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Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader

Publication Information

Author: Polakow, Amy

Illustrator:

Title: Daisy Bates: Civil Rights Crusader

Date: 2003

Publisher: Linnet Books

City: North Haven, Ct.

ISBN, paperback: 0-208-02513-8

ISBN, hardback:

Recommended audience:

ABE/ABLE: Yes

ESOL:

Family:

Young Adult: Yes

Picture:

General Information:

Book Type(s): biography and autobiography, true story

HSE Descriptor(s): social studies

Summary:

Although she is best known for shepherding the "Little Rock Nine" through the dangers and stresses of the first school integration test, Daisy Bates pursued a life of community crusading despite obstacles and personal difficulties before and after Little Rock as the book documents. The biography includes an Afterword updating the students lives, footnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

Teaching Ideas:

This well-researched biography belongs in a text set on Civil Rights. After using a K-W-L strategy to see what students already know and what they have questions about, teachers will want to ask students to discuss the significance of the integration of the Little Rock schools in the larger Civil Rights Movements using other books in the text set. Keeping a reading log and creating a timeline will help students keep track of personality traits and events in her life. Students might want to respond to the statement on p. 67 that she "was accused of being power hungry, too aggressive, and too outspoken...", lacked humility, was proud, and desired publicity, perhaps using a Descussion Web strategy. A matrix would enable readers to compare her with other Civil Rights leaders.

Teaching Strategies: