Below is an annotated list of children's literature for the elementary classroom. The books are organized by the Six Elements of Social Justice Curriculum Design (Picower, 2007). It is based on work by pre-service teachers at Montclair State University. They have read and reviewed these books and provided insights into how they can be used in K-5 settings.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Mississippi Bridge


Mississippi Bridge


Mississippi Bridge
By: Mildred D. Taylor
Summary: This story takes place in Mississippi in the 1930's. The Logans see their grandmother off on a trip as she travels with Josias because he has a new job. Because they are Black, they are told to get off the bus when there is not enough room on the bus because more white passengers board. After they get off, the bus crashes off the bridge into the water and they help the people in the water.
How i would use this in the classroom: I would use this book to teach younger elementary school children about Jim Crow. It describes how a family and a culure stuck together. it describes the conditions of segregation. At the end of the book, even though Josias and the grandmother were thrown off the bus, they went back and helped the same passengers and driver who were mean to them. It's a great book to use for character study because there are different types of characters and roles in the book.
Domains of Social Justice:
1. self love and acceptance: The Logan family is very close and the grandmother is the rock of the family, she teaches them pride.
2. respect for others: even though there is such a division, josias saves some people from the bus accident especially a white mother and daughter they know from the town.
3. exploring issues of social justice: The book heavily deals with racism and segregation. it shows white priority and how certain people deal with it differently.
4. social movements and social change: this book can be used to connect the ideas of the incident with Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement.
5. taking social action:

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