Classroom Activities
A Sample Biography Lesson
Objective:
Students will analyze and write about a historical figure using primary sources in cooperative learning groups.
Materials:
- Biographical Writing Notebook
- Primary and Secondary Sources
- Biographical Information
Procedures:
Students will learn about each historical figure in the unit for approximately one week. Day one will consist of the direct instruction of the most basic biographical information on the person or an “overview”. Days two and three, will be spent analyzing primary and secondary sources on the individual as well as new facts each day, help us go more in depth to the person’s life story. Day Four will entail writing about the individual, as the teacher displays any extra learning material prepared to teach about the historical figure. Day Five will contain writers’ workshop, partner reading and presenting about the historical figure in the writing.
Learning about and Connecting Organizations and Movements: Ongoing Timeline
Objective:
The student will complete an ongoing timeline connecting the various activism groups across the centuries and their work.
Materials:
- Individual Timeline Map
- Colored Pencils
- Computer for Typed Write-up
Procedures:
As students learn about the various historical figures being highlighted and connected across the centuries, they will also be learning about the various influential organizations impacting the movement and the history of their works. Some of these groups will include the NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, CORE, NCNW founded by Mary McLeod Bethune, and the OAAU founded by Malcolm X. The students will fill in the timeline as the content is taught and complete a writing assignment where they will write synopsis about each of these groups and their role in history. This writing will accompany the timelines for the final assignment.
Biographical Display Final Project: Display, Timeline and Essay
Objective:
The student will be able to complete a Final Biography Project based on one of the historical figures learned about during the year, using a display board and composing an essay.
Materials:
- Tri-Fold Display Board
- Research Materials
- Primary and Secondary Source Examples
- Computer, Tablet, Microsoft Word
- Audio-Recording Software
- Padlet
Procedures:
Students will complete a Final Project for the Unit consisting of two phases. The first phase of the project will be a collaborative piece, where each student will complete a short 'expose’ on three hidden voices from these era’s using their journals of primary source information. The second phase is a display board, where the student will display biographical information about the historical figure of their choice from the year. Students will compose an essay along with the display board and there will be an optional audio-recording piece with an online library archive. These projects will be a culminating display of content and skills from the year.
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