Year 5’s Segregation Rap

The Year 5’s topic this half term has been ‘Space and Segregation’.  In this topic the children examine the era of space explorations and the era of expanded civil rights for racial minorities and women, both of which began at the same time in the United States of America (USA) in the 1960s.

Exploring the topic across the curriculum, the Year 5s created this rap as part of their Performing Arts Class with Mrs. Niki.  Both Mrs. Niki and the Year 5 teacher, Miss Cara, have commented on how receptive and passionate the children have been about this part of their topic. To find out more about this topic, please ask a Year 5 to share their learning with you.

Segregation is wrong
Civil rights belong
Judge me by morality
And my personality

We need equality
Let’s change the policy
Do it now
Ask me how

We’ll be together all the way
We’ll work as one
Until it’s done

MLK he marched for us
And Rosa didn’t move to the back of the bus
Now today here we stand
Black and white
Hand in hand

Written by Year 5
in their Performing Arts Class.
Feb 2019

While watching the MLK Junior’s speech again with Miss Cara as the class prepared to write their own persuasive speeches this year, the children spontaneously joined in the last line with the entire class shouting out “free at last, free at last… thank God almighty we are free at last” looking at each other holding hands.

The USA space programme and the civil rights movement may seem like very different subject matters for discussion in separate conversations, but during the 1960’s NASA and the fight for civil rights were on the same trajectory.

It was an era of trying to break down segregation barriers while at the same time figuring out how to overcome the barriers to space travel.

Here also is a “Throwback Tuesday’ to March 2015 when the Year 5’s at the time performed MLK’s “I Have a Dream Speech” as a Talk4Writing performance:

Talk4Writing: Allow Year 5 to persuade you with “I have a Dream”