Lesson Plans
African Americans
This part of the unit will take place over two days in two 90 minute class blocks. The objective is for the students to learn the physical and mental tolls of slavery. The activity requires some in class reading but also some out of class reading. Each student should receive two concept maps for the following concepts: freedom, citizenship, American Dream, and Democracy (Appendix 2). The pre-assignment for day 1 includes the student reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. When students get to class, they will be divided into small groups of 2-4 people. The groups will be then given one excerpt to read from David Walker's Appeal to End Slavery, Harriet Jacob Myers Diary of A Slave a Girl, Life and Times of Frederick Douglas, and Toqueville's Democracy in America and a concept map for each term. The students will then fill out the concept maps using the think-pair-share model for group work. After thirty minutes of working, each group will share their concept maps on the smart board with the rest of the class.
The teacher will begin day 2 of the lesson by presenting a blank concept map on the smart board and asking the students to give examples to fill in the map. After the teacher fills in the map with the students' answers, they will then show spoken word art clips from youtube of the Defpoets and other spoken word artists discussing the subject of black in America. The teacher and students will then observe several pictures from A Pictorial History of the Negro in America. The students will then be asked to create their own hip hop interpretation of the ideas discussed in the concept maps. Using the information from the past two classes and using the information from the graphic organizer, students must write a rap, spoken word poem, or artistic expression of what the concepts of freedom, citizenship, and the American Dream meant to African American immigrants in the 17 th and 18 th century. Students must perform their rap of spoken word poem in front of the class. Students who choose to create artwork must display and explain their artwork in front of the class.
Italian Americans
This part of the unit will take place over two days in two 90 minute class blocks. The objective is for students to learn about the Italian Experience as they immigrated into American during the late 19 th and early 20 th century. Each student should receive two concept maps for the following concepts: freedom, citizenship, American Dream, and Democracy (Appendix 2). The pre-assignment for day 1 includes the student reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. When students get to class they will be divided into small groups of 2-4 people. The groups will be then given one chapter to read from The Journal of Italians in America and a concept map for each term. One group will be assigned the introduction from How the Other Half Lives. The students will then fill out the concept maps using the think-pair-share model for group work. After thirty minutes of working, each group will share their concept maps on their chapter on the smart board with the rest of the class.
The teacher will begin day 2 of the lesson by showing clips from the movie the Godfather part 2. The teacher will present a blank concept map on the smart board and asking the students to give examples to fill in the map using the knowledge from the previous two class periods. The students will then be asked to create their own hip hop interpretation of the ideas discussed in the concept maps. Using the information from the past two classes and using the information from the graphic organizer, students must write a rap, spoken word poem, or artistic expression of what the concepts of freedom, citizenship, and the American Dream meant to Italian Immigrants in the 19 th and 20 th century. Students must perform their rap of spoken word poem in front of the class. Students who choose to create artwork must display and explain their artwork in front of the class. The purpose of repetition is for students to improve the quality of the assignment each time they do it after constructive feedback from the teacher.
Mexican Americans
This part of the unit will take place over two days in two 90 minute class blocks. The objective is for students to learn about the Mexican Experience as they immigrate into American during the late 20 th and early 21 th century. Each student should receive two concept maps for the following concepts: freedom, citizenship, American Dream, and Democracy (Appendix 2). When students get to class they will be divided into small groups of 2-4 people. The groups will be then given one chapter to read from Crossing Over or New Americans and a concept map for each term. The students will then fill out the concept maps using the think-pair-share model for group work. After thirty minutes of working, each group will share their concept maps on their chapter on the smart board with the rest of the class.
The teacher will begin day 2 of the lesson by showing clips from the movie Which Way Home, an HBO Documentary of Illegal Immigration. The teacher will present a blank concept map on the smart board and asking the students to give examples to fill in the map using the knowledge from the previous two class periods. The students will then be asked to create their own hip hop interpretation of the ideas discussed in the concept maps. Using the information from the past two classes and using the information from the graphic organizer, students must write a rap, spoken word poem, or artistic expression of what the concepts of freedom, citizenship, and the American Dream meant to Mexican Immigrants in the 20 th and 21 st century. Students must perform their rap of spoken word poem in front of the class. Students who choose to create artwork must display and explain their artwork in front of the class. The purpose of repetition is for students to improve the quality of the assignment each time they do it after constructive feedback from the teacher.
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