Class: Social Studies Unit: SLAVERY IN THE UNITED … · Class: Social Studies Unit: SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES Grade Level: 5 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS

Teaching American History – GAPE Susan Reardon 10/24/06

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Class: Social Studies Unit: SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES Grade Level: 5 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS Concepts and Skills:

• Interpret timelines of events studied. (H) • Observe and identify details in cartoons, photographs, charts, and

graphs relating to an historical narrative. (H, E, C) Standards: 5.12 Explain the causes of the establishment of slavery in North America.

Describe the harsh conditions of the Middle Passage and slave life, and the responses of slaves to their condition. Describe the life of free African Americans in the colonies. (H, G, E, C)

5.31 Describe the significance and consequences of the abolition of slavery in the northern states after the Revolution and of the 1808 law that banned the importation of slaves into the United States. (H)

MASSACHUSETTS ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS Standards: 3.8 Give oral presentations for various purposes, showing appropriate

changes in delivery (gestures, vocabulary, pace, visuals) and using language for dramatic effect.

10.3 Identify and analyze the characteristics of various genres (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, short story, dramatic literature) as forms with distinct characteristics and purposes.

13.14 Identify and use knowledge of common graphic features (charts, maps, diagrams, captions, illustrations).

13.15 Identify and use knowledge of common organizational structures (chronological order, logical order, cause and effect, classification schemes).

15.4 Identify and analyze the importance of shades of meaning in determining word choice in a piece of literature.

19.15 Write poem using poetic techniques, figurative language, and graphic elements.

21.4 Revise writing to improve level of detail and precision of language after determining where to add images and sensory detail, combine sentences, vary sentences, and rearrange text.

22.7 Use additional knowledge of correct mechanics, correct sentence structure, and correct standard English spelling when writing, revising, and editing.

24.3 Apply steps for obtaining information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources, and presenting research in individual and group projects.

25.3 Use prescribed criteria from a scoring rubric to evaluate compositions, recitations, or performances before presenting them to an audience.


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Topic: African American Experience Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to better appreciate the struggles African Americans faced (and continued to face) during the 7th, 18th, and 19th centuries through exposure to biographical information relating to important African American leaders and by generating poetry that succinctly and creatively communicates what they have learned. Learning Objectives: Students will:

• Analyze a lithograph representing a pictorial historical overview of slavery; • Translate the information in the lithograph into a linear, chronological

timeline of events; • Access biographical information using Internet resources and nonfiction; • Utilize, and see the value in, the writing process; • Present information to an audience; • Compile research on a topic; and • Cooperatively work with classmates.

SCHEDULE Duration: 6 – 7 45-minute periods Activities: Introduce topic –

Post the following essential question: How can one person make a difference in the lives of many?

Give students an opportunity to “Think – Pair – Share” how people have the power to impact the lives of others.

Discuss as a class how our actions can have both a positive and a negative impact on others.

Cover main objectives –

Provide students with a photocopy of the color lithograph, Afro-American Monument, or allow them to access the image online at: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/06/0601001r.jpg.

Working in small groups, have students reorganize the information so that it is represented in a chronological, linear timeline. Encourage students to include the following information in their timeline: people, places, and events that have had an impact on the lives of African Americans.

Briefly discuss why the lithograph was developed and why it may or may not have been the most effective way of presenting the information to the visitors of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in Nashville in 1897.


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Discuss the use of captions in the poster and other ways important information might be shared with the general public in both an entertaining and effective way.

Provide students with a biographical overview of Booker T. Washington.

Share the final draft of Langston Hughes’ poem, “Ballad of Booker T.,” written in 1941, by providing students with a photocopy or accessing the image through the Library of Congress’ online exhibit: The African American Odyssey: A Quest for full Citizenship at: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/07/0708/7-08001.html.

Have students analyze the poem by categorizing the important information Hughes chose to include. Pose these questions to the students:

Why did he choose to include this information? Do you think there may have been other important

information that the author chose not to include in the poem? Why or why not?

Remind students what the essential question is: How can one person make a difference in the lives of many?

Tell the students that they will be writing poetry that creatively presents information about one of the people (either an identified person or historical significance or a member of a group of people whose lives were impacted by slavery) depicted in the 1897 lithograph.

Allow the students the opportunity to choose their top 3 choices for topics, but explain to them that you will ultimately be making the decision as to which person they will write about so that all topics are addressed.

Have students conduct Internet and/or library research to access important information about their topic. After students have completed their research, check their notes for accuracy and completeness.

