Ruby Bridges Mini-Inquiry

After our study about various civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr and Harriet Tubman, Room 408 did a mini-inquiry about Ruby Bridges.
Because it was a mini-inquiry, that meant that we would go through all of the inquiry stages in a short period of time.
For our Immersion Stage, we began by studying the following photograph and wondering about it.

The kids wondered:
-Why is she so little?
-Why are there police?
-Why are there white people with a little black girl?
-Why are they taking the girl away?
-Are they arresting her?
-Who is the girl?  Who are they?
-Is she in trouble?

We then talked about the different sources that researchers often use and came up with a list together.  We can learn a lot from sources like photographs, models, the real thing, books, PebbleGo, and magazines.  Many of these sources were spread throughout the room and Room 408 used these sources to try and answer some of their questions (Investigation Stage).

Nikolaus found a clue!  The words "William Franz Public School" were at the top of the building in another photograph.  

Gabbie found another clue:  Ruby was in first grade, just like us!

Allie & Drew noticed the same pictures used in different sources.

We used the "William Franz Public School" clue and looked it up on Google Earth.  We found out that the school is in New Orleans.

One of the most exciting moments of the afternoon was when some students made a connection...one of the paintings from a photograph is just like the mosaic that has been hanging in the hallway outside our classroom since the beginning of the year!

Ariah & Kierstyn noticed a painting hanging in President Obama's office...it's just like the mosaic that has been hanging right outside our classroom all year!

All of a sudden everyone was making the connection!

We even found the painting in a book!

After our Investigation Stage, the students thought about what they had learned and what they thought was important to know about Ruby Bridges and recorded it in our Think Books (Coalescing Stage).

To Go Public, we shared our new learning with each other and answered most of our questions.  We learned that even though she was little, Ruby Bridges was a civil right leader and helped to change segregation by being one of the first black children to attend an all-white school.

We think Ruby is a pretty amazing girl!  That's a lot of thinking for one afternoon!