How to Use This Guide:

The Birmingham Civil Institute documents the history of Birmingham's role in the Civil Rights Movement and creates an awareness of human rights issues worldwide.  It is especially important to both the Board of Directors and staff that young people walk away with a full understanding of the dramatic events which took place in this city and country just over thirty-seven years ago.

As an organization dedicated to education and research, the Institute called together a group of educators to aid in the development of this curriculum guide.   We targeted the Jefferson County School System because their teachers were working with a new curriculum known as 4MAT.  Dr. Bernice McCarthy, creator of the internationally used 4MAT System, had this to say about the instuructional design:

"4MAT is an open-ended teaching model.  It is designed to raise teacher awareness as to why some things work with some learners and other things do not.  It is adaptable to the developmental level of the learners, the content being taught, and the artistry of the moment.  It is a useful framework for restructuring schools by exploring the wholeness of systems.  If, at any time or in any way, 4MAT becomes a hindrance to the authority and efficacy of the teacher, its use should b reconsidered."

The following pages contain a model of the 4MAT plan and details on how it can be used as an instructional vehicle.  We certainly hope the lesson plans contained in this curriculum will assist you in preparing  students for a successful visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.  Also this guide will aid in your development of successful instruction on the Civil Rights Movement and African American life and history.

Impacting the Community

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