That+Was+Then...+This+Is+Now


 * Summary**** and Rationale **

//That Was Then... This Is Now...// is a strategy designed to spark interest in a topic and demonstrate visually the growth in knowledge of a topic, similar to a pre- and post-assessment. Students are required to draw a picture and write a summary of information related to a topic __before__ engaging in the reading (on the "That Was Then..." side of the paper). After finishing the text, students are asked to repeat the activity given the understanding they derived from the reading (on the "This Is Now..." section).

//Directions//
 * 1) Pass out the **handout** (see file below).
 * 2) Before having students read the text, have them **fill out** the "That Was Then..." side. They must draw an illustration and write a brief summary of their prior knowledge on the topic.
 * 3) After **reading** the text, students must fill out the "This Is Now..." side.
 * 4) Teachers may use the differences observed between the two sides as growth attributable to the instruction and reading.


 * Example**

In a unit on the Montgomery Bus Boycott, students may likely draw pictures and/or write about the following information:

//That Was Then...//
 * __Summary__: Rosa Parks lived in Montgomery, Alabama. Buses were segregated in many parts of the South, so whites and non-whites were not allowed to sit next to each other on the buses. One day, Rosa decided to not give up her seat to a white person. She was put into jail, and this sparked the Bus Boycott. After the Boycott, African-Americans were able to sit in the front of the bus.

After filling in the first section of the handout, the teacher may provide instruction on the Bus Boycotts. __Rosa__, a children's book by Nikki Giovanni, would be a good introduction to the topic for students of any ages.

//This Is Now...//
 * __Summary__: In many parts of the South, public spaces and public buses were segregated, meaning that whites had privileged seating in the front of the bus and non-whites were put in the back. Whites were allowed to take over the non-white seating area if the bus was full. Rosa Parks, an African-American resident of Montgomery, was an active member of the NAACP. After refusing to get out of her seat for a white person, she was arrested and put in jail. Her case was used by the NAACP and WPC to launch the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For over a year, many non-white members of the community walked and carpooled to work, avoiding public transportation. Finally, after more than a year of protest, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that it is illegal to segregate public spaces and transportation based on race.