StudySync Lesson Plan
Declaration of Sentiments
Objectives
1.
Engage students in the language and themes of “Declaration of Sentiments,” written by
the attendees of the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, so that they are prepared to
discuss and write about the tract.
2. Practice and reinforce the following Grades 11-12 ELA Common Core Standards for
reading, writing, and speaking and listening:
READING: HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES – RH.11-12.1-10
WRITING: HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES – WHST.11-12.1-2, 4-10
SPEAKING AND LISTENING – SL.11-12.1-5
Time
140 minutes (with an additional 200 minutes of extension possibilities)
Materials
SyncTV Premium Lesson on the “Declaration of Sentiments” by the Seneca Falls Convention
Overview
This StudySync lesson presents a manifesto written by the attendees of the Seneca Falls
Convention in 1848. Borrowing from the structure and language of the “Declaration on
Independence,” this document outlines the expectations of rights held by women as well as the
systematic undermining (“usurpations”) of those rights on the part of men. Using the lesson plan
below will help students understand this text and the historical background of women’s suffrage
and similar Civil Rights movements. Students will also be prepared to read and write textually
rooted responses consistent with the Common Core standards for Grades 11-12.
Background (10 minutes)
1.
Watch the Preview (SL.11-12.1). As a group, watch the video preview of the premium
lesson. After viewing, use the following questions to spur a discussion:
a. What do you know about the time period in which the “Declaration of Sentiments”
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
was written? In addition to what you heard in the preview, what historical
information do you need to keep in mind to better understand the text?
b. What image or images stand out to you? How do the images from this preview
relate to other Civil Rights movements you may have studied?
c. Had you heard of the “Declaration of Sentiments” before watching this video?
What do you know about the women’s suffrage movement as a whole?
Extension (additional 60 minutes)
d. Research and Write (WHST.11-12.7-10). Use this History Channel link–
http://www.history.com/topics/19th-amendment/speeches#us-feminists-march-on50th-anniversary-of-19th-amendment-adoption –as an introduction to the
women’s suffrage movement. This live recording was made in 1970 to celebrate
50 years of women’s right to vote in America. Still that means there were more
than 70 years between the “Declaration of Sentiments” and the 19th Amendment.
Ask students to research and produce a timeline explaining what happened in the
72 years between the Seneca Falls Convention and the 19th Amendment’s
passage.
Engaging the Text (130 minutes)
2. Read the Text (30 minutes)
a. Read and Annotate (RH.11-12.4-6). Have students read and annotate the
introduction and excerpt from the “Declaration of Sentiments.” If students are
completing as a homework assignment, ask them to write any questions they
have into the annotation tool–these questions are visible to you after the students
submit their writing assignments or beforehand if you use the “Mimic” function to
access the students’ accounts.
b. Discuss (SL.11-12.1, 3). Have students get into small groups or pairs and briefly
discuss the questions and inferences they had while reading. As a class, discuss
the following: How did the images in the preview affect your understanding of the
text? What other images came to mind as you read the excerpt? What words were
uncommon to you? What meanings did you infer?
Extension (additional 20 minutes)
c. Listen and Discuss (SL.11-12.1-2). As a class, listen to the audio reading of the text.
Ask students to share how their understanding of the text changed after listening.
What additional images came to mind? What words did the author use to develop
the setting?
d. Comprehend (RH.11-12.1-6) Have students complete the multiple-choice questions.
Collect papers or discuss answers as a class.
3. Watch SyncTV (30 minutes)
a. Watch. Either watch the SyncTV discussion as a class or ask students to watch it
on their individual computers.
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
b. Discuss (SL.11-12.1-5). After watching the model discussion, have a conversation
with the class about the ideas discussed in the SyncTV episode. What new
thoughts do they have after hearing the students' discussion? Next, divide
students into small groups (3-4 students). Move around the room monitoring
groups as students follow the SyncTV episode as a model to discuss some of the
following questions:
1.
Why would the Seneca Fall Convention choose to mimic the
language and structure of the “Declaration of Independence” in its
document about women’s rights? What effects–both positive and
negative–does this have on the “Declaration of Sentiments”?
