Greensboro and the sit-in movement
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the significance of the Greensboro sit-in.
Key learning points
- Although many universities had segregated by 1960, many facilities used by students were still segregated.
- The Greensboro sit-in was organised by students.
- The sit-in was successful, and became another example of the effectiveness of non-violent direct action.
- The success of the sit-in led to the formation of SNCC.
- SNCC went on to play a leading role in the civil rights movement.
Keywords
Desegregate - to desegregate is to stop people being separated or kept apart by force (segregation)
Sit-in - to sit somewhere and refuse to move as a form of protest
Direct action - direct action is the use of demonstrations or protest to achieve a goal, rather than negotiation
Voter registration - voter registration is the act of signing up to be able to vote, which often involves meeting certain criteria
Common misconception
The civil rights movement was always co-ordinated and led by older men and women.
In the 1960s, there was a shift in the civil rights movement as students began to take a leading role in the fight against racial injustice.
Teacher tip
You can use the cause of the sit-in to show how, by 1960, progress in the civil rights movement was not always as widespread as many hoped - in this case universities are desegregated but the facilities for students were still segregated.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Who did Eisenhower send in to support the students at Little Rock High School?
Q2.Which statement below best describes what was known as 'the lost year'?
Q3.Which of the following organisations was involved in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954?
Q4.The name for the campaign to secure a victory over the Axis powers and a victory over segregation in American is the
Q5.In which year was the brutal murder of Emmett Till?
Q6.A is when people decide not to buy things from, use the services of, or take part in activities with a certain company or country to show they don't agree with something it's doing.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box
to stop people being separated or kept apart by force
kill someone for an offence without trial, usually by an armed group
When different groups of people are forcefully kept separate or apart
Q2.In which year was the Greensboro sit-in?
Q3.The Greensboro sit-in led to the formation of which organisation?
Q4.Which organisation gave the SNCC $800 to help set up an organisation that would continue to support the desegregation of dining facilities across the USA.
Q5.In which year were the Freedom Rides?
Q6.Which organisation did Stokely Carmichael join in the late 1960s?
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Greensboro and the sit-in movement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Greensboro and the sit-in movement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the The USA, 1954–75 conflict at home and abroad unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.