Unit Rationale
Teacher: / Anna Nelson / Unit: / Civil WarGrade Level: / 5th
I plan to teach in the state of Missouri, therefore I used the Missouri Grade Level Expectations, or GLEs, as I began to prepare for this unit. Looking through the Social Studies GLEs, I saw the Civil War was among the historical events fifth graders are expected to learn. I noticed that in the timeline of history this would fall towards the end of the school year, probably just before the MAP test.
My goals for this unit are; students will gain insight into the social and economic causes of the civil war, they will gain understanding of the political climate before the civil war, and they will gain knowledge of the plight of slaves and how they dealt with slavery. Students will demonstrate completion of these goal through the various activities and assignments through out this unit. There will also be a plethora of literature for students to explore the civil war more, or to provide extra support for students who need it.
To kick off the year, I would present a unit on timelines (also a GLE for fifth grade). We would begin by creating a personal timeline with pictures. Then as a class we would create a timeline around the room. The lessons that followed would then each earn a place along our “travels through time” timeline. As students complete projects early throughout this Civil War unit they would have the opportunity to fill in the timeline with events from the Civil War. Students will also keep social studies journals, to help them reflect on material discussed.
To engage students in this unit, I would love to have a re-enactor come into class. This would give students a good picture of what the soldiers were like. Since re-enactors are not always available, I could wear my civil war costume to get students engaged and thinking about the civil war. At this time I would also explain the reading assignment which will be due at the end of the unit. Students will read a book about the Civil War, it can be fiction or non-fiction, then write a five question test with answers about the book.
Students who need modification for their needs during the presentation of the lesson will receive them. For instance, if a student needs sensory stimulation items will be in place. Students with vision impairments will be given supplemental copies of visual aides in a large font. Differentiation for the assignment portion would include more assistance for those who need it, also for vision impairment the student would be given a digital copy of the assignment so they could zoom as large as then need. Students with fine motor troubles will have access to a computer, so they may type rather than write; or they may dictate to myself, an aide, or another student (once the portion due of their assignment is complete).
At the beginning of each lesson we will pronounce the vocabulary words (shown on the unit outline). We will practice saying them together so that students will be com familiar with them. Following you will find a detailed lesson outline, showing the duration, order of events, and standards and benchmarks for each lesson.
To round off this unit we would spend one day reviewing. To review the material covered we would check the facts on our timeline. I would then have students play a vocabulary game, called vocabulary victory.
Lesson PlanTeacher: Anna Nelson / Unit/Theme: Civil War
Class/Grade: 5th
Materials: / Copy of Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Internet access with projector
Slave ad hand outs
Books on slavery for research
The website
Elmo
Group Graphic Organizer
Individual Organizer
Directions page
Duration:
This will be our second lesson in our Civil War unit. I would expect this unit to take 45min, however the story will be done over the course of the next week and a half through homework and free time during school.
Objectives:
Students will reconstruct the life and experiences of a slave through their biographical account of a runaway slave
Students will demonstrate the relationship between slave and plantation owner (learned in yesterday’s lesson)
Students will hypothesizethe feelings of a slave during the Civil War
Students will follow the writing process (previously discussed), using the prewriting materials presented
Standards/Benchmarks: Missouri Department of Education Grade Level Expectations
3a. I. Understanding the causes and consequences of the Civil War: Identify political, economical and social causes and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction
Standards: SS3 1.6, 3.1
Writing: 1 Apply a writing process in composing text
A. Writing Process
Follow a writing process to
a. use a prewriting strategy
b. generate a draft
c. reread, revise for audience and purpose, ideas and content, organization and sentence structure, and word choice
d. edit for conventions
e. share writing
CA 1, CA 4, 1.8, 2.1, 2.2
Anticipatory Set:Read Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad by: Ellen Levine.
Teaching (Input):Yesterday we talked about slaves and their owners. Ask the students to reflect in their journal, for a few minutes, how they would feel if they were a slave and what they would do. Would they run away like the characters in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, would they risk those hard ships, or would they tough it out on the plantation? Ask if any students would like to share what they would do. What do the students think the plantation owners did when this happened? (Any answer that is reasonable) Now I am going to show you what some of them did. Remember yesterday when we talked about famous Americans that owned slaves. This is an ad placed by Thomas Jefferson. Show students an ad for a runaway slave from the web site; choose the ad from September 14, 1769 for Sandy.
