African American college students: Classroom activity

In this lesson plan, students will read a primary source document about African American college
students in 1906 and answer a series of questions as they assume the role of a young African American
woman in the early 20th century.

A lesson plan for grades 8–12 Social Studies

BY JAMIE LATHAN

Learn more

 African American college students, 1906Records of pupils at the North Carolina Colored State
Normal Schools (now Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and
Elizabeth City State University), 1906, with information about parents' occupations and how
students paid their expenses. Includes historical commentary.

RELATED PAGES

 The Colored State Normal Schools: Excerpt from the catalog of the North Carolina Colored State
Normal Schools (now Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and
Elizabeth City State University), 1906. Includes historical commentary.

 African American college students, 1906: Records of pupils at the North Carolina Colored State
Normal Schools (now Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and
Elizabeth City State University), 1906, with information about parents' occupations and how
students paid their expenses. Includes historical commentary.

 Charlotte Hawkins Brown: Charlotte Hawkins Brown (1883–1961) founded the Palmer Memorial
Institute, a school for African Americans, and devoted her life to the improvement of the African
American community's social standing.

RELATED TOPICS

 Learn more about African Americans, North Carolina, education, and history.

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Learning outcomes

Students will know some of the common characteristics of African American college students in 1906.

Teacher planning

MATERIALS NEEDED

Student computers with internet access to access the web page used in the activities. Alternatively, the
page could be projected for the class or printed copies may be used.

TIME REQUIRED

One class period

Activities

1. Have students read the page “African American college students” in the North Carolina digital
history textbook.

2. Assign students the role of an 18-year old African American woman in North Carolina in 1906.
Have the students look at the chart on the “African American college students” page and answer
the following questions:

o What job do your parents have if they have the most common job for African Americans
in North Carolina in 1906? (Answer: Farmers)

o You have to pay all of your expenses for college. How many other girls have to do the
same in 1906? How many boys have to pay for all of the expenses for college? What do
you think accounts for the difference? (Answer: 30 girls have to pay their own way
through college. 20 boys have to pay their way through college. Students could
possibly argue that in 1906 male education was valued more than female education.)

o How many girls attending college in 1906 had their parents pay all of their expenses for
college? How many boys had their parents pay all of their expenses for college? What
do you think accounts for the difference? (Answer: Zero girls had their parents pay
their expenses. 9 boys had their parents pay all of their expenses for college. The
difference could be that parents valued educating their sons more than educating
 their daughters in 1906. Students could talk about the male-dominated society of the
early 20th century.)

3. Have students read about Emily O. Piland, Rosia Toomer, and Mamie Clark in the section of the
page with the heading “Some self-supporting students 1905-’06.”

4. Ask the students to make up a name for the African American female student whose role
they’ve assumed and write a one-paragraph story of her life in the model of Emily O. Piland,
Rosia Toomer, and Mamie Clark. The story should be based on the answers from the questions
above.

Assessment

Assess by the following rubric.

Student answered all of the questions correctly and wrote a paragraph about the 18-year old
√+
African American woman.

Student answered some of the questions correctly and wrote a paragraph about the 18-year old
√
African American woman.

√- Student answered none of the questions.

 North Carolina Essential Standards

o SOCIAL STUDIES (2010)

 Grade 8

 8.H.1 Apply historical thinking to understand the creation and

development of North Carolina and the United States. 8.H.1.1 Construct
charts, graphs, and historical narratives to explain particular events or
issues. 8.H.1.2 Summarize the literal meaning of...

 United States History II

 USH.H.1 Apply the four interconnected dimensions of historical thinking

to the United States History Essential Standards in order to understand
the creation and development of the United States over time. USH.H.1.1
Use Chronological thinking to: Identify the...

North Carolina curriculum alignment

SOCIAL STUDIES (2003)

Grade 11–12 — African American History

  Goal 5: The learner will examine the rise of Jim Crow and its effects on the life experiences of
African Americans in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

o Objective 5.01: Assess the economic impact of Jim Crow laws on African Americans.

Grade 11–12 — United States History

 Goal 7: The Progressive Movement in the United States (1890-1914) -The learner will analyze
the economic, political, and social reforms of the Progressive Period.

o Objective 7.03: Evaluate the effects of racial segregation on different regions and
segments of the United States' society.

Grade 8

 Goal 5: The learner will evaluate the impact of political, economic, social, and technological
changes on life in North Carolina from 1870 to 1930.

o Objective 5.02: Examine the changing role of educational, religious, and social
institutions in the state and analyze their impact.