Problem-Based Instruction Model Lesson Plan

Teacher: Elizabeth Herbert Subject: American History Level: 9th or 10th grade
Estimated Class Time: Three 1 hour class periods
Problem: Imagine that Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Huey Newton are all still
alive. How do you think each political thinker would have responded to the grand jury
decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown?
Standard(s):
US History SS 7 1.7, 1.5, DOK 2, Concept A Identify, select, use analyze and create
appropriate resources for social science inquiry
Distinguish between and analyze primary sources and secondary sources.
US History SS 3 1.6, 1.9 DOK 3, Concept I - Political Development in the United States
Analyze the evolution of American democracy, its idea, institutions and political
processes from Reconstruction to the present, including:
1. Reconstruction
2. Struggle for civil rights
3. Expanding role of government
4. Expanding participation in political processes
Content Objective(s): Students will work in groups to create an artifact that demonstrates
analysis of MLK, Malcolm X, and Huey Newtons political theories as they relate to a
modern day political and civil issue. Students will score at least a 3 on a rubric that judges
their artifact.
Process Objective(s): Students will be able to formulate an argument from the perspective
of either MLK, Malcolm X, or Newton on a modern-day issue based on their knowledge of
the thinkers political perspectives and personal experiences.
Materials needed: hard copies of written materials, computers, headphones, internet access,
projector, art supplies (poster board, markers, glue, rulers, scissors, etc.), hard copies of rubric to
distribute, hard copies of tool to evaluate websites
Phase 1: Introduction: Orient students to the problem:

Students will be presented with the problem that they are solving:
o Imagine that Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Huey Newton are still
alive and are prominent political figures. How do you think each thinker would
respond to the grand jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson in the shooting
death of Michael Brown? Individually, you will be assigned to complete a written

public statement from the perspective of one of the men. In groups of three, you
will create a project that compares and contrasts each mans response.

Students will be shown a series of videos and provided a series of quotes that introduce
them to MLK, X, and Newtons public declarations about police and African-Americans.
Students will be instructed to take notes that focus on what each thinker is saying about
police.
o Huey Newton jail interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_bDYXtnYKs
o Malcolm X on police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a0oqwIoUKM
o Martin Luther King, Jr. on police brutality in Danville, VA:
http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/web-extra-martin-luther-king-jr-speech-indanville/24015832

Students will be told that the purpose of this experience is for them to more fully
understand MLK, Malcolm X, and Huey Newtons perspectives, experiences, and
political thinking by thinking critically about how they WOULD respond to a modern
issue.

Students will be given an opportunity to ask questions about the requirements,

procedures, and purpose of this lesson

Phase 2: Organize students for study:

Students will be put into groups of three.

Within the group, the students will be responsible for deciding which thinker each student
will be responsible for focusing on.
Students will be told that today is for their independent research, the next class period
will be for the groups to work together on their final product, and the following class
period will be for presenting their work to the class and reflecting on the process

Students will be provided with hard copies of written research materials

Students will be reminded that the provided research materials include both primary and
secondary sources and they need to use them appropriately.

Phase 3: Assist independent and group investigation:

Students will be provided with relevant research materials.

MLK materials:
o Letter from a Birmingham Jail http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

o Martin Luther King III statement about Ferguson http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/18/martin-luther-king-iii-seesferguson-riots-violenc/?page=all

o I Have a Dream Speech transcript - http://www.ushistory.org/documents/i-havea-dream.htm
o List of MLK quotes - http://americawakiewakie.com/post/108302135813/58tweetable-mlk-quotes-to-reclaim-kings-legacy
o NPR piece on a lesser known MLK speech http://www.npr.org/2015/02/26/388691152/in-hollywood-mlk-delivered-a-lesserknown-speech-that-resonates-today

Huey Newton materials:

o Transcript of interview with Huey Newton http://digital.wustl.edu/e/eii/eiiweb/new5427.0458.119hueypnewton.html
o Mini biography of Huey Newton http://web.archive.org/web/20110617031350/http://www.africawithin.com/bios/h
uey_newton.htm
o Quotes from Newtons autobiography http://www.beatknowledge.org/2012/02/17/notes-and-quotes-from-huey-newtonsautobiography/
o History of the Black Panther party http://www.civilrightsteaching.org/Handouts/BPPhandout.pdf
o Compilation of Newton news footage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=4UQgfgbX4RE

Malcolm X materials:
o Compilation of Malcolm X statements on police https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUYNgZu7si8
o 1956 Malcolm X letter to NY police commissioner http://www.usprisonculture.com/blog/2014/01/23/malcolm-x-police-brutality-aletter-to-the-nypd/
o Malcolm X Democracy is Hypocrisy speech http://newsone.com/3045113/toni-morrison-and-malcolm-x-on-mike-brown-andthe-police-in-ferguson/
o Collection of Malcolm X quotes - http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Malcolm_X

Day 1 will be devoted to students working individually on the thinker to which they were
assigned. Students will be provided the above materials and permitted to use the
classroom computers to do independent research outside of provided materials.

