Paired Texts > Justice for All

by Lynn Rymarz 2016

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.

The Many and the Few
The Many and the Few
J. Patrick Lewis

In J. Patrick Lewis' poem "The Many and the Few," a speaker describes the historic moment when Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

Pair “The Many and the Few” with “Justice for All” to provide students with a poem about Rosa Parks’ activism. Ask students to discuss how Ida B. Wells’ actions compared to Rosa Parks’? How is Wells one of the “Few” who changed the lives of the “Many,” in terms of J. Patrick Lewis’ poem?

5th Grade Poem
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America
Barbara Radner

This informational text outlines Dr. King's accomplishments and leadership in America.

Pair “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Changing America” with “Justice for All” to provide students with another important contributor to the Civil Rights Movement. How did Ida B. Wells and Martin Luther King, Jr. fight for racial justice? How do students think Wells’ and King’s actions inspired others?

5th Grade Informational Text 560L
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
USHistory.org

The informational text "The Underground Railroad" provides an overview of the actions of Harriet Tubman and other Underground Railroad conductors.

Pair “the Underground Railroad” with “Justice for All” and ask students to discuss how Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells were heroes. How did Tubman’s work as a “conductor” compare to Wells’ work as a civil rights activist? How did both women’s work help others?

6th Grade Informational Text 970L
African American Suffragists
African American Suffragists
Margaret Gushue

In the informational text "African American Women Suffragists," Margaret Gushue discusses women's suffrage and African American women's contributions to the movement.

Pair “Justice for All” with “African American Suffragists” to provide students with additional information about Ida B. Wells. Ask students to discuss how both texts explore the discrimination that Wells faced. How did Wells confront the unfair treatment she received for her race and gender and work to change it?

5th Grade Informational Text 1020L
Standing Up by Sitting In
Standing Up by Sitting In
Ruth Spencer Johnson

In Ruth Spencer Johnson's short drama "Standing Up by Sitting In," a group of students protest segregation with a sit-in.

Pair “Justice for All” with “Standing Up by Sitting In” to provide students with information about a leader of the Civil Rights Movement. How did Ida B. Wells protest the unfair treatment she experienced on a train? How do her actions compare to the actions of the students in “Standing Up by Sitting In”? Do students think that Wells’ actions inspired the activists that followed?

4th Grade Drama 990L
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 “Justice for All” with “Rosa Refuses” to provide students with information about another important figure of the Civil Rights Movement. Ask students to discuss the similarities between Ida B. Wells and Rosa Parks. How do students think Wells’ actions inspired other activists, like Parks?

4th Grade Historical Fiction 710L
Elizabeth Jennings Takes a Stand
Elizabeth Jennings Takes a Stand
Laura Sassi

In "Elizabeth Jennings Takes a Stand," a Black woman living in New York City in 1854 stands up for her rights and goes on a whites-only trolley.

Pair “Justice for All” with “Elizabeth Jennings Takes a Stand” to give students another example of a Black woman, Ida B. Wells, standing up for justice on transportation. How was Ida B. Wells treated unfairly because of her race in “Justice for All”? How did she fight back against this injustice? How was Elizabeth Jennings treated unfairly because of her race in “Elizabeth Jennings Takes a Stand”? How did she fight back against this injustice? How were Ida and Elizabeth’s experiences similar and different?

5th Grade Non-Fiction - General 920L
Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells
www.readinga-z.com

In "Ida B. Wells," the author explains how Wells, an activist and journalist, helped change laws and fight for equality.

Pair “Justice for All” with “Ida B. Wells” and ask students to discuss how Wells-Barnett fought against segregation in all places, including on train cars. How was Rosa Parks from “Justice for All” similar to Wells-Barnett? How might Wells-Barnett’s actions have influenced Parks’s work?

5th Grade Biography 990L
Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin
Britannica Kids

In "Claudette Colvin," Britannica Kids explains how Colvin, a Black teenager who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, affected the Civil Rights Movement.

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?

3rd Grade Biography 920L