Jeanines+lesson+plan

Grade: Upper Elementary Objectives: 1. The student will describe slavery in the South prior to the Civil War. 2. The student will explain the goals and methods of the abolitionist movement. 3. The student will describe the work of the Underground Railroad.

Background information: In order for students to better grasp the cause of the Civil War, students will tie together the events that lead up to the Civil War with the start of the Civil War. The students will have knowledge of slavery and the Underground Railroad. This lesson will expand their knowledge by introducing the Civil War and its cause.

Procedure: 1. As a whole group we will begin a KWL on the Civil War. This will also give the teacher a better idea of the student’s background knowledge. 2. Read excerpts from To Be a Slave by Julius Lester. This book is a collection of primary sources that provide a personal description of slavery. This book contains actual accounts of slavery from the perspective of the slave, not from a white man’s perspective which is the most common perspective that is portrayed in documents and other primary sources. Another primary source for personal slave accounts can be found at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snvoices00.html. After we have read some of the excerpts, we will chose one account and complete a NARA form as a whole group. While we are completing the NARA as a whole group, students will also fill in a NARA form at their seat. This most probably will be their first experience with the NARA forms. 3. Introduce the word, “abolitionists”. The students have learned about Harriet Tubman in prior years so they are familiar with the words Underground Railroad even though they may not fully understand the whole concept. We will discuss the Underground Railroad and fill in the K and W on our KWL chart. 4. Students will be will then be directed to analyze this political cartoon http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ils:12:./temp/~pp_WI5v:: We will discuss what a cartoon is and how a cartoon can convey a message in a different manner. We will discuss differences between the comics in the newspaper and political cartoons. Students will be directed to look specifically for the following information:

1. What is the title or name of the cartoon? Does the title tell you anything about the cartoon? 2. What techniques, if any, does the cartoonist use to make cartoons funny? 3. Who is the cartoonist? When was the cartoon drawn? 4. Describe the cartoon. Students will be asked to pay close attention to the people, objects, animals and the setting in cartoon. 5. Students will be directed to look for any words or dialogue in the cartoon. If there are words in the cartoon, what do they tell you? 6. Why do you think the cartoon was drawn? What is the message that the cartoonist wants you to get from the cartoon? 7. Find information in the cartoon to support your answer in #6. 8. Finally students will decide if they agree or disagree with the cartoon. Students must explain their answer with supporting examples from the cartoon.

5. Students will be put into groups to analyze the cartoon. Students will record what they see in the cartoon and what they think is going on in the cartoon. Students will be given about 5-10 minutes to complete this portion of the activity. The students will use 6. We will then go over the cartoon as a whole group. Students will share what they thought was happening in the cartoon and compare it to the real analysis of the cartoon. 7. Students will then choose a role to play from abolitionist, slave, or slave owner. They will explain how they feel about the cartoon based on their point of view. This activity will help students internalize the cartoon. Time permitting we will share our journal entries. Note: The KWL chart will not be fully completed until the end of the Civil War unit.


 * Comment (by Sarah Eggler):** Jeanine, this lesson is excellently structured and well-planned. I like that you've provided students with a graphic organizer to activate their thinking and record information. Additionally, the questions you've included have some straightforward "easy answer" questions (such as #1-4) as well as higher-level questions (#5-8). This helps build confidence in examining the cartoon and developing their own thinking. The small group and whole class debriefing is a great way to ensure thorough understanding. Finally, I LOVE the idea of students selecting a role and sharing their feelings about the cartoon. This offers students a choice, something I think is a strong motivator, and gets them to look at something from another point of view. Great job!