Tips on Teaching American History: Rosa Parks Sculpture

For a country that’s not been around for as long as some other places like those in Europe, America has amassed a colorful history that’s full of adventure and interesting tidbits of information.  American history is both colorful and varied. It’s the story of everything from tea dumped in a harbor to a war fought to create a nation. With all those factors coming together under one umbrella, teaching American history can be a formidable task. But the whole concept can be broken down into smaller segments that present a clear picture of what’s gone into our nation’s past.

For example, the Civil Rights movement was a watershed in America’s history and as such it deserves a special place in any curriculum. However, because it’s such a large and often complicated topic, a few suggestions can help to make the wealth of knowledge more manageable for teachers assigned the topic.

Some of these examples are intended to supplement the existing methods in place and are not meant to act as a substitute for any textbooks or other materials. The lesson plan is one such supplement. One good example that pertains to the Civil Rights movement is a lesson plan revolving around Marshall D. Rumbaugh’s famous sculpture entitled Rosa Parks.

Without mentioning the purpose of the exercise, the teacher should project a picture of the sculpture on a large screen in the classroom.  Without identifying it for the children, the teacher should ask the students to describe what it is they think they see. Remember that it’s important here not to identify the people represented in the picture. They purpose of the exercise is to keep the students blind to the intention of the work at first.

As well, the teacher should ask those who know the sculpture to ignore their previous knowledge and speculate on what they think they’re seeing. There are several recommended questions that can be used here. Ask the students to identify the people in the sculpture without naming them. Use only titles. Ask the students where they think the sculpture takes place, what is happening and why they think it is happening.

Students will also be aware of the distorted features on the figures in the sculpture. They should be asked what parts are distorted and why. A discussion should follow about why the students feel there are certain features that appear this way and why. The final part of this lesson plan should include a photograph of Rosa Parks that the students can compare to the sculpture to get a better understanding of how the real woman looked.
Another discussion should follow about how and why the artist portrayed her in a distorted way in the sculpture.

This type of lesson plan is informative and it gets the students to think about the subject matter as well. They generally become more receptive when they have something contemporary before them to use as a starting point for further discussions.