Students take on the role of advice columnists, responding to real dilemmas from the Civil Rights Movement using evidence and historical context. They must provide advice on civil rights scenarios from the perspective of Martin Luther King Jr. or The Black Panthers.
This activity puts students in the role of a newspaper advice columnist responding to community members impacted by the Civil Rights Movement. Students analyze firsthand accounts, historical context, and relevant primary sources to craft thoughtful, evidence-based responses. Instead of summarizing events, they explain, advise, and justify solutions using historical reasoning.
What’s Included
Set of historical advice prompts based on real-world situations
Primary source excerpts and context notes
Columnist response worksheet
Claim–Evidence–Reasoning writing scaffold
Scoring rubric
Teacher guide
What Students Will Learn
Apply historical context of the civil rights movement to realistic personal dilemmas
Write clear, evidence-supported advice responses
Construct a structured (CER)
Compare multiple perspectives of the movement
Grade Level: 8–12
Duration: 1 class period
DOK: 1 & 2
Format: Paper
