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The Emancipation Proclamation
Through The Power of
Reader’s Theater
By Chelsea Letzer & Elizabeth Lewis
“And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I
do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said
designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward
shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United
States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will
recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.”1
--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation
Other Approaches: Though using Reader’s Theater with this kind of lesson seems
like an exciting way to get students involved with their learning,
other approaches to the material can also be exciting. For
instance, cooperative learning groups can be put together to
present the material. As well, graphic organizers are a great way
to enable student to see the connections between the materials
they are reading and writing. Whatever instructional methods
you choose to present the Emancipation Proclamation, your goal
should be to make sure that you provide opportunities for the
students to learn in ways that make real-life connections to our
history - Reader’s Theater is the method we have chosen. The
following lesson plan connects students to the excitement and
turmoil surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation through the
power of Reader’s Theater.
Notes:
Historical accuracy is important when teaching students of all
ages and academic levels. Many misconceptions about historical
events are taught in classrooms all over the United States. It is not
that teachers choose to ignore the correct information, but they
themselves are unaware that they sometimes could be teaching
fiction. Many people think the Emancipation Proclamation, the
document written and delivered by Abraham Lincoln, was a
document that ended slavery within America. However, this is
a misconception: the Emancipation Proclamation did free some
slaves but did not end slavery completely. Through Reader’s
Theater (RT), students can learn about the Emancipation
Proclamation. Using RT as a backdrop provides opportunities for
students to gain a deeper understanding of the importance of this
proclamation in our Nation’s history.
1.
“Quotes by Abraham Lincoln,” Collected Works of Abraham
Lincoln, accessed March 1, 2012, mhttp://showcase.netins.net/web/
creative/lincoln/speeches/quotes.htm
2.
“Emancipation Proclamation,” United States Government Archives,
accessed February 25, 2012, /http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/
featured_documents/emancipation_proclamation/.
3.
“Emancipation Proclamation,” accessed February 24, 2012, http://
www.emancipationproclamation.org/.
4.
Manning, Chandra “All for the Union...and Emancipation, Too:
What the Civil War Was About.” Dissent 59, no. 1 (2012): 91-95.
Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost.
What Is the Emancipation Proclamation?
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation
Proclamation to a nation that was entering the third year of a
horrific civil war.2 The proclamation stated “that all persons held
as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall
be free.”3 The statements made in the Emancipation Proclamation
were directed toward the states that seceded from the Union,
leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states.4
5. “What is Reader’s Theater?” Scholastic, accessed February 25,
2012, http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/programs/whatisrt.
htm.
What is Reader’s Theater?
Reader’s Theater (RT) is an approach to teaching students about a
situation or event that incorporates many different aspects such as:
sharing literature, reading aloud, writing scripts, performing with
a purpose, and working collaboratively. When using Reader’s
Theater in your classroom, there are no props, sets, costumes, or
memorized lines.5 Teachers who want to implement RT in their
classroom should pick a piece of literature they want to cover, then
create a script including the information and different characters
they want the class to know. After creating the script, teachers will
assign different parts to different students that students will read
and act out. This can be done with the class as a whole or the class
can be split into groups. Using Reader’s Theater in a classroom
has a researched benefit: improved literacy and reading skills. In
“The Power of Reader’s Theater,” the authors conducted a study
within a classroom that used RT. The outcome of the continued
use of RT was an astounding jump in students’ reading levels
(about three years) and reading fluency.6
Authors’ Bios: Elizabeth Lewis and Chelsea Letzer are Junior-Year
Education students at Southwestern University, certifying in Special
Education and History. Both are student athletes: Elizabeth competes
for the University Swim team and Chelsea for the Women’s Soccer
Team. They both have received Student Athlete Academic Honor Roll
Awards. Chelsea’s email is [email protected] and Elizabeth’s
is [email protected].
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6.
Jennifer O. Prescot, and Mack Lewis, The Power of Reader’s
Theater.” Instructor 112, no. 5 (2003): 22. Academic Search
Complete, EBSCOhost,(accessed February 28, 2012).
Elizabeth Lewis
Chelsea Letzer
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No.2
Lesson Plan
The Emancipation Proclamation Through The Power of Reader’s Theater
by Chelsea Letzer & Elizabeth Lewis
“And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated
States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the
military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.”
--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation
Connections to Middle School and High School:
Within history, events are often interpreted through a lens that is “tinted” with the views of those who are from the dominant culture. These
“views” may be biased and/or flawed. Since school students tend to receive the information they are taught by their teachers without questioning
whether there are hidden agendas or truths behind that information, their understanding of historical events may be rife with misinterpretations.
This lesson provides students with opportunities to begin a process of exploration in which they learn to think critically and to delve deeper into
our history and the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Goals of Lesson Plan:
The primary goal of this lesson is to help students think about the Emancipation Proclamation and its historical significance during the Civil
War. The students will also learn the importance of understanding how “textbook history” may often differ from actual historical events.
Objectives:
• Students will research the Emancipation Proclamation and determine which slaves were affected by its enactment.
