Narratives of Citizenship and Race since Emancipation

Lesson Plans

Day 1

Instructional Objective: Students will review the role of slavery in colonial America.

Warm-Up: Students will be given a song called, The Songs of Freedom to learn. This should take two days or less to learn.

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will set-up as stage (crate boxes) depicting an auction scene using different items (student supplies) to be sold. How many of you have been to an Auction? We are going to have a mini-auction because I want to get rid of some things. I know that can use these items so I am selling them for as much money as possible can. (I will ask a volunteer if he/she will pose as a slave to be sold at my auction). After I have auctioned my school supplies, then the student (slave) will stand on the box and I will began to sell him/her. Tell students to take two minutes to write in your journal about my auction. Give it a title. Write down in your graphic organizer ideas about the topic. We will have a whole discussion.

State the objective: Africans were sold like school supplies and put into what is known as institutional slavery. Their slave owners controlled their lives: their housing, clothing, food, traditional practices, jobs, recreation, education, children, and transportation...

State the lesson objective: You are going to learn the role (responsibility or job) of slavery in colonial America.

Objective: Take out your Social Studies text booklet to page 89. Read quietly, the standard in the upper left hand corner. What does institutionalization mean? It denotes the process of making something a social role, as an established custom within the system. English-Learners will need scaffolding of this concept. Explain to them that people are not animals and should not be treated like them. People have rights to certain Freedom that slaves are not allowed to have because their slave-masters bully them and force them to do things. They want them to stay slaves. This is institutionalization of a people.

Vocabulary with definitions review: Take three minutes to review them. Student leader will set timer. Now, find a shoulder partner to review the words and their definitions. Time. Close your book. Teacher wills flash card for a minute or so. I will show you the word or the definitions and you tell me the meanings or the words. Teacher will flash the cards for a few minutes. Good job. Tell your partner that they are amazing. I need three powerful sentences for each word. Great Job! (Student helper will issue tickets to students that respond). Teacher will monitor and correct any incorrect grammar usage. (Transition – Freedom's Song will be the transition song-

Model/Presentation: Next, I will read from a book about two run-away slaves. It's entitled Ellen Craft's Escape from Slavery. "On Friday, all of you will have an opportunity to read the script in Reader's Theater." What lessons have we learned from reading this story? Teacher writes their responses on a chart. Take note in your journal about any Collaborative (35-45 minutes) (To Do): Visual Teaching Strategies (VTS) – "What do you see in the drawing on page 89? This visual activity will engage the children in discussion about the slavery scene. Yes, what more do you see. Why do you say that? (These are the questions that I ask the students over and over to get them to look deeper and to use descriptive words to explain their thinking).

Independent practice (35 minutes): On the overhead project: I will model the concept Make Generalizations (transparency R19).

Class, read the information in the target box. Reading: Make Generalizations (broad, wide, large, extensive.

How will they engage and practice? I want you to read pages 90 and 91 and discuss with your partner the questions 1 to 3. These pages offer context to the following topics: Slavery in the Americas, A Life of Hardship, and Resistance to Slavery).

Students that complete this independent practice before time, answer the summary question on page 91 in their S.S. Notebook. In their Social Studies notebook, title a page, Middle Passage, and write down the conditions the enslaves Africans endured on the slave ship from Africa to America.

Day 2

Instructional Objective: Understand the fundamental principles of American constitutional democracy, including how the government derives its power from the people and the primacy of individual liberty.

Warm-Up: Student will take out lyrics to Freedom's Song and sing, with teacher modeling. Did anyone have problems learning the lyrics for homework? Most students should know them now.

Anticipatory Set: (I will use the same auction scene from previous lesson). The slave owner will tell a slave that he has to work for over 14 hours in the field picking cotton. Oh, by the way you can't see your wife anymore because she will be sold to Mr. Jones, today. The slave starts crying and pleads to the owner, "How much will I get paid, sir? Can I buy my wife's Freedom? The angry owner begins to beat him. "You balonz to me, boy, and you will never be paid. I own you, boy," and Mr. Jones will own your wife!" Get back to work! Students answer these questions in their journals: It this skit realistic? What right do the slaves have? What rights were taken from the slaves? Let's take feedback. Teacher will write responses on the chart titled, Rights of the Slave vs. Rights of the Owner.

Objective: What are the rights of U.S. Citizens, the power of the people, the right to vote, and the Bill of Rights.

Model/presentation - Today, we will review vocabulary, and read about the Rights of U.S. citizens.

