Paired Texts > Claudette Colvin

by Britannica Kids 2022

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

Justice for All
Justice for All
Lynn Rymarz

In the informational text "Justice for All," Lynn Rymarz discusses Ida B. Wells' fight for justice against the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad.

Pair “Justice for All” with “Claudette Colvin” and ask students to discuss how Ida B. Wells in “Justice for All” is like Claudette Colvin in “Claudette Colvin.” How were Ida and Claudette’s actions alike? What are some differences between Ida and Claudette? Since Ida died before Claudette was born, how may Ida have affected Claudette?

5th Grade Biography 900L
We Will Walk
We Will Walk
Sarah Kovatch

In "We Will Walk," a girl and her family participate in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Pair “We Will Walk” with “Claudette Colvin” and ask students to talk about peaceful protests. What is the peaceful protest described in “We Will Walk”? What did Claudette do to protest in “Claudette Colvin”? How did Claudette and Rosa’s actions lead to the actions taken by Sadie in “We Will Walk”?

3rd Grade Historical Fiction 510L
Rosa Refuses
Rosa Refuses
Ruth Spencer Johnson

In Ruth Spencer Johnson's "Rosa Refuses," a black girl in Montgomery writes letters to her cousin about the Montgomery bus boycott.

Pair “Rosa Refuses” with “Claudette Colvin” and ask students to talk about how children can affect change. What is Shirley’s point of view on Rosa Parks in “Rosa Refuses”? What do you think Shirley would say about “Claudette Colvin”? How can children impact changes and movements?

4th Grade Historical Fiction 710L
Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin
Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin
Margot Adler

In the informational text "Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin," Margot Adler discusses the not widely known actions of Claudette Colvin in the Civil Rights Movement.

Pair “Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin” with “Claudette Colvin” as a differentiation option for students. Both texts discuss Claudette Colvin’s life and actions, but “Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin” is a more rigorous text that uses quotes from Colvin about her experiences and goes into further detail about why Rosa Parks was chosen to be a leader of the movement instead of Claudette, while “Claudette Colvin” is a simplified biography.

7th Grade Informational Text 1100L
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Britannica Kids

In "Rosa Parks," Britannica Kids explains how Parks' actions inspired the start of the civil rights movement.

Pair “Claudette Colvin” with “Rosa Parks” and ask students to discuss the role of women in the civil rights movement. How was Claudette’s experience in “Claudette Colvin” and Rosa’s experience in “Rosa Parks” similar and different? Why is Claudette’s story important to the Montgomery Bus Boycott? How did Claudette and Rosa’s actions impact the lives of African Americans?

3rd Grade Biography 940L