Students will be instructed that their homework assignment is to complete their

independent assignment of writing a public statement from the perspective of the thinker
which they are researching.

Students will be provided written materials in hard copy. They will be reminded that if
they do not have access to internet at home they should use class time to access online
resources.

While students are doing independent work, teacher will be walking around the class
making sure that each student is using their time wisely and that they have all the
resources they need to complete the assignment at home.

Teacher will also be helping students who decide to find outside research material by
presenting them with a tool for evaluating websites (attached)

Day 2 will be devoted to students working in their groups of three to create an artifact that
compares and contrasts the responses of each thinker.

Student will be told that they will have approximately 5 minutes in the next class period
to present their product to the class.

Students will be given some ideas of what they should make

Example projects:

Three way Venn diagram comparing the three men and how the students think they will
respond to the grand jury decision

Debate in which each student acts as their assigned thinker and argues for their response
to the grand jury decision

Scripted skit of an imagined conversation between the three men

Written report in the form of a 5 paragraph essay focusing on the similarities and
differences in the three mens responses

Artistic representation of the three men that incorporates their differing opinions

Students will have access to computers as well as a variety of art supplies

Phase 4: Develop and present artifacts and exhibits:

Day 3

Each group of students is given approximately 5 minutes to present their project to the
class
While each group is presenting, students will be taking notes. Notes will particularly
focus on whether or not their own prediction of how their assigned thinker would respond
matches that of their classmates

Phase 5: Analyze and evaluate the problem-solving process:

Final 15 minutes of Day 3 will be focused on student assessment of their own learning

As a whole class, students will discuss the following questions

o Was this a difficult process?
o Did find it difficult to formulate an argument pretending to be someone other than
yourself?
o Was it useful to include research into the mens personal lives in order to try and
figure out how they would respond to todays issues?
o Did you find that it was easy or difficult to find differences in the mens political
theories?
o Did it help your learning to have to compare the three men?
o How could I change this project in the future? What would make it more fun?
How could it be better for your learning?
o Do you think that you learned any new skills in this process?
o Why do you think I had you guys do this project?

Modifications: Students who struggle with reading and comprehending dense text will be
allowed to only use video recordings of their assigned thinkers speeches and interviews in order
to develop their public statement.

Website Evaluation Checklist

Title of the Website: _____________________________________________________
URL: ____________________________________________________
Authority
Tips: To help determine the authors expertise, look at the links: "About us," FAQ,
"Background," or "Biography.

Is it clear who the Author of the website is?

YN

Has the author provided contact information (name, email, phone

number or address)?

YN

If there is no personal author, is a publisher or institution provided along

YN
with contact information?
Does the individual or organization list all of their qualifications, or
credentials?

YN

Purpose
Tips: Looking at the URL of the site will help you determine its purpose. Judge whether
the website is geared to a scholarly or non-professional audience.

Does the website have an .edu, .org, or .gov ending in its URL?

YN

Does the website avoid trying to persuade or sell something?

YN

Is the information on the site relevant to your needs?

YN

Objectivity
Tips: Look for objective sites that present information with a minimum of bias and
without the intention to persuade. Determine the aim of the author or organization
publishing the site.

Does the website avoid advertising that may be a conflict of interest

with the content?

YN

If an issue is covered, are both sides presented?

YN

Do you trust the author or organization that has created the website?

YN

Accuracy
Tips: Since anyone can publish a website you need to be able to identify the author and
access contact information. Make sure that the information in the website is accurate
and verifiable.

Based on the reading you have already done on the subject, does the
information on the site seem accurate?

YN

Is factual information referenced in footnotes or a bibliography?

YN

Are there few grammar and spelling mistakes?

YN

If there are links to other pages, are they to reliable sources?

YN

Currency

Tips: Keep in mind that factual or statistical information that is not dated is no better
than anonymous information. Check the top or bottom of a web page to look for the
creation date or revision date.

Is the date the site was created provided?

YN

Is there a date that shows when the site has last been updated?

YN

Does the site contain broken links?

YN

Evaluation Summary:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Source: http://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/cms/lib3/GA01000373/Centricity/Domain/1962/Website%20Evaluation
%20Rubric.pdf