Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice toward justice. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.

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Nonfiction- Biography

2010 Newbery Honor Book

2010 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

Grades 6-8

Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose is a biography that gives Claudette the recognition that she deserves,  She actually refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery City bus to a white woman nine months before Rosa Parks.  Because she was young and considered unfit, she wasn't recognized for her efforts during the Civil Rights Movement.  The book tells of Claudette growing up in poverty and living with her great aunt and uncle.  She was smart and resented segregation.  She was inquisitive and studied black history and her constitutional rights.  There are two main events to be remembered: 1) her refusal to give up her seat on the bus to a white woman and 2) her testimony in Browder vs Gale.  Claudette wasn't officially recognized for her efforts until the mid 2000's.

Partner Titles:

 Parks, R., & Haskins, J. (1992). Rosa Parks: My story. New York: Dial Books. 

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Nonfiction- Autobiography

Grades 4-6

Rosa Parks: My Story would partner well with Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because Rosa and Claudette were fighting for the same things.  Although Claudette refused to give up her seat on the bus before Rosa it was still a fight for what was right.  Rosa tells her story through this personal narrative- from her defiance to her role in the Civil Rights Movement.  School Library Journal (SLJ) says she uses simple, gracious, and compelling language.

 Williams, D., & Greenhaw, W. (2006). The thunder of angels the Montgomery bus boycott and the people who broke the back of Jim Crow. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books. 

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Nonfiction

Grades 6-8

The Thunder of Angels the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People Who Broke the Back of Jim Crow by Donnie Williams and Wayne Greenhaw would partner well with Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because it shares stories from people whose lives were forever changed due to the Montgomery bus boycott.  This book uses interviews, documents, and first-hand accounts to tell the story.

 Levine, E. (1993). Freedom's children: Young civil rights activists tell their own stories. New York: Putnam. 

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Nonfiction

Grades 5-8

Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories by Ellen Levine partners well with Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because this book also speaks of young activists.  This is a collection of true stories by African- Americans who were either children of teenagers during the time of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement.

 Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York: Amistad. 

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Fiction-Historical

2011 Newbery Medal Honor

2011 Coretta Scott King Award for Authors

2011 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Grades 4-7

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia could partner well with Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because Delphine and her sisters are making history going to a Black Panthers camp that their mother sends them to everyday. Moving on to the time of Malcolm X, Delphine and her sisters are sent to spend the summer with their mother in California.  Their mother doesn't seem to want them there and sends them to a camp at the center everyday.  Cecile, their mother, ends up getting arrested, there is a rally, and Delphine struggles to understand it all.

 Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. New York: Delacorte Press.

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Fiction-Historical

1996 Newbery Medal Honor Book

1996 Coretta Scott King Honor Book

Grades 3-7

The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis could partner well with Claudette Colvin Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose because of the connections to the Civill Rights Movement.  Kenny and his family go to Alabama to visit grandma because his brother is getting into too much trouble.  They just happen to be there when grandma's church is bombed.

Teaching Ideas:

1. Venn Diagram- USII.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the key domestic and international issues during the second half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries by a) examining the Civil Rights Movement and the changing role of women.  Ask students to work with a collaborative partner to create a Venn Diagram on which they compare and contrast the similarities and differences in the details found on the arrest records of Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks. (O'Malley, 2011.)

2. Research- English 6 SOL 6.9 The student will find, evaluate, and select appropriate resources for a research product. a) Collect information from multiple sources including online, print, and media.  Have a set of cards with Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jim Crow Law, Montgomery Bus Boycott, Browder vs Gayle, Brown vs The Board of Education.  Ask students to work with a partner to research and develop a presentation to explain who or what each of these is.  Present information to the class using Prezi, Emaze, Animoto, or Powerpoint..

3. Timeline- USII.1  The student will demonstrate skills for historical and geographical analysis and responsible citizenship, including the ability to c) sequence events in United States history from 1865 to the present.  Complete a timeline of events using tiki toki.

Further Exploration:

Phillip Hoose's Official Blog- Click here 

Check out the Library of Congress- Civil Rights

Claudette Colvin talking about her experience in a Youtube video- Click here

The Civil Rights Movement on History.com- read articles, look at pictures, and watch videos.

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech.  Click here

The Montgomery Bus Boycott changed everything. Click here for biographies, pictures, and more.

Bibliography:

Civil Rights. (n.d.). Library of congress. Retrieved from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/civil-rights/ 

Civil Rights Movement. (2015). History. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement 

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. New York: Delacorte Press. 

Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York: Amistad. 

Hoose, P. (n.d.). Blog. Retrieved from www.philliphoose.com

Hoose, P. (2009). Claudette Colvin: Twice toward justice. New York: Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux.

Levine, E. (1993). Freedom's children: Young civil rights activists tell their own stories. New York: Putnam.

Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have A Dream Speech. (2013, August 28). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE

Montgomery Bus Boycott. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.montgomeryboycott.com/ . 

O'Malley, F. (2011). Lesson resurrecting Claudette. Retrieved from http://www.dcte.udel.edu/hlp2/resources/civilrights/Lesson-Resurrecting_Claudette.pdf 

Parks, R., & Haskins, J. (1992). Rosa Parks: My story. New York: Dial Books. 

The Other Rosa Parks: Now 73, Claudette Colvin Was First to Refuse Giving Up Seat on Montgomery Bus. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW80tV31eL0 

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Grade 6 English. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/english/2010/stds_english6.pdf 

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). USII. Retrieved from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/next_version/stds_ushistory_1865-present.pdf

Williams, D., & Greenhaw, W. (2006). The thunder of angels the Montgomery bus boycott and the people who broke the back of Jim Crow. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.