Do these songs have anything to do with the Civil Rights Movement?

Look up pretty much anything by Woody Guthrie.

Yep. I think you should switch Blowin’ in the Wind with the original Bob Dylan version though. Strange Fruit is particularly subtle and graphic (middle schoolers, right?) so be sure to address that one carefully.

Other songs:
We Shall Overcome (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhnPVP23rzo) – Pete Seeger – probably the most iconic of the Civil Rights Movement

A Change is Gonna Come (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48K5Y0421Ig) – Sam Cooke

I Shall not be Moved (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLc8YeXP8FY)

Also, a Native American perspective:

My Country tis of thy People You’re Dying (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTqV1pnQoos) – Buffy Sainte Marie

Also, and this is a personal favorite:

If I had a Hammer – Peter, Paul & Mary (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UKvpONl3No)

@podwarp Thank you so much!

Give Peace a Chance was aligned most with anti-war and was released right after the Bed-in .

Most of the lyrics from the 60’s were protest driven and the lines blur between anti-war and civil rights on many songs. What protest topic do you want these middle schoolers to learn about?

Certainly the other ones you mention are Civil Rights focused

oh Freedom
blowin in the wind
i shall not be moved
this little light of mine
when will we get paid

“Birmingham Sunday” is about the bormbing of a church. Four little girls were killed. It’s a good song, but I’d choose another.

Try “If You Miss Me at the Back of the Bus” by Pete Seeger. Here it is—first link in the results.

Woody Guthrie sang about the Dust Bowl and the unions and so on—again not sixties Civil Rights. A lot of the topical singers of the time sang Guthrie songs, but if you’re looking for Civil Rights songs, that’s not Guthrie.

@Jeruba Thank you. I watched the movie Four Little Girls in class and the beginning featured the song Birmingham Sunday.

“We Shall Overcome” was the anthem of the Civil Rights movement.

All the young urban folk performers and singer-songwriters of the time—Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Tom Paxton, Phil Ochs, Richard & Mimi Farina, groups like Peter, Paul & Mary, and those few tuned-in older ones like (especially) Pete Seeger and The Weavers—had songs about Civil Rights.

@Jeruba Yeah, I did say that was civil rights from a Native American perspective—though, it was a very loose recommendation. Anyway, the American Indian movement is very overlooked in history and is just as important and interesting so I figured it might be good to just throw that in there.

Only A Pawn In Their Game is another Bob Dylan song

Look up the Stevie Wonder song Happy Birthday. He wrote it in 1980 to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a national holiday. It was written after the fact, but it’s still very powerful.

Lyrics here.

We Will Rock You. emphasis on “rock” as in a stone.

This is what we faced in the riots of 1968 in my city. Big rocks, small rocks, and broken bricks were hitting the officers, during these riots.