Let's Read About-- Rosa Parks

by Courtney Baker

Rosa Parks believed in herself and worked hard to succeed from the time she was a girl. Read about Rosa, a young woman who helped change history when she fought for black people's equal rights.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Picture Books

62 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Madelaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gives younger children a great foundation for understanding what Rosa Parks went through.

[Madelaine O'Neil]

This was so great for young students. It is an "easy reader" book so it can be read by the student alone. I thought it was great because it did such a good job of discussing complicated problems/history, while making it really easy for young children to understand. It talked about segregation and the supreme court, but it also explained these things in simple terms that young students could understand. I think the balance between tough topics and easy explanation was really great and this book would be so informative for students. I definitely would like to have this book in my classroom.

[Valeta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
Segregation Laws kept black people and white people separate. They could not attend the same school or drink from the same water fountain. To get a good education Rosa had to leave home and go to a special school in Montgomery, Alabama. While she was in Montgomery, Rosa met a man named Raymond Parks. They became good friends and later married. They became members of a group that was trying to change the segregation laws. Rosa also helped people pass a test so they could vote. Rosa rode the bus every day. She dislikes the law that required her to give up her seat on the bus if a white person did not have one. One day after leaving work, Rosa found herself a seat on the bus. However the bus driver requested that she give her seat to a white man. When she refused, the bus driver contacted the police and she was put in jail. The black people of Montgomery were angry because they knew Rosa was a kind person and believed the laws were wrong. In protest, black people stopped riding buses. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of Rosa in his speeches about Segregation Laws. Rosa’s case went before the Supreme Court which decided in Rosa’s favor that Segregation was unfair treatment and the Segregation Laws were changed in the states.

Response
I give this book a five star rating. It presents a strong message that everyone should be treated equally despite our differences. I feel it also teaches children to be proud of your differences and to stand up for your beliefs.

Classroom Connection
To help students comprehend the objective of the Civil Rights Movement, the lesson should have students explore the similarities and differences amongst their classmates. Students can record this information on a T Chart. On one side, should be the word "Similarities," on the other side should have the word "Differences." Review the T Chart with the class. Then inform the students that although they share many similarities, their differences are what make each one of them special and unique. . Ideas for this lesson were acquired from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/le...

Text Complexity
Lexile.com reports this book with a lexile measure of 550L. Scholastic Book Wizard reported that this book has an interest level for students in grades k-2. I would read this book aloud to kindergarteners, but feel that the average first grader should be able to read this book independently.

[Lauren Smeltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great easy read aloud of independent reading to young children grade levels K-2. I feel that it is a simplified picture book. It partial has important events that has happen but is doesn’t not go into detail about who Rosa Parks is from the being to end of her life. On great aspect about this book is not choppy. The story starts with her birth and how she struggled but got an education; met her husband and married. Teaches about segregation and what the whites and black could or couldn't do. There are multiple high quality characteristics, for example the subject is worth thinking about it can help children expand their knowledge about segregation but is written in a simplify way that children can understand. I feel that children can relate toward this story with how they are feeling and how Rosa Parks felt when she was asked to move and then was arrested. What I feel kept my interest and children would be the illustrations it really brings the entire story together and uses it a lot of lighting in the image. The illustrations take the entire two pages and makes you follow the story more by the pictures and the words to be a short caption. This biograph is very beneficial toward children knowledge history truly comes alive in this book. Another benefit is it helps build self-esteem and shows that if Rosa Parks can stand up for what she believes in than so can anyone else. In addition children can learn a lot of life lessons and exposes the children outside of their own world.

[Ka Youa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy and read aloud or independent reading to young children from grades level K-2. This biography talks about whom Rosa Parks was and the work that she helped the laws to be changed. It talks about how the laws in the old times were not fair for black and white people to be separated. These laws were called Segregation Laws. When Rosa Parks grew up, she wanted to do the right thing. So one day she did not want to give up her seat just because she found the seat to be emptied. The bus driver forced her to move away. However, Rosa was not afraid at all, because she knew she was doing the right thing. Later she went to jail. However, her case went into the highest court called the Supreme Court. Finally her case won because the judges felt that the laws were unfair. Since then the laws were changed for black and white to have equal rights.

This book is listed as biography genre because the book talks about the history of Rosa Parks and her life. Although it is very easy and simple text, it has great information about her life.

I think that students from grade K-2 can actually learn a lot about Rosa Parks if teachers read this book aloud to students. When students learn about a famous person in history, teachers can do a read aloud to students. This book is also great for independent reading as well. I thought students will enjoy questioning about Rosa Parks as they may have not heard about her the first time reading.

[Kristina Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this easy to read picture book, the story of Rosa Parks is told to a young audience. This biography is very informative and easy for younger audiences to understand. Children in grades K-2 will better understand who Rosa Parks was and how she helped the laws to be changed. The lesson to be learned from Rosa Parks is that if you believe in yourself, you can make a difference in the world (p.29)

The website below has a few ideas for younger grades and how to use the story of Rosa Parks in a lesson. The website had a worksheet of a bus and the students would have to follow directions when it came to coloring and writing on the worksheet. This would help students learn to follow directions, learn the laws that black people needed to follow, and then to role play what happened that day on the bus. Spelling words can also be included in this lesson.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesso...

Interest Level: Grades K - 2
Lexile Measure: Not available according to Scholastic Book Wizard
Guided Reading: Not Available according to Scholastic Book Wizard

[Rosa Cline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect 'beginning' book to introduce your young child to Rosa Parks, and-or segregation and or to people whom stood for what they believed in and changed our History because if it. This book is simply written but not so choppy that doesn't make a story. The story starts with her birth and how she struggled but got an education; met her husband and married. Teaches about segregation and what the whites and black could or couldn't do. And what I really enjoyed about it; when the author wrote about Rosa not wanting to give up her seat on the bus. They didn't say because "she was tired from working all day" but they wrote "Rosa was tired of being pushed around because she was black." Talks about her being put in jail and how Martin Luther King Jr helped the boycott. I read this to my 2 year old granddaughter and she was able to stay with the story and enjoyed the beautiful illustrations. The final words of this book are for certain ones to live by: "Rosa Parks proved that if you believe in yourself, you can make a difference in the world!"

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use in American Girl Program- Melody Ellison.

[carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naturally, this book is written for children to read. I read it and think that it is a well written book for children to get the concept of what Rosa Parks did to change history while fighting for black people's equal rights. Hats off for not giving up your seat Rosa!!!!

[Rukia Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Rosa Parks and her role in the civil rights movements and she helped to shape history Created for early readers, the text is simple and the illustrations follow the story.

[Skyler McSheehy]

Biography. I read this book with a small group of students and it talked about Rosa Parks and the way she stood up for her freedom during the 1900s. The book explains her part in the civil rights movement and how she pursued equality of all people. The students were able to learn and understand her example of how she fought for the rights of all African Americans.

[Vanessa Lueras]

Rosa Parks is an important person to know and this book explains her life and what she went through growing and how African-Americans had a harder time. She is a pioneer for the Civil Rights. I would use this in my classroom not only in February for Black History Month, but to explain the civil rights and what people went through. The students could write a short story about civil rights and what it means to them.