Review the writing process with the students: Planning, Drafting, Revising/Editing, Conferencing/Sharing, Further Revising/Editing, and Publishing.

Share Langston Hughes’ drafts of “Ballad of Booker T.” and discuss the process he underwent and the changes he chose to make while writing the poem. Remind students how valuable careful revisions can be.

Have students write a poem using the information they obtained through their research.


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Closure –

Have students self-assess their poetry using the writing rubric. Set aside time for a poetry reading during which students may share their poems with the class.

Remind students of the lesson’s essential question and ask them to write a journal entry answering the question.

Extension –

An extension of the lesson could include having the students develop their own poster with people, places, and events of significance in the lives of African Americans in the 20th century.

This extension activity may complement Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday activities or fit in with African American History Month activities.

Assessment:

• Assess the timeline for accuracy. • Score the poem using a general writing rubric or the

attached rubric. • Score the journal entry using a journal writing rubric.

References: The following websites provide online access to the attached materials: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/06/0601001r.jpg and http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/07/0708/7-08001.html. Access to the Internet for research as well as nonfiction print material is also necessary. Materials:

• Writing Rubric • Hughes, Langston. “Ballad of Booker T.” Poem, second and final drafts,

1941. Miscellaneous Manuscript Collection. Manuscript Division. (7-8) Courtesy of Harold Ober Associates, New York, NY.

• Afro-American Monument. Color Lithograph. Prints and Photographs Division. Chicago: Goes Lithograph Company, 1897. The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship. Library of Congress. Reproduction Number: LCUSZ62-22397 (6-1).


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Afro-American Monument. Color Lithograph. Chicago: Goes Lithograph Company, 1897. Prints and Photographs Division. Reproduction Number: LCUSZ62-22397 (6-1). This composite of thirteen scenes pertaining to African American history from 1619 to 1897, though not wholly accurate (for example, Attucks’ first name was Crispus, not Christopher), provides a brief overview of the African American quest for full citizenship, particularly participation in the Revolutionary War and the political arena. This poster was published for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in Nashville in 1897.


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http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/07/0708/7-08001.html. Hughes, Langston. “Ballad of Booker T.” Poem, second and final drafts, 1941. Miscellaneous Manuscript Collection. Manuscript Division. (7-8) Courtesy of Harold Ober Associates, New York, NY. During the 1920s African American art and literature gained recognition as a significant component of world culture. Numerous people of color from the South and the Caribbean moved to Harlem in New York City, where the blending of cultures helped foster a flowering of the arts. Such a prodigious amount of poetry, novels, other literary writing, music, and art was produced during the era between the world wars that it is now known as the Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes was one of the foremost and versatile writers of this talented group. Although Hughes was quite critical of Booker T. Washington’s accommodationist philosophy, this poem also evinces his understanding of the circumstances under which Washington labored.


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5th Grade Writing Rubric

IDEAS

VOICE

WORD CHOICE

ORGANIZATION SENTENCE FLUENCY

CONVENTIONS

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My ideas are interesting.

My voice and feelings shine through. It’s

perfect for my purpose.

My words are

powerful.

My ideas are well

organized.

My sentences are

smooth.

The conventions of spelling,

punctuation, and grammar are all

correct.

5

My ideas are on

topic.

My voice has energy and is just

right for my purpose.

My words are

clear most of the time.

My ideas are organized in a

way that’s easy to follow.

My sentences are clear most of the

time.

I’ve checked the conventions and corrected the errors I know

about.

4

I have a main

idea.

The voice sounds like me in parts

and is OK for my purpose.

I could use some

more exact words.

My idea could use better-organized

details.

I could smooth

some of the sentences.

I need to correct a few errors in

conventions.

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My ideas are a little unclear.

I’m not sure if the voice sounds like me or if it

fits my purpose.

I need to choose stronger words.

The organization of my ideas is hard to follow.

I need to smooth

many choppy sentences.

I can see lots of conventions errors. This

needs editing.

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My main idea is hard to find.

There’s no life in the voice and my

purpose isn’t clear.

My words are

dull.

The organization of my ideas has

no order.

My sentences have lots of problems.

There are too many errors in conventions.

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There’s no main

idea.

I don’t hear any voice or see any purpose in this

writing.

My words are hard to

understand.

There’s no organization to what is here.

My sentences are hard to

understand.

There are so many conventions errors that this is hard to read.


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Class: Social Studies Unit: SLAVERY IN THE UNITED … · Class: Social Studies Unit: SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES Grade Level: 5 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE CURRICULUM FRAMEWORKS