Lesson
2
:
The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
Grade
Grade 8
UNIT
9
•
Humanity
In Unit 7, Lesson 2, “Learning Fairness from a Nonfiction Text,” students will develop their reading comprehension skills and learn examples of fairness by reading a contemporary work of young adult nonfiction, The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. Additionally, students will develop their critical thinking skills by answering questions about the text and advance their academic dialogue skills by participating in a class discussion about the book.
SUGGESTED TIME:
- 1 class period to introduce the book; 1 class period to discuss the book
- If desired, additional class periods can be devoted to in-class silent reading of the book
- The book for this lesson, The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan, adapted by Hilary Beard, is 254 pages and 23 chapters.
- Assignment 1: Prologue-Chapter 1
- Assignment 2: Chapters 2-3
- Assignment 3: Chapters 4-5
- Assignment 4: Chapters 6-7
- Assignment 5: Chapters 8-9
- Assignment 6: Chapters 10-11
- Assignment 7: Chapters 12-13
- Assignment 8: Chapters 13-14
- Assignment 9: Chapters 15-16
- Assignment 10: Chapters 17-18
- Assignment 11: Chapters 19-20
- Assignment 12: Chapters 21-23
- Have students complete the worksheet questions as they read.
- Allow at least 50 min for in-class discussion of the book.
SUGGESTED TIME:
English Language Arts
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Read a nonfiction text and demonstrate an understanding of the central ideas
- Write answers to questions about the book, demonstrating an understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Engage effectively in collaborative discussions about the book
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Book: The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan, adapted by Hilary Beard
- Video: The massacre of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street" by Vox (~ 9 min)
- Prohuman Grade 8 Unit 9 Lesson 2: The Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921
VOCABULARY:
Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
Step 1:
- Without providing any information or showing the caption, show students this image from the Tulsa History Museum. (Note: It is not an image of violence.)
- Ask students what they notice about this photograph.
- Ask students what they wonder about this photograph.
Step 2:
- Explain that this photograph was taken of a temporary law office set up in a tent following the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, which was one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. Pictured are attorneys Isaiah H. Spears and Buck Colbert Franklin with their secretary, Effie Thompson. By 1922, they had a building for their firm.
Step 3:
- Explain that we will be reading a book about this incident: The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan, adapted by Hilary Beard.
- Explain that this incident is very difficult to learn about, but it is important to understand a history that was for far too long not discussed or included in history books.
Step 4:
- Explain that this video gives a brief overview of the Tulsa Race Massacre and that it contains some difficult images. Play the video: The massacre of Tulsa's "Black Wall Street" by Vox (~ 9 min).
Step 5:
- Have students read the book, The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan, adapted by Hilary Beard, either as a series of in-class reading assignments or for homework.
- Tell students that as they read, this story map will be useful: Mapping Greenwood A Virtual Tour of the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre and Current Sites of Commemoration by Tulsa Community College students in support of The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation.
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions while reading the book.
Step 6
- Set aside a class period to discuss the book. Invite students to a whole-class discussion of the worksheet questions.
GRADE 8 UNIT 9 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING HUMANITY FROM A NONFICTION TEXT — The Burning: Black Wall Street and the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 by Tim Madigan, adapted by Hilary Beard.
- As you read, this story map will be useful: Mapping Greenwood A Virtual Tour of the events of the Tulsa Race Massacre and Current Sites of Commemoration by Tulsa Community College students in support of The John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation
- What was the Greenwood district of Tulsa called and why?
- What was chattel slavery, how did it deny African Americans their humanity, and where was it practiced in America?
- What was Reconstruction, what years did it take place, and how many Black men were elected to office during this period?
- What did the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments guarantee?
- How many Black people were lynched in America from 1865 to 1950?
- How did Jim Crow laws deny African Americans their humanity?
- What is the main difference between Booker T. Washington’s and W. E. B. Du Bois’s approaches to education? Which one do you think better serves Black people? Why do you think this?
- What did the Tulsa Tribune publish on the front page on May 31, 1921, and what was the consequence?
- In Chapter 15, the author connects the Tulsa Massacre to several other historical injustices. What are those injustices?
- What does the word complicit mean, and how were many authorities in Tulsa complicit in the violence?
- What was the overall scale of destruction in terms of the number of deaths, number of people who lost their homes, the number of blocks burned, and the amount of savings lost?
- How does Chapter 21 portray the resilience of Black people?
- Chapter 23 makes the case for reparations for the families of the Greenwood residents. Which piece of information would you say makes the strongest argument for reparations?
- What did you learn about humanity from reading this book, and how can you show more humanity?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
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