Civil War Lesson Plan Number Two:
Children/Teen Slave Experiences
Mary-Elizabeth Maynard
United States History Grant
Summer Course: 2005
Lesson Title: Looking at the
Experiences of Slave Children and
Teens Before and After the Civil War.
Grade Level: 9th grade
Class: United States History I
School: Leominster High School
Teacher: Mrs. Maynard
Learning Objectives/Massachusetts
Frameworks
Research, Evidence and Point of View: Students
will acquire the ability to frame questions that can
be answered by historical study and research; to
collect evaluate and employ information from
primary and secondary sources, and to apply it in
oral and written presentations. They will
understand the many kinds and uses of evidence;
and by comparing competing historical narratives,
they will differentiate historical fact from
historical interpretation and from fiction.
Skills Utilized Throughout This
Lesson:
z
z
z
z
z
Interpretation of Primary
Sources
Group work Collaboration
Presentation/Public
Speaking
Reflection
Writing
z
z
z
z
z
z
Summarizing
Historical Analysis
Comparing/
Contrasting
Use of Technology
Listening
Organizing of Materials
Important Concepts to be Addressed
Throughout the Lesson
z Oral
History
z Slaves
z Children/Teen Perspectives
z Primary Sources
z Historical Reflection
z Empathy
z Humanness
Evidence of Students
Understanding
Students will be able to:
z
z
z
z
Analyze oral history through the interpretation of
primary documents.
Determine the pro/cons of oral history narratives.
Look at slaves’ experiences before and after slavery.
Compare minority experiences today with slaves’
experiences during the time of the Civil War.
Instructional Procedures:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Teacher will ask students to write a short journal relating what slave children and teen
experiences were like before and after the Civil War in the Southern States.
Student Volunteers will read journals aloud.
Teacher will explain that the students are going to listen to tapes and research slaves’ oral history
narratives to gain a sense of the slave children and teens” experiences during slavery and after
slavery was abolished in the South.
Teacher has students read along and listen to several slave narratives giving their accounts of
their life experiences.
Students are to complete a graphic organizer in which information about each narrative is
recorded by individual students.
Teacher places students in groups of 4 or 5 and the groups are asked to discuss the following
guiding questions: Did the slave children and teens experience any joy during slavery? What
was their daily family life like? Where they given any personal freedoms during slavery? Did
they have any positive relationships with their masters or masters’ family members during and
after slavery was outlawed? Do you think that oral history is a good historical way to view
history? Why or Why not? What other types of historical study should we add to this lesson in
order to understand more about slaves’ experiences before and after emancipation?
A group speaker will summarize each group’s discussion.
Instructional Procedures
Continued
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Teacher will record basic ideas discussed in each group on a board sized organizer so that
students can see how groups responses relate to each other.
Teacher will assign a research project where each pair will search the web in the media lab to find
more slave children and teen primary documents and/or narratives on line. Students will be asked
to summarize their research findings into a power point presentation.
Students will share their research findings with the whole class.
Students will evaluate each others’ documents and presentations.
Teacher will assign a reflection paper where students will be asked to reflect on their learning
from the entire lesson.
Plan for Technology
Students will be researching on the Internet.
They will have to evaluate and document
which websites they have used.
Teacher will provide a short list of websites to
get the students started.
Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What value do children and teen perspectives’ provide in regards to
slaves experiences that we did not see in lesson one while
addressing adult slave experiences?
What significance did geographical location play in our
consideration of these documents?
How would minority children and teen diaries or written documents
of this year compare and contrast with the documents and narratives
we studied in the Civil War Era?
What narrative made the most impression on you and why?
Can we really understand truly what their experiences were like?
Why or Why not?
Lesson Plan Assessment
The final assessment of the students’ understanding of the
slave children and teen narratives/primary document will
be seen and assessed from their finished product a research
rich and creative PowerPoint presentation which each pair
group will show to the entire class on a scheduled day.
Media staff will be alerted that certain students may need
help before and after school to complete this assignment.
The media staff will be provided with a description of the
project as well as the rubric for the PowerPoint
presentation. The whole class will grade each product with
the teachers grade included.
Evaluation of Lesson Plan
z
z
Did the students
understand the
feelings of the
children and teens
from this historical
time frame?
Did the students use
their project
individual, group and
pair time efficiently?
z
Did they have the necessary
research skills to find additional
information on the Net?
z Did their power point
presentations demonstrate
skills, knowledge, creativity
and learning?
z How can I improve this lesson
for all learners?
z Did the students enjoy the
lesson?
Worksheets Needed for
Lesson
1.
2.
3.
Journal Prompt for
writing about teenage
and children slaves.
Before/After Worksheet
to Compare and Contrast
Experiences before and
after the Civil War
through the teen’s or
child's perspectives.
Group Analysis
Worksheet.
4.
5.
Rubric for Power Point
Presentation.
Reflection Sheet for Final
Journal Writing at the End of
the Entire Lesson.
Worksheet 1: Journal on
Teen or Children Slave
Experiences
Now that we have looked at some experiences
of adult slaves during the Civil War Time. I
would like you to write a journal about how
you think life might be for either a teen or a
child of a slave before Emancipation and
after. You will have 20 minutes.
Worksheet Two: Compare/Contrast Slave
Children and Teens Before and After the Civil
War.
Before:
Teen Experience
After:
Teen Experience
Before:
Child Experience
After:
Child Experience
Worksheet 3--Group Worksheet: Each
group will discuss the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Did the slave children and
teens experience any joy
during slavery?
What was their daily family
life like?
Where they given any
personal freedoms during
slavery?
Did they have any positive
relationships with their
masters or masters’ family
members during and after
slavery was outlawed?
5.
Do you think that oral history is a good
historical way to view history? Why or
Why not? What other types of historical
study should we add to this lesson in order
to understand more about slaves’
experiences before and after
emancipation?
Worksheet Four: Rubric For Power Point
Presentation
KNOWLEDGE: 4 3 2 1 0
Shows an understanding of the material
Able to answer questions
PARTICIPATION: 4 3 2 1 0
Does their “fair share” in presenting the material
Participates in each part of the presentation
LENGTH: 4 3 2 1 0
Long enough to adequately cover assigned material
CONTENT: 4 3 2 1 0
Topic covered thoroughly
Enough information given to understand topic
Did not exclude any important information or include
any unnecessary information
DESIGN: 4 3 2 1 0
Very creative
Easy to see and follow
Did not include any unnecessary graphics
HANDS-ON ACTIVITY: 4 3 2 1 0
Included class in the learning process
Did more than lecture to the class
23-24
21-22
18-20
16-17
0-15
A
B
C
D
F
Worksheet Five
For homework:
1.
Find a photo from your
research on teen and children
slaves.
2.
Write a letter to this person
telling him/her what you have
learned about their
experiences.
3.
How did you feel after writing
this letter?
4.
Plan on sharing this letter in a
small group tomorrow?