POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Public Spheres: A Realm of Racial Division

B. RATIONALE: For this lesson we will be teaching about the issues of racism that occurred during the Jim Crow era through the use of a discussion based methodology. It is important for students to develop a deep understanding of what is being taught because knowing and critically thinking about the issues that arose during the Jim Crow era can help students become better citizens. Understanding the struggles that African Americans faced and how these scenarios relate to their own lives in the present day is an important aspect of social studies. In addition, the article Stealing North addresses the aspects of culture, economics, and racism during the Jim Crow era. These topics are very suitable for a discussion based lesson because they allow for students to engage and express their feelings towards the issues. In terms of the teaching method, it is important for the students to have a deep understanding of the discussion based methodology because it is a valuable tool for teaching. Additionally, it is an option to promote powerful social studies instruction and critical thinking. It is also a great strategy to encourage engagement from the whole class. C. CONTEXT OF LESSON The topic of race is heated and often uncomfortable to discuss within a classroom. We have briefly touched on race in our social studies methods class but have yet to have an in-depth discussion on race. The students are ready for this thought-provoking discussion because they have previously experienced thoughtful whole group discussions, which are sometimes tough or uncomfortable to talk about. The students in this class have already come together to set ground rules for difficult topics, thus allowing

for a more comfortable environment. These ground rules allow students to engage in thoughtful discussions while respecting differing opinions. This allows for great discussions and helps foster a safe learning environment. For example, this group of students have already had practice with large seminars before, like our 9-11 discussion. These previous practices have allowed these students to understand how to create a fun and safe learning environment. D. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understand what are the broad generalizations the students should begin to develop? (These can be difficult to assess in one lesson.) Know what are the facts, rules, specific data the students will gain through this lesson? (These knows must be assessed in your lesson.) Do what are the specific thinking behaviors students will be able to do or practice as a result of this lesson? (These will also be assessed in your lesson.) The students will discuss the storyline of the article.

The students will understand that classroom discussion can be a very valuable teaching tool.

The students will know discussion involves every student in the class

The students will know discussion is a part of teaching Powerful Social Studies. The students will know it is important for students to share their individual beliefs in social studies lessons.

The students will discuss the ethical dilemma in the story. The students will share their beliefs on the discussion topics. The students will discuss how this activity teaches Social Studies powerfully to their

students including Social Studies content areas including culture, economics, and history. E. ASSESSING LEARNING:
Task: What learning tasks have you organized that can be used for assessment? Diagnostic features: What features will you look for in student responses or products from the task(s)? What criteria will you use for assessment? Teacher observation during small group and large group discussion Support: What resources can you draw upon (or adaptations can you make) in assessing children with special needs?

The students will understand that classroom discussion can be a very valuable teaching tool. The students will know discussion involves every student in the class The students will know discussion is a part of teaching Powerful Social Studies. The students will know it is important for students to share their individual beliefs in social studies lessons. The students will discuss the storyline of the article.

Teacher observation during the activities Small and whole group discussion or exit ticket depending on time

Small and whole group discussion or exit ticket depending on time

Small and whole group discussion

The students will discuss the ethical dilemma in the story. The students will share their beliefs on the discussion topics. The students will discuss how this activity teaches Social Studies powerfully to their students including Social Studies content areas including culture, economics, and history.

Small and whole group discussion

Small and whole group discussion

Small and whole group discussion or exit depending on time

F. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and NATIONAL STANDARDS if required) Social Studies: VS.8 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the reconstruction of Virginia following the Civil War by a) identifying the effects of Reconstruction on life in Virginia; b) identifying the effects of segregation and Jim Crow on life in Virginia for whites, African Americans, and American Indi ans; c) describing the importance of railroads, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginias economic development. Social Studies: USII.4 c) describing racial segregation, the rise of Jim Crow, and other constraints faced by African Americans and other groups in the post-Reconstruction South;
English: 2.3 The student will use oral communication skills. a) Use oral language for different purposes: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, to clarify, and to respond. b) Share stories or information orally with an audience. c) Participate as a contributor and leader in a group. d) Retell information shared by others.

e) Follow three- and four-step directions. English: 5.1 The student will listen, draw conclusions, and share responses in subject-related group learning activities. a) Participate in and contribute to discussions across content areas. b) Organize information to present in reports of group activities. c) Summarize information gathered in group activities. d) Communicate new ideas to others. English: 6.1 The student will participate in and contribute to small-group activities. a) Communicate as leader and contributor. b) Evaluate own contributions to discussions. c) Summarize and evaluate group activities. d) Analyze the effectiveness of participant interactions.

