KD U3R4 “Marian Anderson: A Voice for Change”

“Marian Anderson: A Voice for Change”

This social studies text tells about the career of the singer Marian Anderson. It describes how Anderson achieved her dream of becoming a professional singer despite the difficulties she faced as an African American. During her career, from the 1920s to the 1960s, African Americans were not given the same rights as whites. The top music schools refused to accept black students, and many concert halls did not allow black performers. Traveling was especially difficult in the South, where restaurants, hotels, and trains were often for whites only. Anderson overcame these racial barriers to become one of the most popular
singers of her time. Her success inspired Americans to demand an end to racial prejudice and to guarantee equal rights for all.


Key Words

• auditorium: a large room, especially in a school, where people sit to watch a performance
• concert:  performance given by musicians or singers
• congregation: a group of people gathered in a church for a religious service, or the people who usually go to a particular church determination
• injustice: a specific unjust act; a wrong
• spirituals: religious folk songs of

      African-American origin

Academic Words

achievement = something important you succeed in doing as a result of your actions
 ➡ Graduating from high school is a memorable achievement in a person’s life.

individual = person considered separately from other people in the same group 
➡ Each individual must make his or her own choices and decisions.

issue = a subject, problem, or question that people discuss
 ➡ Giving women the right to vote was an issue that people debated for many years.

pursue = continue doing an activity or trying to achieve something over a long time
 ➡ She decided to pursue her studies during the day while working as a waitress at night.

Highlighted Words

acoustics, the qualities of a room, such as its shape and size, which affect the way
sound is heard in it
segregated, meant to be used or attended by members of one race or religion
contralto, lowest female singing voice
octave, the range of notes between the first note of a musical scale and the last

Superlative Adjectives

A superlative adjective usually precedes the noun it modifies.

SUPERLATIVE ADJECTIVES GAMES AND ACTIVITIES PAGE