In the Classroom
Goin' to Chicago Teacher's Guide
Goin' to Chicago chronicles for the first time the post-War migration of millions of African-Americans from the rural South to the urban North that transformed America. This guide will help teachers integrate this vital - but often neglected - chapter of U.S. history into their classes and make visible the triumphs and tribulations of an entire generation of African-Americans.
Students will learn about the migration experience, its impact on the migrants themselves, the social transformation of Northern and western cities, the origins of the Northern civil rights movement, and the roots of current urban decay. They will situate this experience within the larger contours of U.S. history 
and apply their insights to problems of contemporary urban life. Exercises include essays and discussion questions, mapping, short story writing, oral histories, demographic and census research, even a city council simulation.
The migration is family history for well over half of all African American students and this study guide will enable teachers to treat the historical background of their African-American students as a valuable class resource.
Teachers may also wish to read the Reviews Section, particularly Teaching Sociology for more ideas about classroom use.
Thanks to California Newsreel for permission to reproduce this Teachers Guide Written by: Larry Adelman with Marcia Klenbort
Contact the Filmmakers
To comment or ask question about Goin' to Chicago or this website, e-mail us at www.georgeking-assoc.com