G. MATERIALS NEEDED Stealing North - Teacher will provide ahead of time on BlackBoard Questions - Teacher Provided Signs for the Wall (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree) - Teacher Provided H. PROCEDURE Activity Element & Time (in minutes) Procedures and management Step-by step procedures including questions and main points visualize what you are going to say to the students. It might be helpful to script out what you are Students Describe what the students will be doing as a result of your instructions Academic, physical, social & linguistic differentiation, resources, and support How will you support ALL students?

going to say, although during the lesson you do not need to use this language verbatim. Introduction Our group will go to the front of the room and open our PowerPoint. We will introduce ourselves to the class in order to gain the students attention. Students will be asked to summarize the article Stealing North within small groups at their tables. They will be given about two minutes in order to discuss this reading. They will be asked to summarize the main points of the article. After those few minutes the class will come together as a whole group to talk about their groups discussions. We will say, Now that we have discussed some of the main themes and aspects of the reading, our next activity Students will get quiet, look up at us, and wait for our lesson to begin.

First Event: Summary of reading

Students will discuss at their tables main themes or points that they took from the reading. They will then present these thoughts to the whole group.

Transition

Students will stand up, push in theirs chairs, and move to stand against the walls.

will explore these themes more in depth. Please stand up, push in your chair, and stand against the wall that you are closest to. Grouping We will explain that groups will be made in this activity according to student beliefs. We will designate four corners of the room to be either strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Students will be told to go to the corner that best suits their opinion on the statements being made. Once they have gone to a corner they will be instructed to have a small group discussion based on their beliefs. The first statement that will be projected on the PowerPoint will be Jim Crow laws were successful in accomplishing their goals. Students will be told to move Students will go to a corner based on their opinion on a question. Once there, students will discuss with the other people in their corner about why they chose where to go and their beliefs. Once they have had a few minutes to discuss this, students as a group will share their thoughts with the entire class on why they chose their particular corners.

Event 2: Statement 1

Students will read the statement on the PowerPoint and then move to the corner of the room that best matches their beliefs. They will then discuss in their small group

If students need clarifications on this statement we will then rephrase it to help assure that everyone understands the task.

to the corner of the room that best matches their belief. Students will then be told that they have about two minutes to discuss within their groups. We will then come together as a whole group and let someone from each corner explain their beliefs. The whole group discussion should last about 5 to 7 minutes. Event 3: Statement 2 The second statement that will be projected on the PowerPoint will be Richard Wright should not have participated in the ticket scheme. Students will be told to move to the corner of the room that best matches their belief in accordance to this statement. Students will then be told that they have about two minutes to discuss within their groups. We will then come together as a whole group and let someone from each corner explain their

the reasons that they are in that particular corner. They will use evidence from the reading to help support their points. When we come together as a whole group about one person from each corner will share their thoughts and beliefs.

Students will read the statement on the PowerPoint and then move to the corner of the room that best matches their beliefs. They will then discuss in their small group the reasons that they are in that particular corner. They will use evidence from the reading to help support their points. When we come together as a whole group about one person from each corner will share their thoughts and beliefs.

If students need clarifications on this statement we will then rephrase it to help assure that everyone understands the task.

beliefs. The whole group discussion should last about 5 to 7 minutes. Event 4: Statement 3 The third statement that will be projected on the PowerPoint will be Given his life circumstances and the historical context at the time, Richard Wrights actions were justifiable. Students will read the statement on the PowerPoint. They will then listen to the quote as it is read aloud. They will then move to the corner of the room that best matches their beliefs. They will then discuss in their small group A quote will also be read out the reasons that they are in loud to the class from the that particular corner. They reading. It will also be will use evidence from the projected on the PowerPoint. reading to help support their We will tell students that this points. When we come was an excerpt that showed together as a whole group Richards thoughts when he about one person from each was getting hired at the movie corner will share their theater. It showed how he was thoughts and beliefs. thinking about the ticket scheme. The quote will be: I gave him a pledge of my honest, feeling absolutely no qualms about what I intended to do. He was white, and I could never do to him what he and his kind had done to me. Students may be confused about how this statement is different from the previous one. We will explain that the previous statement just asked whether Richard should have participated in the scheme. This statement changes a little when we bring in a quote about Richard Wrights feelings towards society. We will explain that it is okay if students still have the same beliefs and that they do not have to move.

