Lauren Querze TAH Final Project: September 21, Lauren Querze. Speech/Language Pathologist. Gloucester Public Schools. Abolitionists: Lesson Plan

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1 Lauren Querze Speech/Language Pathologist Gloucester Public Schools Abolitionists: Lesson Plan Background: I have been working in grades kindergarten to five for several years now. Our school does a great job of introducing the topic of slavery as early as first grade. Our third graders do a biography project for parent night that is a huge success. Our fifth graders read about slavery in their texts as part of their social studies curriculum. Our students are quite familiar with Harriet Tubman (having studied and seen a wonderful one woman show for an assembly for grades 2 5)and Abraham Lincoln but are most are unaware that a man as great as Frederick Douglas lived. They also are not familiar with Harriet Beecher Stowe, whose book, Uncle Tom s Cabin; Lincoln believed was an impetus for the Civil War. Our students study slavery, but little about abolitionists. I think my language impaired students would benefit from learning about an off shoot of slavery, thus helping them formulate ideas and add to classroom discussions about slavery by being experts in an area their friends may not know about, (which will serve to increase their self esteem something I strive to help them with). For example, the students at my school learn about the Underground Railroad. I have found a source that was written in the late 1800 s to share with them, which contained the names of Essex County residents who were alleged by this author to have been conductors. My students will be able to share that they have seen such a book. Using primary sources and sources closer to the time period being discussed provides a cool factor that I find helps the student retain new information. While researching abolitionists of Essex County, I came across a 1929 version of Uncle Tom s Cabin that I felt would make a wonderful teaching tool. The depictions of many of the African American characters were more like caricatures of people. While none of the white people were depicted in this way. The students will be asked to think about the differences between those drawings and other drawings of African American s during the time the book was written and ask them what they might deduce about the illustrator and publisher of the time. Reading sections of Uncle Tom s Cabin, excerpts from Frederick Douglass s speeches, and sources closer to the time period will increase the attention to subject matter and will increase their retention of the vocabulary presented. This lesson is designed to be extended upwards to 7 th grade and down to 2nd grade (once these children have been exposed to slavery in the classroom, it is appropriate to teach them about the abolitionists, particularly Frederick Douglass, who I feel is important for all Americans to know about. I have prepared a series of lessons designed for my 3 rd graders 5 th graders who are mild to moderately impaired language students with deficits in expressive language, vocabulary, short and/or long term memory. These students require review of curriculum in order to retain it. I decided to plan these lessons for these children to align with the Massachusetts Frameworks, including: Social Studies Framework Grade 3 Concepts and Skills: History and Geography 2. Observe visual sources, such as historic paintings, photographs or illustrations that accompany historical narratives and describe details such as cloths, setting or action. 1

2 3. Observe and describe local historic artifacts and sites and generate questions about their functions, construction and significance. Grade 4 ELA Standards 2.2 Students will contribute knowledge to class discussion. 4. Students will understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and writing. I.E.P Goals: Students will compare and contrast two pictures and create a Venn diagram with minimum support with 90% accuracy. Student will use graphic organizer to write a paragraph that contains a topic sentence, at least 3 details and a closing sentence. Students will increase their ability to write for a variety of purposes. Students will increase their expressive and receptive vocabulary skills to include curriculum and general vocabulary knowledge, at least 10 new words per term. Instructional Objectives: 1. Students will be able to state 3 important facts and 1 opinion about Frederick Douglass, a great American. 2. Students will be able to state 2 important facts about Harriet Beecher Stowe. 3. Students will understand and be able to explain in their own words what a primary source and a secondary source are. 4. Students will be able to define abolition, the abolitionist movement and will identify Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe as Abolitionists. 5. Students will learn that Massachusetts and Essex County had many abolitionists. Vocabulary Abolish, abolition, abolitionist, orator, chattel, Negro, Day 1 The lesson will begin by showing the students the cover art of Giants by John Stauffer which pairs early photographs of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. I will pose the question Do any of you know either of these men? I am certain they will all recognize Abraham Lincoln and be able to provide these facts about him: that he was President and that he freed the slaves. I am hoping that a few of my students might recognize Frederick Douglass, as I did a brief introduction him when my students were doing a my favorite American activities, I discussed Douglass as mine. I will discuss Lincoln s accomplishments briefly and then ask if they agree with the author, that Lincoln was a giant of a man 2

