2nd Grade CLR Resources

Lesson 1: In Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story pages 24-25 shows the written out n-word in the background. Make sure you read and print the provided guidance below on this. (*This guidance is not in your current print edition, but can be found in your digital TE. The version below has some modifcations in bold)

***Print Teacher Guidance and put in your Teacher Edition

*Background Knowledge for teachers:

Race is only mentioned in the module twice: 

1. Lesson 1 Learn section saying people disrespected other races 

2. Lesson 17 Learn sample student response saying people of all races should be treated equally.

Teacher Guidance on the n-word In the Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story pages 24-25:

Pages 24–25 of Ruby Bridges Goes to School features Norman Rockwell’s The Problem We All Live With, showing Ruby Bridges surrounded by U.S. Marshals and including a racial slur in the background.

Use this opportunity to remind students that racial slurs are words people use to show disrespect and hatred toward people of different races. Be clear that there is a harmful word in the image, and that you and the students will not say the word out loud. If needed, refer to it as “the harmful word” or “the word in the background.”

Point out that the use of this word was common at the time, but that does not mean it was ever okay—it was always hurtful and wrong. People still use this word today as a hateful slur. Reinforce the power of language and how words can cause pain. Draw on students’ knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement to discuss how words can be used to attack, disrespect, and oppress people.

Remind students that considering their use of language is one way they can help bring more kindness and fairness to the world.

Students may or may not notice this word. As needed, consider these suggestions for discussing emotionally charged language:

• Set ground rules for the discussion, such as showing respect for all viewpoints and not repeating harmful language aloud.

• Do not expect an individual or group to serve as a “spokesperson” for their race, gender, or other group.

• Invite outside experts or community leaders to give other perspectives.

• Be honest with students about your own feelings, and explain to them why it is important to explore the impact of language.

• If the class is initially hesitant to talk, try having students express their feelings through journal entries, free writing, or anonymous responses.

Lesson 2: Handout 2B Fluency Homework (OPTION B). 

Language to modify from the Martin Luther King Jr. book excerpt (Handout 2B, OPTION B):

• Change the language of “slaves” to “enslaved people” 

• When Handout 2B says, “there has been no slavery for a long time,” that is incorrect. Different forms of slavery still exist and are in our laws today (13th amendment: slavery is abolished except as punishment for a crime). For example: the incarcerated firefighters who helped put out the LA fires in January 2025 (optional choice to mention this to students).  

This book and module don’t talk about slavery and why it happened. Students might ask questions about why people are treated differently. Some common questions heard from students include:

1. What is segregation?

   • Possible Response(s): Segregation is when white leaders made laws that separated Black people and white people based on race. They forced Black people to use different schools, spaces, and services, and they gave those places fewer resources, less funding, and worse conditions. Police, school systems, and other authorities enforced these laws. These laws were unfair and treated Black people as less important.

2. Why did they make laws for Black people to not be able to do things they want to do?

• Possible Response(s): White leaders made these laws to keep power and control. They believed racist ideas that Black people were less important and did not deserve the same rights. They used laws to limit Black people’s freedom and keep inequality in place.

3. Who made these laws?

• Possible Response(s): White government leaders and lawmakers made these laws. They used their power to create and enforce rules that supported segregation and discrimination.

4. Why are the white people mean to Black people even if they don’t know them?

• Possible Response(s): Some people learn racist ideas about others based on race. Families, communities, and media sometimes teach these ideas. These ideas are not true, but they can lead people to treat others unfairly. Many people work to challenge racism and treat others with respect.

5. Why were Black people forced to sit in the back of the bus?

• Possible Response(s): White lawmakers created laws that required Black people to sit in the back of the bus. Bus drivers and other authorities enforced these laws. They did this to show power and treat Black people as less important. Black people, including Rosa Parks, resisted these unfair rules and helped change them.

Lesson 3: The way in which segregation is discussed/presented in this module implies that separate but equal schools existed. Students should have a clear understanding of how segregation was not equal access to rights (education, materials, public spaces, etc.) for Black people. 

Teacher background knowledge: Emphasize the difference in resources between white schools and Black schools. Black schools received less funding: schools were overcrowded, there were not enough desks for every student, the few textbooks they had were tattered hand-me-downs from the white schools, Black teachers were paid less than white teachers. Students were not necessarily going to the school nearest to them because of segregation. Local school boards spent 3x as much money on a white student as they did on a Black student.

• Optional Resources to support students' knowledge building related to the above information:

  • What Is Was Like To Go To A Segregated School (2.5 minute video)

  • Slideshow of images showing disparities between schools

Vocab Deep Dive: Update civil rights definition to Civil Rights: The rights everyone should have for equal access to schools, homes, jobs, voting, and more, so everyone has the same chances, no matter who they are.

Consider these additional questions when preparing to teach this lesson: WHO made society this way? Who was in power? Who made these decisions to segregate people and ensure the quality of life was worse for Black and Latino people?

In the LEARN section, there are TDQs about the MLK book. One question asks: "What did President Lincoln do over 100 years ago?" and the sample responses include “end slavery” and “there had been no slavery for a long time.” A more appropriate response might include his signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, or his desire to end slavery. 

Many of the sample responses outlined in the TE throughout this lesson emphasize Lincoln's contribution to "end slavery". However, different forms of slavery still exist and are in our laws today (13th amendment: slavery is abolished except as punishment for a crime). For example, the incarcerated firefighters who helped put out the LA fires (optional choice to mention this to students).  

But the language in the EXTENSION for Handout 4A (Connecting Historical Events) still doesn’t say who is treating Black people unfairly and uses passive voice, which can continue to lead to student confusion.

One sample response states: 

"Black people were still not treated fairly after President Lincoln stopped slavery." 

Instead, consider language such as: 

“After the Emancipation Proclamation passed, white people in power made unfair rules that kept Black people from going to the same schools, getting good jobs, or living in certain places.”