Therefore, I reasoned, stealing was not a violation of my ethics, but of his; I felt that things were rigged in his favor and any action that I took to circumvent his scheme of life was justified.page 98-99. Students will be told to move to the corner of the room that best matches their belief in accordance to this statement. Students will have about two minutes to discuss within their groups. We will then come together as a whole group and let someone from each corner explain their beliefs. The whole group discussion should last about 5 to 7 minutes. Event 5: Statement 4 The fourth statement that will be projected on the PowerPoint will be This scenario can be applied to other situations, not just race. Students will be told to Students will read the We will clarify the statement statement on the PowerPoint. if students need help Then, they will move to the understanding it. corner of the room that best matches their beliefs. They will then discuss in their small

move to the corner of the room that best matches their belief in accordance to this statement. Students will then be told that they again have about two minutes to discuss within their groups. We will then come together as a whole group and let someone from each corner explain their beliefs. The whole group discussion will last about 5 to 7 minutes. Event 6: Statement 5 The final statement that will be projected on the PowerPoint will be Race issues are still prevalent today. Students will be told to move to the corner of the room that best matches their belief in accordance to this statement. Depending on the time available, students will be told that they have about two minutes to discuss within their groups. We will then come together as a whole group and let someone from

group the reasons that they are in that particular corner. They will use evidence from the reading to help support their points. When we come together as a whole group about one person from each corner will share their thoughts and beliefs.

Students will read the If students need the statement statement on the PowerPoint. clarified then we will rephrase They will then move to the it and explain what we mean. corner of the room that best matches their beliefs. They will then discuss in their small group the reasons that they are in that particular corner. They will use evidence from the reading to help support their points. When we come together as a whole group about one person from each corner will share their thoughts and beliefs.

each corner explain their beliefs. The whole group discussion will last about 5 to 7 minutes. Transition We will thank students for their engagement in the discussion. We will ask them to take a seat for our final activity. Depending on the time we will either finish with a discussion or an exit ticket. Conclusion If there is enough time in class we will say, We wanted to expand more on this last statement about racism still being prevalent. Can anyone provide specific examples of this statement that they may have seen before, whether it was in their lives, in the news, etc.? If there is not enough time to have a discussion we will tell students to take out a piece of If we have a discussion, students will raise their hands and give reasons or examples for why they think racism or racial issues are still relevant to the world today. If we have an exit ticket then students will take out blank pieces of paper. They will see the question posted on the PowerPoint and begin to answer it thoughtfully. When they are done they will turn it Students will go and sit down and wait for further instruction.

paper to complete an exit ticket. The question projected on the PowerPoint will say, How are race issues still prevalent in todays society? Provide some specific examples that you may have witnessed in your life. For example, have you seen an issue of race in the USA or somewhere worldwide? Students will be thanked for participating in todays lesson and will be asked to hand in their exit tickets to one of our group members when they are done writing. After this we will come back together as a class. Our group will ask students how they believe that this activity taught social studies powerfully. We will ask them whether this touched upon content areas such as culture, economics, and/or history. This will be addressed

into a group member and then take their seat.

Students will raise their hands and then share their beliefs on how this lesson could be part of a powerful social studies curriculum. They will discuss the different content areas involved in this lesson.

because we want students to understand the usefulness of teaching through the discussion based method.

I. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? For this lesson the group has asked that the students come to class having read Stealing North, provided for access on Blackboard ahead of time. Some or all of the students may come having not completed this assignment meaning that they will have nothing to add to the discussion and will be unable to fully participate, if at at all. In this case the presentation group would need to provide the reading to the class and take time to go over the main points necessary to do some discussion in the classroom. Also, the students are being asked to move from one corner of the room to the other based on their beliefs and thoughts. Some students may show difficulty choosing or not know what they believe because they may have little background knowledge in regards to the statement provided. The student would need to be encouraged by facilitators to think through the statement and may need to be prompted with other questions to help them reach a conclusion. Some students may not have supporting statements for their thoughts in which case the facilitators would need to prompt them to think deeper into their answer. During this process, some students may realize that their first choice was not what they truly believe after forming a supporting statement for their answer. Another issue is that there may not be time for the exit ticket, meaning that the facilitators must be prepared to assess the students during the lesson while discussion is taking place. This may be the only assessment piece available after the lesson. Lastly, technology is being used in this lesson via Prezi to show the statements. It is possible that Prezi may not open or the internet is down. To accommodate for this, each member facilitating the lesson will have a copy of the lesson and all the information needed to lead the group. Thus, the lesson will still run smoothly. The whiteboard at the front of the room can also be used to write statements up for any student who needs the visual reinforcement.