3 in his accomplishments. I will then pose the question, Who is this other guy and why is being called a giant on the same page as Lincoln. Should none of the students recognize Frederick Douglass, I will quickly respond by telling the students who he is so as not to let the students ponder wrongly. I will provide the students with a brief history of Frederick Douglass that includes that he was a slave, learned to read, escaped to freedom, became an orator, newspaper owner and writer and that he lived in Lynn, MA very near where we live. I will then introduced the term abolitionist, and explain its using simple language to more complex language, introducing the base word abolish. I will then provide the last piece of Douglass history: that he wrote and spoke out against slavery and that he was an abolitionist. I will then read a picture book, Young Frederick Douglass, Fight for Freedom by Laurence Stantry (this picture book is above the reading level of my students). I will explain new or less common vocabulary and write it on the board as we go along. Assignment: The students will then complete a Venn diagram of what makes Douglass and Lincoln lives. The students will provide one thing they remember from the days lesson prior to leaving ( Ticket to leave ) as a means of review. Day 2 Primary Source, Secondary Source Students will be reminded of the key points from the previous days lesson about Frederick Douglass. I will teach that the picture book would be considered a secondary source. I will write the definition of secondary source on the board and provide other examples of biographies. I will then introduce the concept of Primary Sources. I will explain that Douglass wrote not one, but three autobiographies (I will show my copies of his autobiographies). I will state that we will be using Frederick Douglass own words to understand how he felt about the Fourth of July (I chose this piece because of its relevance to the age group). I will remind them of perspective (something challenging for my high functioning autistic 5 th grader) as they listen to his ideas. These children will be able to understand the selections I have chosen. They will then discuss the feelings of Douglass, a former slave, and their feelings of the Fourth of July. Teacher will guide the discussion. The students will be asked to write a persuasive letter to Douglass explaining why Douglass should reconsider his feelings for the 4 th of July now that slavery is long over. The students will generate ideas for the letter in a group. These ideas will be written on the board for the students to reference. They will also have a letter format to reference. Students are required to state one thing they remember prior to leaving the class. Prior to leaving I will tell the students they will meet a special historical lady on the following day. Day 3 I will begin the lesson by reviewing key information from the lessons on Frederick Douglass (my students require a good deal of repetition). I will then remind the students of the Douglass/Lincoln connection. I will then introduce them to another of historical figure who spent time in Massachusetts, Harriet Beecher Stowe. I will start with the quote from Abraham Lincoln, who credited her as being the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war because of her book, Uncle Tom s Cabin. I will then read A Picture Book of Harriet Beecher Stowe by David Adler to provide the students with sufficient background knowledge about Stowe. It also contains a synopsis of Uncle Tom s Cabin. I will then show the students two copies of Uncle Tom s Cabin, one published in 1988 and the other published 3

4 in I will have each child look at each book by passing it around. As the students are exploring the book, I will call their attention to the pictures of white people and pictures of black people. I am hoping the students will notice that most of the black people are drawn as caricatures in the 1929 version, while in the 1988 version; the black people are portrayed realistically, as they are in the picture book of Stowe s life. This will give me an opportunity to work on perspective again (of the illustrator, publisher). Students will read selected passages from handout (see packet Day 3). They will use Stowe s descriptions of characters to decide if she would approve of these pictures. They will also be asked how Southerners might have felt about this book, again working on perspective. Question for discussion: If HBS wanted to help slaves, why would she describe so many slaves in such unflattering, child like terms? Each of the 4 students must provide a comment or ask a question about what they read. Students will pick questions out of hat and respond as ticket to leave. Questions 1. What is an abolitionist? 2. Name one abolitionist. 3. Who wrote an autobiography? 4. Who wrote a novel about slaves that the whole country read? Day 4 Begin lesson by reviewing info about Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglass, two abolitionists who have lived in Massachusetts. I will pose the question: What tools did abolitionists use to help slaves? I will guide the discussion and lead the students to writing, oratory (I ll except speaking but will model oratory using a grand voice to help them recall the information) and the Underground Railroad. I will then pose the question: Did the Underground Railroad operate here in our area, Essex County? Regardless of their answers I will ask if they have proof and tell them that I think I have proof that it did. I will then show them the book The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom by Wilbur H. Siebert, reprinted in 1968 by Peter Smith of Gloucester, MA. The Gloucester connection is a plus. I will explain that it was quite dangerous to be a conductor on the Underground Railroad. I will then turn to the page that shows the participants from Essex County. We will discuss the accuracy of the information. I will lead them to an understanding that the closer the information is to the source, in this case the time period, the more accurate it may be. In this case, this might be a very accurate indicator that many people were part of the Underground Railroad, risking their lives, to help people escape to freedom. Writing Assignment: You are a husband/wife and have a family and a big house. You have been asked if you would hide an escaped slave, in other words, be part of the Underground Railroad. Would you do it? Why or Why not? Handing in papers is ticket to leave. 4

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