Teaching (modeling): What do they notice about the ad? (Sandy was an alcoholic, a shoemaker, and a jockey. The ad was placed by Thomas Jefferson) Point out the reward for the return of Sandy. Through the method of a think aloud, talk about how Sandy might have felt and why he might have run away.
Teaching (Checking for Understanding):Through interaction and student journal answers I will asses their understanding of slave’s trials and feelings
Guided Practice: Using a graphic organizer (attached) have students, in groups, fill out the graphic organizer based on pre-selected ads from the list (attached). Each group member should have specific job, such as researcher, recorder, task manager, and reporter. Give students 15 to 20 minutes to complete the graphic organizer. Using an elmo, have the reporter present the groups findings.
Closure: We have been learning about slavery and how the slaves must have felt. Tomorrow we will be working on a creative writing project using more ads for runaway slaves.
Independent practice: Creative writing project
We will be writing a historical fiction piece. First we will examine an ad for a runaway slave. (Hand out copies of runaway slave ads) I have broken the project down into pieces, on your directions page you will see when the pieces are due. We will use a graphic organizer, like we did yesterday in our groups, to compile our data. We will be working on this project for the next several weeks, so do not be over whelmed. As we learn new things about this time in American history, you may find more details to add to your story. Remember we will be publishing these at the end of this unit. If you need more information, I have books and you may use the internet after you have asked for permission.
Modifications: Students who need modification for their needs during the presentation of the lesson will receive them. For instance, if a student needs sensory stimulation items will be in place. Students with vision impairments will be given supplemental copies of visual aides in a large font. Differentiation for the assignment portion would include choosing appropriate runaway slave ads to challenge each student to their potential. Students with fine motor troubles will have access to a computer, so they may type rather than write; or they may dictate to myself, an aide, or another student (once the portion due of their assignment is complete).
Original idea taken from Geography of Slavery Lesson Plan located at the web address:
Name: / Ready for Publishing By:Runaway Slave Biography Directions
Ok, you have been introduced to your runaway slave, through the ad for their return. You are in charge of documenting their story, with a little embellishment of course! We will be laminating and binding our stories for parent night. It is important for you to stay on track so your story can make it to the publisher on time.
Step One: Getting to Know Your Character / Date Due:1. Read your ads. Understand the words. Get to know your person
2. Share your person with your 2 o’clock buddy. Pretend like you are introducing your characters to one another.
Step Two: Creating the Biographical Profile / Date Due:
1. One at a time use your ads to find the facts about your person. You may have to infer!
2. Organize your thoughts into categories. Use the Runaway Slave Profile Organizer.
Step Three: Creating Historical Context / Date Due:
1. Brainstorm some ideas of how your are going to add what we have learned in history about slavery, runaway slaves, the underground railroad, etc. into your story. Leave room to add ideas, because sometimes more ideas will pop in your head later. Remember to use the resources we have in the classroom. (you must ask before you can use the internet)
3. Also, use the blank map and outline your escape route- which state did you cross? Which rivers? Which mountains? You will need to use the geographical map in your social studies text book.
Step Four: Creating Fictional Content / Date Due:
1. Here is the super fun part- make up your person’s story! Start with the day/night they ran away. Why did they go? Where did they go? What happened to them along the way? How does the story end?
Step Five: The Writing Process Begins! / Date Due:
1. Bring it all together! Write a rough draft incorporating the biographical, historical, and fictional part. Put an X next to ideas as you use them to help you keep track.
Step Six: The Writing Process Continues / Date Due:
1. Trade rough drafts with your 6 o’clock partner. Read each others story and complete the peer edit questions. Be sure to use constructive criticism.
Step Seven: Illustrations / Date Due:
1. Choose at least two exciting parts to illustrate. Your picture must be on the paper provided. There may be NO WHITE SPACE. You may use crayons or colored pencils to add color, but NO MARKERS. Feel free to do as many as five illustrations, but they must be complete by the date due at the top of the page.