• Students will analyze the reasons President Lincoln gave for signing the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Students will develop critical thinking skills to evaluate and analyze how the historical narrative surrounding the Emancipation
Proclamation (and other historical events) is presented in textbooks and how that presentation affects how people think about
history, cultural differences, and race relations.
National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) Standards: US History Teacher Expectations:
• Enable learners to develop historical comprehension in order that they might reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage,
identify the central question(s) addressed in historical narrative, draw upon data in historical maps, charts, and other graphic
organizers; and draw upon visual, literary, or musical sources;
• Guide learners in practicing skills of historical analysis and interpretation, such as compare and contrast, differentiate between
historical facts and interpretations, consider multiple perspectives, analyze cause and effect relationships, compare competing
historical narratives, recognize the tentative nature of historical interpretations, and hypothesize the influence of the past.
Warm-up/Anticipatory Set:
1. To begin the lesson, the entire class will fill out the “What I Know” section of a group KWL chart based on the Emancipation
Proclamation. The teacher will write student responses for the “Know” section while the students record responses on their
own forms (students will be provided an individual paper copy). Next, students will fill out the “Want to Know” section on
their own. The “What I Learned” section will be filled out after the students complete a quick information section on the
Emancipation Proclamation document itself (see “Activity” section).
KWL Chart
What I Know
What I Want to Know
What I Learned
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2. Ask the students to read a description of the proclamation and the actual Emancipation Proclamation document. The
teacher will assist the students as they analyze the Emancipation Proclamation document. Remember to refer to the “What I
Know” section of the KWL chart to use as background knowledge that will help the students do an informal self-assessment.
3. After the students are familiar with the document, the students will be split into groups of four or five for the main activity. The
groups can be teacher- or student-assigned.
Activity
Note: Please review all of the resources provided in the “Teacher Resources” section of this lesson plan.
Overview: The students will use their KWL charts to create a Modified Reader’s Theater (see “Teacher Resources”) within their
assigned groups.
Day 1
a. Each student within the group will be responsible for writing one character’s role from the Reader’s Theater with the task of
interviewing each character role about their opinions of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Note: Please take care to explain to students that each of them can take on ANY of the roles provided. Please do not choose your African
American students or other students of color to be the Border State Slaves as an only alternative. As well, do not allow your students to
relegate students of color to these roles exclusively. For more information on being sensitive to all of your students’ needs, please read
“Ten Tips on Facilitating Classroom Discussions on Sensitive Topics” in the “Teacher Resources” section of this lesson plan.
b. The character roles are Narrator, Interviewer, Northern Freedman, Confederate Slave, and Border State Slave. (The narrator
does not have to be included.) Students should decide what questions should be asked of each character in order to have a
well-rounded theater presentation. Resource: http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/sheets.html
c. The students will have to “become” their characters to write from the historical perspective. The views of each character
should match the historical view based on the student’s knowledge, the textbook and any supplemental sources, and the
Emancipation Proclamation document.
d. The Modified Reader’s Theater should include four to six questions with detailed responses from each character. Allow the students
enough time to decide on the questions to be asked and do the interviews of the characters.
Day 2
a. Have the students review their KWL Charts, the character roles, the questions being developed and any information gathered
from the character perspective interviews.
b. Use the information to begin crafting a script using brief dialogue. Use the narrator as the “glue” that pieces the information
gathered together. Scripting resource: http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/Tips1.html
c. Provide students with time to read their scripts aloud and to do edits or rewrites.
Day 3
a. The students will perform their Modified Reader’s Theaters for the entire class. (This will be included as part of the
students’ assessment.)
b. Break up into groups that are different from the Reader’s Theater groups. Complete the assessment.
Assessment:
After the Modified Reader’s Theaters, in their groups, the students will discuss answers to the questions below. Afterwards, discuss these
answers to the questions as an entire class.
a. How do History textbooks often present the Emancipation Proclamation, and whom (what population of people) does it
affect? Why?
b. What were the aims behind President Abraham Lincoln writing and signing the Emancipation Proclamation? What were
pressures that affected his decision-making during this time?
c. Why did the Emancipation Proclamation only apply to slaves in certain states? Why does this matter?
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d. How would you feel if you were living during that era
and you were:
1) A slave (From the North? From the South?)
2) President Lincoln
3) A slave owner
4) A soldier (Confederate? Union?)
5) An abolitionist
e. How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the
history of slavery in this country?
Teacher Resources:
1. “The Emancipation Proclamation: Freedom’s First
Steps,” http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/
emancipation-proclamation-freedoms-first-steps#sectactivities.
2. “The Emancipation Proclamation,” http://www.
archives.gov/exhibits/featured_documents/
emancipation_proclamation/.
3. “What Is Readers Theater?” http://www.scholastic.com/
librarians/programs/whatisrt.htm.
4. “Ten Tips for Facilitating Classroom Discussions on
Sensitive Topics,”
http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/
media/cms_page_media/128/Ten%20Tips%20for%20
Facilitating%20Classroom%20Discussions%20on%20
Sensitive%20Topics_Final.pdf
5. “How Parents and Teachers Should Teach Children
about Slavery,” http://www.blogher.com/how-parentsand-teachers-should-teach-children-about-slavery.
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