Lesson Planning Form for Differentiating Instruction Education 305

Teacher Emily Jeninga and Amanda Williams

Grade level and theme: 4th Grade: Underground Railroad: the Train from Slavery to Freedom Thread/crossover Economics/English
I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson?
The main focus of this lesson is to introduce students to the economics of the plantation system. Students will be able to gain various
perspectives on the slavery system, as students will be playing the role of Northerners, Southerners, and slaves.
How does this lesson tie in to your Big Idea
This lesson ties into our Big idea in that our Big idea is the Underground Railroad. This lesson provides some background
knowledge to students about why the Underground railroad was created.
What are your objectives for this lesson? (students will be able to.) Indicate connections to applicable national or state
standards (glces). Indicate themes from any threads addressed in this lesson (ex-Geography-human environment interaction)
1) Students will be able to explain the economics behind the plantation system. Economics-voluntary trade creates wealth
4 E1.0.1 Identify questions economists ask in examining the United States (e.g., What is produced?
How is it produced? How much is produced? Who gets what is produced? What role does
the government play in the economy?).
2)Students will be able to view the plantation system in many perspectives. History: Humans and other Humans
3) Students will be able to participate in a simulation and analyze slavery from an economics standpoint. Economics: Economic
Systems influence Individual Choices and Incentives

II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills.
What are you assuming they know
or have already done.

Students need to know what slavery is, they need to have experienced the simulation
yesterday, and they need to know the geography behind the plantation system ~ need to know
what role the Northerner, bosses, and slaves each had.

Materials-what materials (books,

handouts, etc) do you need for this
lesson and do you have them?

Formative: discussion during and after simulation

Summative: written response to: Do the benefits of the bosses and the Northerners
outweigh the fact that the unpaid workers are doing all the work and not receiving any
payment?
Economics
Northerners
Bosses ~ Plantation Owners
Plantations
Production
Profit
Gain
Produce
Goods
Rubric for Writing Assignment
For simulation:
sand, oranges (small balls or golf balls), large buckets or bins, and play money

Opportunities for differentiation

Adjusting the various roles the students play

If students struggle writing, have them use a voice recorder to voice their thoughts, or allow
them to type their response

Assessment
(formative and summative)

Key vocabulary for this lesson

(include key concepts from
individual threads ex- economicsopportunity cost etc)

III. The Plan

Time
Parts
2 min

Motivation
(Opening/
Introduction/

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and student
activities
Teacher will tell students: You are free American students who have started your own country and
currently find yourselves both on the verge of an extremely pivotal presidential election and entangled
with the awful injustice of the slave trade.

Engagement)

Development
30
min

Teacher will ask if the class has any questions.

The teacher will explain that the classroom has been transformed into a closed universe and that the class
will be divided into two groups, the North and the South. Count the students off every other until they are
divided into two groups. Send the Northerners to one side of the classroom, and the southerners to the
side that contains the buckets of sand with oranges buried.
Tell the class that the Northerners need the Southern Oranges to survive, and provide each student with
some money. Set the price of oranges between $5-10. Within the southern group divide the group into
groups of 2-3 students, and assign one member of each smaller group to be the boss and the other 1 or
two members are unpaid workers
The teacher will tell the unpaid workers that they will harvest the oranges out of the sand for the bosses to
sell to the north to get money. Then let the simulation begin. The northerners will be trying to gain as
many oranges as possible, the bosses are trying to get as much money as possible, and the unpaid
workers are harvesting oranges.
The teacher will let the simulation continue as long as it is under control and there are still oranges to
harvest and sell.
The teacher will have the students return to their seats with their profits (the teacher will explain once they
are seated what the term profit means. The students will either return with money, oranges, or empty
hands. The teacher will give the students 3 minutes to reflect upon their experience and the role that they
played. After that time the teacher will go through each role that was played as ask what they felt during
the simulation. For example the teacher may say, Those of you that played the role of a Northerner,
how did you feel during that simulation? What did you enjoy? What was stressful? The teacher would
then continue to do this for the other two roles of the unpaid workers and the bosses.
The teacher will ask the students to take out a piece of paper and respond to the question: Do the benefits
of the bosses and the Northerners outweigh the fact that the unpaid workers are doing all the work
and not receiving any payment?

15
min

Closure

The teacher will explain any terms or words in the question that may be confusing and give the students
the guidelines:
The essay will contain 3-4 paragraphs that address the following questions:
1) What are your thoughts/feelings/reflections?
2) Our main crop "oranges" were harvested by workers who received no payment. Was the northern need
for oranges enough reason for the "unpaid southern workers" to continue harvesting the crop without
any payment?
3) If you knew that something that you wanted came from unpaid/slave labor, would you still buy it?
4) Is there ever a time where its ok for a human to own another human?
The teacher will also provide the rubric for students to self-evaluate their own writing.

Slave Trade Economics Writing Rubric

Student
introduces the
topic (unpaid
worker
simulation) at the
beginning of their
opinion piece.
Student states
their
thoughts/feelings
regarding the
unpaid worker
simulation
clearly.
The students
piece is organized
and clearly
answers all of my
questions.

The student
introduces the
topic of the piece
within the first 2
sentences and
clearly explains it
to the reader.
The student states
their thoughts
clearly in the piece
and the reader can
easily tell what the
writer is feeling.

The student
introduces the
topic to the reader
at the end of the
first paragraph.

The student tells

the reader what
their reading by
the middle of the
paper.

The reader is left

wondering what
the topic of the
piece is.

The student states

his/her thoughts in
the piece, but the
reader has to infer.

The reader
struggles to find
the writers
thoughts and
feelings in the
piece.

The writer does

not state any
feelings at all in
his/her piece of
writing.

The student
answers the
questions clearly
and in a very
organized manner.

The student's
answers are very
thought
provoking as the
reader and I can
tell they took
their time with
their answers.
The student uses
capital letters,
punctuation, and
the word wall
words are spelled
correctly.

The student's
answers are very
thought provoking
and show that the
student took some
time thinking and
reflecting before
answering.
The student's piece
uses all capital
letters at the
beginning of their
sentences, correct
punctuation at the
end and the word
wall words are
spelled correctly.
The student
provided a
concluding
statement that
clearly tells the
reader that the
piece is over

The student
answers the
questions but the
reader has to
search a little for
them.
The students
writing shows
thinking and
reflecting, but the
student should
have taken more
time before
answering.
The student
forgets either 1-2
capital letters or
punctuation and
misspelled 2-3
word wall words

The students
piece leaves the
reader searching
for all of the
answers within the
piece.
The student did
not think before
answering the
questions and their
answers reflect
their lack of
reflection.

The student does

not answer any of
the questions and
his/her piece is
completely off
topic.
The student does
not answer any of
the questions and
their piece is
completely off
topic.

The student forgets

3-5 capital letters
or punctuation and
misspelled 4-6
word wall words.

The student forgot

6+ capital letters
or punctuation and
misspelled 7+
word wall words.

The students
piece ends, but the
word choice of the
final sentences
could have
improved.

The student's piece

has a weak ending
that does not tell
the reader the
piece is finished.

The student's piece

has no end and
leaves the reader
wondering if that
is the end or if this
is an incomplete
piece.

The student
provides a
concluding
statement that
ends the piece

without using
"The End."

Resources:
https://www.google.com/search?q=slave+trade+economics+simulation&ie=utf-8&oe=utf8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=fflb#rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&channel=fflb&q=slave+trade+economics+simulation+lesson