Voting Rights Discussion Prompts and Pause Points

Before the Movie:

What does it mean to have the right to vote? (Tap prior knowledge)

What parts of the population have not always had the right to vote? What do you think was involved in getting that right? (Tap prior knowledge; Predict)

During the Movie (Pause Points):

Stop at the following times in the movie and ask questions or prompt a discussion to keep students focused and to assess their understanding before moving on:

Timecode 2:24: Why have there been so many voting rights amendments? (Make inferences)

Timecode 4:41: How did suppressing voting rights affect segregation laws? (Identify cause/effect)

Timecode 7:44: What characteristic traits do the activists Fannie Lou Hamer, John Lewis, and Martin Luther King, Jr. have in common? (Identify character traits, Compare/contrast)

After the Movie:

Look at the four related movies at the bottom of the page. Explain how each is connected to the Voting Rights topic. (Make connections)

Why is it important to have representatives from diverse backgrounds? (Draw conclusions)

Why is it important that everyone vote? What effect does low voter turn out have on an election? (Draw conclusions; Identify cause/effect)

How would mail-in voting expand the voter base? (Reflect)

BrainPOP recommends reading the movie description that appears on the Voting Rights Topic Page to your class or have students read independently. Then have them watch the movie once through without pausing. Then, watch it again as class, this time using the discussion prompts.

*BrainPOP’s Discussion Questions and Prompts align to CCSS Speaking and Listening Standards.