The March for an Equitable World

Funded Sep 24, 2021

My students and I are grateful for your generosity with the donation of the March graphic novel. Prior to our unit, our students had very little to no background on the historic events leading to the march. We introduced the unit with an analysis of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. After understanding the significance of the dream and how that dream impacted all people, we smoothly transitioned into the reading of the graphic novel.

This unit provided students an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the civil rights movement. Although a lesson on civil rights could have been easily delivered through the reading of a history book, this graphic novel provided students with a unique and engaging opportunity to learn.

Many students struggle to engage with literature of any kind these days. This is why incorporating the use of this graphic novel to teach such important lessons was key to making this unit a success. All students were actively engaged in reading. We broke up the book into sections. Students were given reading comprehension questions to respond to as they read silently. For once, students were excited to engage one-on-one with the text. After reading independently, students met with small groups to have discussions about the key topics and events. We ended the unit with a creative project that reflected their understanding of the text.

Thank you again for the enriching opportunity you gave my class. This experience has proven that students can and should be engaging with various forms of texts, including graphic novels. This is a great tool to teach students that reading can be engaging once again.”

With gratitude,

Ms. Lagunas