Ruby Bridges

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

The sign shown above was in a Greyhound bus station in Georgia in the 1940s. It told Blacks that they had to wait for the bus in the back of the station away from White passengers.

There was a time in United States history when Americans were treated differently based on the color of their skin. This is called segregation.

To learn more about segregation, watch the video below.

• After watching the video, how does segregation make you feel?
• How would you feel if you were told you couldn’t go to a place you wanted because of the color of your skin?

In this lesson, learn about a very brave girl who helped make it possible for Black people to be respected in a previously segregated school. Her name is Ruby Bridges.

As you watch the read-along of Ruby Bridges Goes to School, pay attention to the different rights of Americans during this time.

When you have finished watching, define the words brave, segregation, integration, and guards in your own words, and explain in your notebook or journal how these words apply to Ruby.

Then, read this biography on Ruby Bridges.

In 2017, Ruby Bridges was still alive and 62 years old. That means she is probably as old as your grandparents.

• Depending on where they lived, can you imagine that when your grandparents were kids, there was segregation?

You can ask your grandparents if they saw segregation when they were kids.

Now, move on to the Got It? section to study Ruby's life more closely.