Separate is Never Equal is an exceptional picture book. This post contains some teaching ideas to use with the book and a free mini-lesson. Before you begin reading, you may wish to grab the free materials.
Use this link to download the free resource.
Separate is Never Equal
Separate is Never Equal – Sylvia Mendez & Her Fight for Desegregation is a biographical picture book. It is based on events that took place between 1944-1947. Sylvia’s father moved to Orange County, California, to lease a farm. When his children went with Aunt Soledad to enroll, they were told they must attend the ‘Mexican School.’ Gonzalo Mendez fought for the rights of his children. This led to the historic court case Mendez v. Westminister, which challenged Mexican remedial schools in Orange County. The court ruled the school districts must stop the practice of segregation. They were violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Free Lessons to Use with the Book
All activities for this unit are in a printable mini-workbook.
Activities include the following:
- vocabulary practice
- comprehension questions
- writing prompt for character traits
- excerpt from the novel Echo
- writing comparison activity between Echo and Separate is Never Equal
Use this link to download the free resource.
Turn the Lesson Interactive with Anchor Charts
These anchor charts are super easy to make. You can have them ready for students in a few minutes. Just print out the clipart to decorate, draw a few lines, and label the sections.
I used clipart by Sarah Pecorino. You can find it here.
I love using sticky notes on the anchor chart. Have students work individually to complete their T-charts in the mini-workbook or online using the Google Slides provided.
Next, have the students move into groups to discuss their writing. Students divide the details so that each student writes a few on the sticky notes. The students then place the sticky notes on the correct locations of the anchor chart.