Peer Edit Form
Read your partners story first then rank the statements below using the scale on the right side of the paper. 1 means the author did not include the information; 3 means it was hard to find the information; 5 means I easily found the information. Then complete the sentence below each statement. When you are finished talk with your partner about what you read. Be sure to use “I think that…..” sentences when you are discussing each others stories.
The author clearly stated their slave’s name / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The Slave’s Name was:
The author clearly stated where their slave was from / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The Slave was from:
The author clearly stated their slave’s escape route / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
The Slave started in:
The Slave ended in:
The author used interesting details in their biography / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
One interesting detail I found was:
The author gave details about the plantation owner / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
One interesting detail I found was:
I found this: / :to be the most entertaining.
Lesson Plan
Teacher: Anna Nelson / Unit/Theme: Civil War
Class/Grade: 5th
Materials: / Slave spirituals :
Quilt signs:
Internet access for students
Construction paper
Scissors
glue
(this site would be good for those who finish early)
Duration:
This will be the third lesson in our Civil War unit. I would expect this unit to take 45min.
Objectives:
Students will recognize and retell the signs along the Underground Railroad
Students will know the definition of an abolitionist
Students will be able to identify one of the following Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth as an influential former slave and abolitionist.
Standards and Benchmarks:Missouri, United States and World History; 3a. Knowledge of continuity and change in the history of Missouri and the United States
I. Identify political, economical and social causes and consequences of the Civil War and Reconstruction
Standards: SS3 1.6, 3.1
Anticipatory Set: Pass out a piece of scrap paper and have students close their eyes while you play the slave spiritual for them. Ask them to imagine what kind of meaning there might be. When the song is over ask students to write their feelings about the song down, what kind of emotion did they feel while listening. Repeat with other spirituals as time allows.
Teaching (Input):Did anyone hear the secret message in the spiritual? As we have discussed many slaves ran away. But as more and more ran away plantation owners wanted to stop them. There were many laws about runaway slaves; the most important was the fugitive slave act. This said anyone who helped a slave run away could be punished and if anyone found a runaway slave they had to return them to their plantation. This meant there were few safe places to hide. These songs we have listened to have a hidden meaning, some spirituals give directions for slaves who want to runaway. Other spirituals talked about how unhappy slaves were.Why do you think the slaves had to sing songs like the spirituals? (They could not read or write) Everything about running away had to have a code name. The route the slaves took was called the Underground Railroad. This was a system of secret escape routes leading into free territory. Along the Underground Railroad were conductors, or people who helped hide the slaves while they were running away. Since everything about the Underground Railroad was a secret, quilts were used as secret signs. One of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman, She was an escaped slave and she traveled back to the south 20 time to help others escape. She guided about 300 people to freedom as a conductor for the Underground Railroad. There were other African Americans who were free, Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth. Both of these people and many others traveled around the country speaking about the evils of slavery.(have students repeat that word together) People who did not like slavery and wanted it to end were known as abolitionists. Now I would like to research and recreates some of the quilt signs used along the Underground Railroad.
Teaching (modeling):I have found a wonderful website. You will go to the website and chose a quilt pattern. Each of us will create a quilt block, or one square piece of a quilt. You will need to draw and cut your pieces to you’re your quilt block, once you are finished you need to write a sentence on the back of your square telling us what this pattern means. When we are finished we will group and hang our quilt blocks in the hallway as our own Underground Railroad quilt. You will work with the others who made the same quilt block to make a sign so those who pass in the hallway will know what your portion of the quilt means. (demonstrate this with the first pattern on the following website:
Teaching (Checking for Understanding): I will walk around as students are working and discuss some of the key points from today and see how their quilt blocks are coming along.
Closure: We have continued learning about slavery. We have learned the signs along the Underground Railroad and some former slaves and abolitionist. Tomorrow we will discuss the beginnings of the civil war
Independent practice: Now you and your table partner will log onto and chose your quilt pattern. You do not have to chose the same as your partner since you will make your own block. (Depending on the class, I might assign quilt blocks, since it is important to have a somewhat equal amount of each.) Once your quilt block is complete you will need to have an explanation of what it means written on the back. When everyone is finished, students will be grouped by the quilt block they chose. As a group they will decide what their block means, and make a sign to hang above their quilt in the hall.