2. How does the "Declaration of Sentiments" modify and subvert the
text of the passage it references from the "Declaration of
Independence"? Analyze how these subtle but important changes
contribute to the overall meaning of the text. How is it similar and
how is it different?
3. In the text, the Seneca Falls Convention authors cite a list of 15
injustices enacted by men against women. Evaluate the validity of
the first 5 of these claims.
4. In the text, the Seneca Falls Convention authors cite a list of 15
injustices enacted by men against women. Evaluate the validity of
the second 5 of these claims.
5. In the text, the Seneca Falls Convention authors cite a list of 15
injustices enacted by men against women. Evaluate the validity of
the final 5 of these claims.
6. Which of these aforementioned injustices are still relevant today?
Has society overcome these injustices, or is there still more
progress to be made? Why/why not?
7. Do you think the “Declaration of Sentiments” was the most
effective way to bring women’s rights issues to greater light in
America? What would some other possibilities have been? How
does this document stack up against the actions taken during the
Civil Rights movement by African Americans 100 years later?
Extension (additional 60 minutes)
c. Write (WHST.11-12.7-10). Use the StudySync assignment creation tool to create a
“Writing” assignment that asks students to address the following prompt:
1.
It is easy for one to look back into history and make judgments
about a society's lifestyle and decisions. Think about how people
of the future might view our society as a whole. What would they
say about our lifestyles or decisions? Is there an issue in today’s
society that they will look back on and believe we were slow to
react to? Are Civil Rights still an issue in modern America? Write an
essay using your opinions and examples from the text and other
sources to support your ideas. Be prepared to share your ideas
with the class.
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
4. Think (10 minutes)
a. Respond (W.11-12.1, 4). Ask students to read the “Think” questions, watch the
corresponding video clips, and respond to the questions, either in class or for
homework.
5. Write (60 minutes)
a. Discuss (SL.11-12.1). Read the prompt you have chosen for students, and then
solicit questions regarding the prompt or the assignment expectations. Whichever
prompt you have chosen, make sure you are clear about the assignment
expectations and the rubric by which you and the other students will be evaluating
them.
b. Organize (RH.11-12.1-5, 10 and WHST.11-12.1-2, 5). Ask students to go back and
annotate the text with the prompt in mind. They should be organizing their
thoughts and the points they’ll address in their writing as they make annotations. If
you’ve worked on outlining or other organizational tools for writing, this is a good
place to apply them.
c. Write (WHST.11-12.1-2, 4-6, 8-10). Have students go through the writing process of
planning, revising, editing, and publishing their writing responses.
d. Review (WHST.11-12.4-6). Use the StudySync “Review” feature to have students
complete one to two evaluations of their peers’ work based on your chosen
review rubric. Have the students look at and reflect upon the peer evaluations of
their own writing. What might you do differently in a revision? How might you
strengthen the writing and the ideas?
Extension (additional 60 minutes)
e. Write (WHST.11-12.1-2, 4-6, 8-10). For homework, have students write an essay
using one of the prompts you did not choose to do in class. Students should
publish their responses online.
f.
Self-Assessment (WHST.11-12.4-5). Use the StudySync assignment creation tool to
create a "Writing" assignment that asks students to address the following prompt.
1.
Reread one of your essays and the reviews of one of your essays
on Declaration of Sentiments. After reading these reviews, what do
you believe were the biggest strengths of your essay? What were
the biggest weaknesses? If you were to go back and write this
essay again, what would you change about your writing process?
How has writing this essay made you a better writer?
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Key Vocabulary
1. despotism (n.) - absolute power
2. elective franchise (n.) - the right to vote
3. impunity (n.) - freedom from punishment, harm, or loss
4. prudence (n.) - good judgment, forethought
5. remuneration (n.) - pay or compensation
6. usurpation (n.) - taking or making use of without right
7. evince (v.) - to display clearly
8. disfranchisement (n.) - (alt. disenfranchisement) the state of being stripped (as a person or
group) of the right to vote
9. transient (adj.) - passing quickly into and out of existence
10. hitherto (adv.) - until now
Reading Comprehension Questions
1.
