
  • Day 1: Anticipate and Engage
  • Day 2: Explore
  • Day 3: Apply and Assess
• This lesson is intended to follow Franklin’s Fantastic Civic Virtues lesson. It can follow or precede any version of Armstrong’s Amazing Courage.
  • Armstrong’s Amazing Courage also focuses on the civic virtue of courage. This is intentional to allow comparison of how two different people manifested courage in different situations. Scaffolding notes are included throughout the lesson to help you create these connections for students.
• This lesson is intended for younger learners, from kindergarten to 3rd grade. Several modifications, such as different levels of texts and scaffolding notes, are available to span this large range of ages and developments.
• This lesson requires advance preparation, including collecting and printing materials. See the Teacher and Student Materials list.

Resources 

Teacher Materials 

• Eckford’s Epic Courage Song Courage to Stand Tall
  • MP3 Song
• Anchor Chart Materials
• Poster or chart paper, markers
• Stations Materials
  • Station 1: Tough Situation Roleplay
    • Materials: Role cards, situation cards, civic virtue cards, props like stuffed animals, dress up clothing, or name tags
  • Station 2: Sequencing Handout
    • Materials: Handouts (printed), scissors, glue, pencils
  • Station 3: Read-to-Self
    • Materials: Eckford’s Epic Courage Mini-books, Library center or selection of books at student reading levels
  • Station 4: Primary Source Investigation
    • Materials: Eckford’s Epic Courage Primary Source Set and Find It! Cards (printed, laminated, and cut), magnifying glasses, pencils
• Teacher Observation Sheet
• Collaborative Courage Timeline materials
  • Butcher paper or sentence strips, printed/drawn images of Elizabeth Eckford, markers, crayons, glue
• Optional: Courage symbols for timeline decoration
• Optional: Teacher-created “moment cards” for timeline scaffolding
• Optional: Modes of Reading Teacher Support Document

Student Materials

• Eckford’s Epic Courage Mini-book
  • Two versions of the mini-book are available based on the lexile level of your learners. Option A features clear, simple sentences, large easy‑to-read print, and a dedicated reflective writing page. With fewer total pages, it’s an ideal choice for younger learners or those who benefit from a streamlined, accessible format. Option B features more complex sentence structures and a longer page format. Skills boxes appear throughout to reinforce key literacy concepts including phonic spelling patterns (sounds), Fluency and Vocabulary practice words, and targeted phonemic awareness skills. This option offers a more robust challenge for developing readers who are ready for increased rigor.
    • Option A (K-1)
      • To create: Print single-sided, staple on left side where indicated, then cut on the dotted line to create books.
    • Print-Ready Option B (2-3)
      • Print double-sided, along short edge. Fold along center line and staple to create a book.
    • Digital Option B (2-3) – meant to be accessed via a device
• Group Assessment
  • Two options of the assessment are available to choose from based on the needs of your learners.
    • Option A (K-1)
    • Option B (2-3)