Vocabulary with definitions review: Turn to page 163 - Preamble, Liberty, republic and principle. Have students list the liberties they have as American in S.S. notebook, title it, Liberties I Enjoy in the U.S. Students will work in table groups and brainstorm the rights that they enjoy as a U.S. citizen. Table leader will take the notes on the cards provided. Do you know why you have those rights? You have those rights because they were made part of our country's government. Turn to page 163 in your text. What do you see Visual Teaching Strategies (VTS)? What more do you see? Why do you say that (evidence)? That is an image of a gathering of thousands of people in Washington, D.C. in 1963 where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke his "I have a dream speech."

How will they engage and practice? Class, read, 'Set the Scene,' at the top of page 163.

What are the varied learning styles/needs? Teacher circulates the room, listening to all readers, assisting students that need additional support.

Small Group Practice: Student Pair-share how the rights of citizenship affect their lives if not protected. Teacher shares a read aloud picture book called, We the Kids, page 164. For homework, you will memorize one line of the Preamble.

Independent practice/differentiated Guided Practice. Read together pages 164-165. Remind them that the Constitution impacts their lives every day. Let them make the connections to the Constitution and their citizens' rights. Then, point out the first three words, "We The People..." It is the people who form the government. Have students reread the last paragraph of the "Bill of Rights." Teacher points out that these are only some of the rights that they are guaranteed under the Bill of Rights.

Students will sing the transition song. Students will look at the images on page 165. Label each one with the amendment each one represents. Turn to page 166 Citizenship: Amending the Constitution. Read the Learn More section independently. The teacher will point out that amending the Constitution reflect new ideas about citizens rights that were not added to the Constitution. Teacher will help students answer questions.

Technology – Students will read the full text of all of the constitutional amendments, available on line at www.loc.gov.

Day 3

Instructional Objective: Understand how the Constitution is designed to secure our liberty by both empowering and limiting central government and compare the powers granted to citizens, Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court with those reserved to the states.

Warm-Up: Students will sing the Freedom's Song. Student will read or recite his memorized line of the Preamble. Ask student what they learn from the Preamble presentation? Place the information in your S. S. journal.

Do the rights of Citizenship and the enforcement of that right apply to everyone? Why?

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will read the picture book, The U.S. Constitution by Norman Pearl. It teaches the students that America is filled with symbols, and these objects stand for grand ideas such as Freedom and Democracy. The highlight of this book is the chapter entitled, The Constitution and You because it teaches the students how the laws protect kids. This book reinforces the lesson on government.

Objectives: Students will learn about the three balances of government: Legislative (Congress), Executive, and Judicial. They will learn how the federal, national and state governments have different powers. Lastly, they will learn the Role of Citizens in Government.

Model/presentation - Yesterday, we looked at how the U.S. created the Constitution; we learned our rights as U.S. citizens. What are some rights of U.S. Citizens? You made a presentation on the Preamble to the Constitution, outlining citizen rights. From Fun-book reading, we learned that the government would protect the rights of citizens. Today, we are going to learn, what is the Role of government in our lives.

Vocabulary with definitions: Preview the lesson vocabulary on page 167. Tell students to be aware of the two terms, shared and reserved. They will learn that some powers are shared by both state a federal governments, while some are reserved for just the state.

How will they engage and practice?

Ask the students to explain in their notebooks why, through voting, a citizen is the most powerful part of a democracy. Let's share. Write down their responses on chart paper. Title it, Why is voting Powerful? After some discussion, explain that this nation's capital, Washington D.C., is the center for the federal government. The Capitol is where one part of our government makes important decisions.

What are the varied learning styles/needs: Show visuals of the important landmarks in Washington, D.C. for them to identify.

Collaborative/Small Group: Students will read the review questions before they read the content information as a reading strategy. They will read together pages 168-169 and discuss the write-in review questions. They are to find evidence for each answer they selected. They may use a highlighter to underline the details and the main idea.

Independent practice: When summarizing the lesson on page 169, students should use descriptive words to explain how each branch of government checks, and is checked by, each of the other branches.

Skill: Flowcharts: Turn to page 170. Students will read the skill page together. This page will teach them that suggested laws are called bills. It is not until a bill has been passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and then signed by the President that it becomes a law.

Transition Song: Student sing Freedom's Song.

Cultural Book Reading: Teacher will distribute their cultural books. Allow them five minutes or so to browse through the books, and share them with their classmates. Each day, after our social studies lesson, we are going to read in our cultural books and complete a comprehension activity. We are going to do research to find out as much as we can about our cultural journeys to citizenship. We will gather information and artifact to add to our Cultural Museum. We will talk about that shortly. When you have completed reading your books, you are going to be the experts on your culture's journey. What do experts do? Yes, they share their knowledge with others. So, we are going to have a town meeting, so that each one of you can share what you have learned.

