Sharita Sharmin Alexis Romero

Michelle Li !

Bartolomé de las Casas Unit Plan

Grades 4 - 6 !!

Hunter College ENGL395-04

Professor Nancy Hightower !

!Table of Contents

!Rationale & Context Knowledge

Lesson #1 (Introduction)

Lesson #2 (Chapter 1)

Lesson #3 (Chapter 2)

Lesson #4 (Chapter 3)

Lesson #5 (Chapter 4)

Lesson #6 (Chapter 5)

Lesson #7

Extensions

Resources

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Rationale & Content Knowledge ! By the time children reach the 4th grade, they will have learned a lot of information about Christopher Columbus. He was the man who sailed across the ocean, explored new places, discovered America, and became friends with the “Indians”. More often than not, elementary school teachers give their students this inaccurate view of not only Columbus, but also other travelers of the past. Some reasons for this problem include, but are not limited to fear of scaring the young children, and lack of proper resources. Elementary school teachers need kid friendly books and lesson plans that will assist them in teaching more accurate historical information. Although Christopher Columbus was an important historical figure, this unit plan focuses on a lesser known man, Bartolomé de las Casas. Many aspects of this man’s life are similar to that of Christopher Columbus’, yet the two also varied greatly. This series of units emphasizes the true events of the past in a child friendly way. It revolves around the book Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas, which was created alongside this unit plan with the sole purpose of being a basis for this unit. Bartolomé de las Casas should be taught in elementary schools because most children, and also adults, do not know about him. Bartolomé de las Casas is equally as important, if not more important, than Columbus in terms of historical impact. This series of lessons should be executed after the usual lessons about Christopher Columbus so that children will be able to interpret and juxtapose the two stories. 4th graders will be able to begin developing opinions on the true history of the “discovery” of America. The lessons are also suitable for 5th and 6th graders because the language used in the story may be a bit advanced. ! The first lesson in this unit plan will review prior knowledge about Christopher Columbus. It will connect what the children already know about explorers, to the new information that they are about to learn. The students will learn basic facts about Bartolomé de las Casas, and also his background story. The students will use the introduction of the book Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas. At the end of the lesson, students will use a venn diagram to document similarities and differences between Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé de las Casas. ! The second lesson in this unit plan will cover the Spanish voyage. It will teach about the events at the end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s. Topics that will be discussed include Bartolomé de las Casas’s trips, the encomienda system, and more. The students will use the first chapter of the book Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas. The students will learn about maps, how to read them and how to create them, in order to visually label the voyages. As a class, a large scale timeline will be created and used as a reference though out the duration of the unit. ! The third lesson in this unit plan will dig deeper into the encomienda system. It will also begin to discuss the impact of Bartolomé de las Casas on the Native Americans that were already living in the areas that he visited. The students will use the second chapter of the book Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas. Besides analyzing the text, the students will also learn to interpret various images. The class will continue to build on the timeline as they learn about new events.

Lesson #1!Title of Lesson: Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé de las Casas Total Time for Lesson: 40 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: B1. Explain how events are related chronologically to one another. D5. Describe how human activities alter places and regions. E4. Explain why individuals and businesses specialize and trade. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - What is an explorer? - Which explorers do I know about? - Who is Christopher Columbus? - What do I know about Christopher Columbus? - Who is Bartolomé de las Casas? - How is Bartolomé de las Casas similar to and different from Christopher Columbus? - How can I use a venn diagram to compare and contrast? !Materials & Media: - Internet access - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas - Venn diagram sheets !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (10 minutes) - Brainstorm prior knowledge of explorers. - Brainstorm prior knowledge of Christopher Columbus. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas introduction. - Discussion. 3. Activity (15 minutes) - Individual / table group creation of venn diagrams. 4. Whole class discussion (5 minutes) - Share learned information. - Share comparisons. !!!

Lesson #2!Title of Lesson: The Spanish Voyage and Encounter of Hispaniola Total Time for Lesson: 50 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: A2. Recognize, use, and analyze different forms of evidence used to make meaning in social studies (including sources such as art and photographs, artifacts, oral histories, maps, and graphs). B6. Use periods of time such as decades and centuries to put events into chronological order. D1. Use location terms and geographic representations (maps and models) to describe where places are in relation to each other, to describe connections among places, and to evaluate the benefits of particular places for purposeful activities. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - What is the encomienda system? - Which groups of people did the encomienda system benefit? - Which groups of people did the encomienda system harm? - What types of information can I get from maps? - How can I draw a map? - How can I create a timeline? !Materials & Media: - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas - Maps !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (10 minutes) - Analyze maps of Bartolomé de las Casas’s early voyages. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas chapter 1. - Discussion. 3. Activity (10 minutes) - Individual / table group creation of maps. 4. Whole class discussion (15 minutes)

