Slavery in American History - Unit by Claudia Hirsch

Lesson: Tracing  Slavery  in  American  History

Grade Level:  4-5 Grades

Unit: Media literacy, Social Studies, ELA

Time Frame:  4 days

Created by: Claudia Hirsch

Unit Essential Questions: Does slavery narrate the true nature of American values?

Objective: Students will understand/ be able to:

Practice media literacy and critical viewing skill to investigate and deconstruct their current notions of slavery using multimodal ways and sources of information and communication.

 Materials: 

•        Smart Board
•        Computers with internet access
•        Videos (downloaded by teachers) 
•        Audio recorders (to record families oral histories)
•        Notebooks (for notes taking and journal entries)
•        Timeliner (interactive software to create time lines)
•        Worksheets (not included in the lesson)

Unit Aim: Use multimedia resources to create an expansive hands-on learning experience.

Overview: 

This unit target’s population is 4 and 5 Grades ELL students. This specific population faces more limitations in their learning process due to the struggle with acquiring a new language and their limited access to more diversify resources as tools for learning. Therefore, in presenting information in a variety of formats such as, videos, audio-clips, pod cads, photographs, TV news, interviews and transcripts, oral histories, maps, etc. this target’s population will greatly benefit with acquiring, processing and producing information about the topic.

It will also aid this population with acquiring new vocabulary and to develop their own opinions on a variety of issues. And more importantly, this unit of study will empower students to participate on debatable issues as they deconstruct and question their already “acquired” knowledge about the topic.

The main intention of this unit is to provide a model on how to engage ELL students by including multimodal ways and sources of information and communication in the lessons. It is also intended to aid students with developing the ability to participate in activities beyond their autonomy level, and to nourish students’ voice.

Evaluation:

Students will be assessed through the accomplishment of a variety of activities from where they can choose. This might include, but is not limited to, recording family oral histories, conducting interviews, power point presentations, class presentation, group debates, creating a blog, creating maps and timelines, creating tour guides, writing persuasive essays, creating online causes, and possibly conducting interviews and produce a short documentary, etc.

Day 1 Procedure:
Introduction to slavery

1. Do Now -- Building background knowledge: when you hear the word “slavery”, what comes to your mind? Students will write and share their answers

           

2. Next, students will watch a video clip from Democracy Now! and read the transcript:

• Filmmaker Uncovers Her Family’s Shocking Slave-Trading History, Urges Americans to Explore Own Roots: www.democracynow.org/2013/10/30/filmmaker_uncovers_her_familys_shocking_slave

3.  Whole group discussion: Why do you think the filmmaker decided to reveal her family “secret”?

4. Students will explore their own roots. They will record Oral Histories within their families. Students will present to the class. Students will write a paragraph stating their opinion about the question: is slavery a pending historical discussion? Why?

Day 2 Procedure:

The origin and essence of slavery and the building of America

1. Do Now -- Journal entry: Choose the most shocking picture of slavery to you and write a meaningful question about it. Students can use this question for further research when doing the extension. Here is a source, but you can use other sources.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/082_slave.html

2. Writing Assignment -- Show the following clips on the history of slavery from various perspectives, so students can discuss different viewpoints and construct their own POV.

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak1SlHjFBbU
• Human Zoos and the case of Ota Benga (shown at the Bronx museum): http://www.usd116.org/ProfDev/AHTC/lessons/GoerssFel10/Lessons/Lesson3/TheHumanZoo.pdf
• Human zoos: When real people were exhibits by Hugh Schofield BBC News, Paris: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16295827

3. Activity -- Students can select among the following activities:

•  Write a short essay about exploring how would you feel being a slave
•  Write about how would you feel being a slaveholder
•  Write about which character would you rather be and why?

Day 3 Procedure

Who owned the slaves?

1. Do Now -- Students will explore this interactive map to get a general idea of the geography of slavery in America: DISUNION - A Map of American Slavery www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/10/opinion/20101210_Disunion_SlaveryMap.html?_r=0

2. Students will do a quick online search visiting the following sites:

• Life of Slave Owned by President Madison Is Subject of Book Discussion“A Slave in the White House” Chronicles Story of Paul Jennings: www.loc.gov/today/pr/2012/12-018.html
• Which US Presidents Owned Slaves?: http://home.nas.com/lopresti/ps.html

Students will share the results and have a whole group discussion.

3. Activities -- Students can choose from the following list:

•  Students will create a math problem with the information found. They can also use this link for more information: http://home.nas.com/lopresti/ps.htm
• Students will create a time line of the history of slavery in America using the following sites: 1) http://slaverymap.org 2) Timeline of Slavery in America: http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/slavery-timeline/
• Students will choose one of the slave owners from their search results and will write a brief biography of that person.

Day 4 Procedure:

Slavery in modern times (the mutation/camouflage practices of slavery)

1. Do Now: Quickwrite -- Explore ways in which slavery is still embedded in our modern lives. Where do you see signs? How does it look like?

2. Students will be divided in 3 groups. Each group will watch one of the following videos. Each group will present to the class. Q & A in whole class discussion after each presentation.

• Human Trafficking: Modern-day Slavery in America www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tQDYvPrE6k
• Afro-Americans a dying race - Modern day slavery www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3H2YEc7bbQ
• Judge Mathis Calls U.S. Prison System Modern Day Slavery www.youtube.com/watch?v=twM3_ZLfaeU

3. Activities -- Students will be divided in 3 groups. Each group will do one of the following activities. Each group will present their findings)

• Create a collage depicting the forms of slavery you notice in modern days
• Create a power point presentation about the different forms of slavery in modern life
• Post a comment/question on the blog Modern slavery and the challenge of seeing our society for what it is: www.tracingcenter.org/blog/2013/11/modern-slavery-and-the-challenge-of-seeing-our-society-for-what-it-is/

Extension:

Create a map depicting the “Geography of Modern Slavery”

Closing:

Students will share and celebrate what they have learned.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.6 Describe how a narrator or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text (e.g., graphic novel, multimedia presentation of fiction, folktale, myth, poem).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1 Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.2 Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.5 Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.