Brown vs. BOE Virtual Lesson

Last week, our seventh grade classes "met" with Ranger Lisa, the education specialist at the Brown vs. Topeka BOE National Historic Site.

Ranger Lisa gave a brief overview of the National Park Service and talked just a bit about the Brown vs. BOE site.

Then students were able to participate in the "Great PB&J Debate."

All seventh graders divided into teams to list either the pros or the cons of eating peanut butter and jelly every single day for lunch.

Each side presented their reasons, then they discussed how giving everyone the exact same thing was not necessarily equal. Part of the conversation revolved around food allergies; those allergic to peanut butter wouldn't be able to eat anything.

Ranger Lisa continued by talking more in-depth about the Brown vs. BOE case and the connections that we could make to our current class novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. Though the book is set about 20 years prior to the court case, there are several parallels with segregation and discrimination.

Seventh graders learned a lot that day and discovered some new events to be curious about!