- Share learned information. - Share maps. - Create timeline. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lesson #3!Title of Lesson: The Encomienda System and the Native Americans Total Time for Lesson: 50 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears. Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: A2. Recognize, use, and analyze different forms of evidence used to make meaning in social studies (including sources such as art and photographs, artifacts, oral histories, maps, and graphs). D3. Identify how environments affect human activities and how human activities affect physical environments. F7. Identify people in positions of power and how they can influence people’s rights and freedom. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - How was Bartolomé de las Casas’s relationship with the Native Americans that he met? - What types of information can I get from pictures? - How can we interpret images in multiple ways? - How can I develop a timeline? !Materials & Media: - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas - Pictures !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (5 minutes) - Review timeline. - Answer any developing questions. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas chapter 2. - Discussion. 3. Activity (20 minutes) - Chalk talk - One image will be placed on each table. Students will silently walk around the room and write observations/comment/thoughts on post it notes and stick them onto the table. Students will also respond to things that their classmates wrote. 4. Whole class discussion (10 minutes) - Share learned information. - Discuss post its. - Add to timeline.

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Lesson #4!Title of Lesson: Bloodshed and Taino Revolt Total Time for Lesson: 45 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text. Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: A2. Identify, describe, and evaluate evidence about events from diverse sources (including written documents, works of art, photographs, charts and graphs, artifacts, oral traditions, and other primary and secondary sources). A4. Describe and analyze arguments of others considering historical context. A5. Make inferences and draw conclusions from evidence. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - How can we analyze quotes? - How can we infer the meaning of words that are unfamiliar? - What was life like for the Native Americans at the time? - How can we think like people from the past? !Materials & Media: - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas - Bartolome de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (30 minutes) - Read quote from Bartolome de Las Casas, The Devastation of the Indies. - Analyze quote. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas chapter 3. - Discussion. 3. Whole class discussion (10 minutes) - Share learned information. - Add to timeline. !!!!!

Lesson #5!Title of Lesson: On The Mainland Total Time for Lesson: 45 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5 Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: B1. Articulate how events are related chronologically to one another in time and explain the ways in which earlier ideas and events may influence subsequent ideas and events. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - How did the Spanish people affect the different places that they landed on? - What was life like for the Native Americans? - What happened in Nicaragua? - What happened in New Spain? !Materials & Media: - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (5 minutes) - Analyze maps of Bartolomé de las Casas’s voyages. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas chapter 4. - Discussion. 3. Activity (15 minutes) - Compare the events at each location. 4. Whole class discussion (10 minutes) - Share learned information. - Add to timeline. !!!!!!!!!!

Lesson #6!Title of Lesson: Defense of the Indians Total Time for Lesson: 45 minutes !Common Core Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.Social Studies Scope and Sequence Standards: A5. Make inferences and draw conclusions from evidence. C2. Identify and compare multiple perspectives on a given historical experience. C4. Describe the relationship between geography, economics, and history as a context for events and movements in the United States. !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - What was Bartolomé de las Casas’s point of view? - How did Bartolomé de las Casas feel about the encomienda system? - How did the Native Americans feel about the encomienda system? - What are the different perspectives? - How can we write a narrative? - How can we think like people from the past? !Materials & Media: - Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas !Lesson Tasks: 1. Hook (5 minutes) - Free write about previous lessons. 2. Lesson (15 minutes) - Read aloud of Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas chapter 5. - Discussion. 3. Activity (15 minutes) - Write narrative from the point of view of either an explorer or a Native American. 4. Whole class discussion (10 minutes) - Share learned information. - Share narratives. - Add to timeline. !!!!!!

Lesson #7!Title of Lesson: Overview of Bartolomé de las Casas Total Time for Lesson: 30 minutes !Central Focus & Essential Questions: - What have we learned about Bartolomé de las Casas? !Materials & Media: - Jeopardy website !Lesson Tasks: - Jeopardy game based on Bartolomé de las Casas and the Americas. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Extensions !!- Impact of Christopher Columbus and Bartolomé de las Casas on today’s America. - Modern Native Americans. - Current immigration discussions and laws. ! !!!!!!!!!

Resources !New York State Common Core Literacy New York City Social Studies Scope and Sequence (2014 - 2015) K-12