The Civil Rights Movement: Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr

This unit is a real mash-up of RS and History, the main focus being on the impact unjust laws have on people. The history teachers as my school have loved teaching this due to feeling confident with the content!

The unit follows a rough historical time-line of the British Empire’s impact on India and then America. The unit begins with the East India Company and explores the impact British rule had in India, this leads onto Gandhi and his activism in South Africa and India. Students then look at the Slave Trade to understand the environment in which Americans are living in when Martin Luther King Jr is growing up; students compare their freedoms to the freedom of children during this time period ans explore key events in the Civil Rights Movement.

The sequence of lessons is as follows;

1. Violent and Non-violent protests; which is more effective?
2. British Rule in India
3. Prejudice and Discrimination in India
4. Gandhi’s Life and Actions
5. Slavery in America
6. Mid-topic test
7. Martin Luther King Jr’s Life
8. Boycotts and Sit-ins
9. Justice and ‘I have a Dream’
10. Assessment
11. Optional film ‘Selma’ (Not included - it’s on BBC i-Player as I’m writing this.)

I teach this from January until Easter; the scheme of work will also include homework sheets, core knowledge questions, and two work booklets for students working outside of the classroom (one for Jan-Feb, the other for Feb-Apr).