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Jeremie Smith


10th and 11th GradeAmerican History

  


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1.Ê What were the motivations for multitudes of individual African-Americans to go north, a
historical pattern later called ³The Great Migration´
2.Ê How can we examine and analyze historical documents to better understand history and
to create an argumentative essay that explains a historical event?





18.B.5Use methodsof social scienceinquiry (posequestions, collect andanalyze data, makeand
supportconclusions withevidence, reportfindings) to study thedevelopment andfunctions of
socialsystems and reportconclusions to a largeraudience.

16.A.4aAnalyze and report historical events to determine cause-and-effect relationships.

16.D.4a (US)Describe the immediate and long-range social impacts of slavery.


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1.Ê The Great Migration -A Document Based Essay Project (Photocopied Packets for
students, Accommodated Packets for Special Needs students, and a digital copy for use
with Digital Projector.

2.Ê Digital Projector

Day 1: Introduce Project


!Ask students to write a 2-3 sentence journal entry (journals are a recurring assignment in the
4- class and are checked bi-weekly) answering the question:
5minutes `Ê What have you learned about how large-scale Migrations of people have impacted American History?




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5 `Ê Handout copies ³The Great Migration -A Document Based Essay Project´ packets to each student.
minutes `Ê Have the Overhead Projector displaying the first page of the packet.
`Ê Describe the lesson by reviewing the directions for the project (found on the first page of the packet).
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40-45 `Ê Ask the Students to read the Introductory Essay. (10 minutes)
minutes `Ê Briefly introduce the 19 Documents using the Overhead Projector. (25-30 minutes)
`Ê Explain to students that they will have two days to examine the documents carefully.

Day 2: Clarifying Questions

4-5 minutes 
! Ask students if they have any questions or comments regarding Day 1¶s Presentation or
Journal Assignment.
40-45 


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minutes `Ê Explain expectations for answering the Document Clarifying Questions.
`Ê Students can choose to work in small groups or individually but every student will be expected to write
complete sentence answers for each question.
`Ê Teacher will circle the room checking student progress and ensuring that all students are engaged and
understand the lesson requirements.

Day 3: Clarifying Questions (Continued)

4-5 minutes 
! Ask students if they have any questions or comments regarding Day 2¶s Clarifying
Questions Assignment.
40-45 


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minutes `Ê ·eview expectations for answering the Document Clarifying Questions and that they are due at the end
class.
`Ê Students can choose to work in small groups or individually but every student will be expected to turn
in complete sentence answers for each question.
`Ê Teacher will circle the room checking student progress and ensuring that all students are engaged and
understand the lesson requirements.

2 minutes =


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`Ê Collect Document Clarifying Questions.

Day 4: ·ough Draft of Essay

4-5 minutes 
!Ask students what experiences they have with writing Argumentative Essays.Discuss the
importance in improving writing skills for communicating ideas and success in further education and many
other spheres of life.
40-45 


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minutes `Ê Explain expectations for Document Based Essay, students should have a working rough draft ready
for peer review the following day.
`Ê Provide some suggestions for organizing essay, while explaining that they are not limited to any
suggested strategies of organizing and writing. The most important point is to demonstrate some
understanding of the topic while using the resources provided and other sources to answer the essay
question.

`Ê Teacher will circle the room, meeting with individual students to help with basics of essay writing and
choosing appropriate resources for the argument they want to make.
 Day 5 ± Peer ·eview
4-5 minutes 
!Ask students why a Peer ·eview Day has been included as part of the project and discuss
how peer editing can help with grammar and organization.
35-40 


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minutes `Ê Explain expectations for Peer ·eview Assignment. Each student choose a Peer review partner and
will be required to turn in a copy of suggestions they provided to their partners.
`Ê Teacher will circle the room checking student progress and ensuring that all students are engaged and
understand the Peer ·eview requirements.

5 minutes =


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`Ê Explain that the Final Document Based Essay will be due on Monday. Allow time for students to ask
questions regarding the assignment.

Day 6 ± Essay Writing

4-5 minutes 
!Ask students if the Peer ·eview was helpful and if there are any further questions regarding
the essay assignment.
45 minutes 


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`Ê ·e-explain expectations for Essay Assignment.
`Ê Teacher will circle the room checking student progress and ensuring that all students are engaged and
fully understand the Essay requirements.

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 This Document Based Question will introduce students to the key factors that
contributed to The Great Migration. In addition, by allowing students to engage with historical
documents, critical thinking and analytical skills will be developed. The Introductory Essay
provides a well-constructed example of an essay that summarizes key points. The Clarifying
Questions help students gain experience examining documents with the goal of synthesizing
multiple documents to gain a comprehensive understanding of a complex historical event.
Another benefit of focusing on Primary Source Documents is that, unlike textbooks, voices and
experiences of individuals will be integrated into an understanding of historical trends that
changed the lives of large segments of population. By providing structured time for Peer
·eviews, this project contributes to students gaining experience in editing and evaluating
historically themed essays, a critical skill of historical inquiry.