Lesson at a Glance
- Grades
- Grades 7–12
- Time
- One class period (20–40 minutes)
- Standards
- NCSS Themes 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions) and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.Civ.10.9-12, D2.His.3.9-12
- Reading
- Ella Baker (profile)
Big Idea
Ella Baker built the freedom movement on the conviction that ordinary people, organized together, are the source of lasting change, not charismatic leaders.
Before Class
Students read the profile of Ella Baker, including the Key Dates and Sources.
Discussion Questions
- Baker urged the student sit-in leaders in 1960 to keep control of their own movement. What were the risks and advantages of SNCC staying independent of older organizations?
- What did Baker mean by group-centered leadership, and how does it differ from the idea of a movement led by a single famous figure?
- Why might Baker’s role have been little known for decades, and what does that suggest about whose work gets remembered in history?
- In “Bigger than a Hamburger,” Baker argued the students wanted more than integrated lunch counters. What larger goals does the profile suggest they had?
Activity
Students read “Bigger than a Hamburger” alongside the profile’s account of the Shaw University conference. In small groups (25–35 minutes), they list every goal Baker attributes to the students and sort the list into immediate demands and long-term aims. Each group then designs a one-page plan for a present-day student organization run on Baker’s principle of group-centered leadership, explaining how decisions would be made and how new leaders would be developed. The class compares plans and discusses what Baker would have said about each.
Primary Sources
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Classroom lesson: Ella Baker.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/ella-baker/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Ella Baker. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/ella-baker/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Ella Baker.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/ella-baker/.
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.