Day 4

Instructional Objective: Students will understand the responsibilities of citizens, their laws, and some work reforms.

Warm-Up or Transition - Students will sing, Freedom's Song, and recite the, "Preamble, we the kids" version.

Anticipatory Set: Teacher will read the story, Ellen Craft's Escape from Slavery, it is about two runaway slaves. The teachers states, "For the next three day, all of you will have an opportunity to read the script in The Reader's Theater." What lessons have we learned from reading this story? Teacher writes their responses on a chart

Students add to their graphic organizer facts about slavery and how some slaves resisted.

Presentation of Information: Do the rights of Citizenship and the enforcement of that right by the government apply to everyone? Why? Why not?

Write down your responses in your journal, and give it a title.

Model/presentation - Turn to page 171, SET THE SCENE: Tell me, what do you see? What more do you see? Why do you say that? VTS strategies. Today, we are going to review the vocabulary words on page 171.

How will they engage and practice? Teacher brings in newspaper articles about laws recently passed by state and federal governments. Share and discuss. Add to your graphic organizer. What title should it have? Teacher discussed the Reading Skill: Draw conclusion: When you draw conclusion, you form an opinion based on information you have red. As you red the first section on page 172, underline details that help you draw conclusions about the responsibility of citizens.

(Teacher displays the Draw Conclusions Skill Definition on a large chart).

Collaborative Groups: Read pages 171-174. Re-read the standard and objective together. Make a list of the ways citizens protect liberty.

Independent practice - Students will read the above pages and answer three questions to assess their understanding of the text reading. 1. Why is it important for people to carry out their responsibilities as U. S. Citizens? 2. How can citizens protect against laws they think are unfair? (I expect that some student will remember to add this new information to their journals). 3. Underline two things Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. did to win equal rights for all American.

Summary question: What are some ways in which citizens can help preserve the Constitution, respect the rule of law, and safeguard liberty? Class with discusses responses. (Transition: Freedom's Song).

Reading component: Take out your Cultural Readers and begin your comprehension lesson. Student read for twenty minutes and completes a graphic organizer, and summarizes their chapter, using captions, labels, and other expository features.

Transition Song: Distribute their cultural books. We are going to read in our cultural books and complete a comprehension activity. We are going to continue to do research to find out as much as we can about our cultural journeys to citizenship. We will gather information and artifact to add to our Cultural Museum.

Town Meeting Brown Bag theater: We will create a stage outside the cafeteria and share what we are learning with our school community. During our lunch period, three days a week, each student will alternate performing for 3 or three minutes, reading speeches or poetry... You may work with a partner, group or independently. The sign-up sheet will be here in the morning. The Early bird gets the worm.

Day 5 - Let's Create

Instructional Objectives: Music Content Standards: Sing songs about citizenship and freedom from diverse cultures and time periods. Reading: Reading from literature and compare and contrast stories in the same genre. They will read with accuracy and fluency. Create: citizenship songs, plays skits; Lesson 6: H-SS 5.7.6 Know songs that express American ideals. Create cultural museum.

Warm-Up: Class sings Freedom's Song, and Recite, We the People and create a rap beat.

Presentation of Information: Learn I Too Am An American, by Langston Hughes.

Anticipatory Set: Three groups alternate performing in the Reader's Theater about the runaway slaves.

Model/presentation - Teacher will show examples of voting booth (page 171) design museum. Teacher will also display different size crates for the theater.

Teacher will discuss the Cultural Museum and the Brown Bag Theater.

How will they engage and practice? This is Day one for creating the Cultural Museum. Teacher tells student that they will create a museum, using items that they can find from their past that were used, seen, heard about, or even read during their journey. Your parents and guardian may help. But, we can research ourselves if you can't find anything from home. We can also make items that will fit into their journey. What should a cultural museum look like? Students will investigate what should a cultural museum purpose. Make a list of item that you thing will be appropriate for the cultural museum. Student will write an outline on how they will furnish, decorate, and display their items.

Collaborative/Small Group - Read pages 171-174. Re-read the standard and objective together. Make a list of the ways citizens protect liberty.

Independent practice - Students will sing the transition song, Freedom's Song.

Reading Component: Distribute their cultural books. Each day, after our social studies lesson, we are going to read in our cultural books and complete a comprehension activity.

We are going to continue doing research to find out as much as we can about our cultural journeys to citizenship. We will gather information and artifact to add to our cultural museum. Students share ideas about what items they have found in their reading.

Assessment: It is ongoing. Teacher says, "So experts write down three facts that you have learned about the cultural museum, and read one interesting fact that you've learned about Langston Hughes' poem, I Too Am An American," and about the Reader's Theater, and class shares their ideas.