In paragraph 1, the "one portion of the family of man" is suggestively referring to
____________.
a. Americans
b. children
c. women
d. religious minorities
2. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are
instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed."
Which of the following words or phrases in the above quote was NOT written in the
original Declaration of Independence?
a.
b.
c.
d.
women
by their Creator
inalienable
the pursuit of happiness
3. "He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice."
A good synonym for compelled in this sentence would be ______________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
encouraged
forced
legislated
created
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
4. Which of the following is used in the first paragraph of "Declaration of Sentiments"?
a.
b.
c.
d.
anecdotal evidence
appeal to authority
statement of intent
all of the above
5. "In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he
becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master--the law giving him power to deprive
her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement."
Which of the following best paraphrases the main idea of the above statement?
a. Husbands have more power over women than government or the rule of law.
b. Women should submit to their husbands because husbands are better rulers than
government.
c. Marriage is a covenant between a man and a woman.
d. Men and women have different roles and responsibilities in the covenant of
marriage.
6. "He allows her in church, as well as state, but a subordinate position, claiming apostolic
authority for her exclusion from the ministry, and, with some exceptions, from any public
participation in the affairs of the church?
A good synonym for subordinate in this sentence would be _______________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
supportive
meaningless
different
inferior
7. "He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for
her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and to her God."
Which of the following best paraphrases the main idea of the above statement?
a. Men are generally responsible for assigning societal roles to women.
b. Jehovah used to decide a woman's sphere of action, but that is no longer the
case.
c. It should be up to God and women alone to determine a woman's role in society,
not men.
d. A woman's conscience determines her sphere of action, not men.
8. "He" is a pronoun repeatedly used in this tract. It refers to ______________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
God
men
both a and b
neither a nor b
9. Which of the following sentences best summarizes the argument put forth in this tract?
a. Men have claimed superiority over women for centuries, but in reality men are
oppressive and weak.
b. Women are not afforded the same inalienable rights and privileges that are
granted to other U.S. citizens, but they should be.
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments
c. The discrimination that women have suffered over the course of human history is
rooted in a fear of losing power.
d. Laws forbidding women the right to vote were clearly drafted and supported by
men in positions of power.
10. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a grievance committed by man against
women?
a.
b.
c.
d.
legislation without representation
disrespect
exclusion from institutions of higher learning
none of the above
Answer Key:
1. C
2. A
3. B
4. C
5. A
6. D
7. C
8. B
9. B
10. D
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Further Assignments
1. Re-write the 15 grievances in the "Declaration of Sentiments" for a 21st century audience.
Remove any injustices that are no longer applicable, and add new ones that have emerged.
(RH.11-12.8)
2. Why were so many people adamantly opposed to the women's suffrage movement? Do you
think the root of this opposition was economic, political, or theological, or all of the above? As
either an in-class assignment or for homework, have students speculate why so many people
throughout history have stood in opposition to civil rights movements. (RH.11-12.8 and WHST.1112.9)
3. Interpret and analyze the meaning of the following excerpt from this tract:
"He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead."
What does "civilly dead" mean? What exactly are the authors of the "Declaration of Sentiments"
saying about the treatment of married women under the law? (RH.11-12.2, 4)
4. As a homework assignment, have students research the life and influence of Elizabeth Cady
Stanton. Who was she and what did she accomplish? Why do we remember her to this day?
(WHST.11-12.7-9)
5. Should all people be afforded the same rights and opportunities under the law? Do
governments and/or religious institutions ever have the right to strip people of rights? Which
rights are inalienable, and which are dependent upon other factors? (WHST.11-12.9 and RH.1112.8)
6. Ask students to go back through this excerpt and identify the higher-level vocabulary words
used throughout. Have them replace these words with synonyms or synonym phrases that they
are already familiar with. Make sure they underline or highlight any other words they are
unfamiliar with. (ELL)
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Lesson Plan: Declaration of Sentiments