March Lesson Plan

What purpose do the two opening framing scenes of March: Book One serve: the one of John Lewis and others crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge before the title pages and the one of him, in 2009, waking up early and getting ready? Why did the authors choose to begin the series this way?

This is a very strong, bold opening, and students may notice how the book really starts with a bang. On its face, starting the series this way has the obvious benefit of presenting the titular march to the readers so they know what the ultimate subject of the book actually is, even if they are not a student who is already familiar with civil rights history. Moreover, this intense opening...