BLACK HISTORY

THEMATIC UNIT
TE 803 Alissa Gatewood
 Social Studies Goals
 1. Students will explore the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and be
able to explain why slaves would want the rights of citizenship

 2. Students will gain an introductory level of knowledge about Free vs.

Slave states and how the movement of African Americans to the north
began through the Underground Railroad

 3. Students will become familiar with one specific, influential, African

American from the past or present and conduct in-depth research on that
person, with a presentation or product display as an end result (As well as
give a parent presentation in the school play, “I Am Somebody”)

 4. Students will gain insights about other influential African American

people, and events by observing their peers research presentations and or
products, as well as teacher lead mini-lessons on especially
interesting/influential individuals and events
Culminating Activities

School Play Field Trip

 Students will  To enrich the students

knowledge of the
present their events in African
learning about a American History, our
specific influential class will take a field
African American by trip to see the play,
Black Journey
playing that person
in our class play, “I
Am Somebody”
Student Participation

Here are  Independent study projects on specific

some of the influential African Americans
main
activities  Whole group lessons, mini-lessons,
that students and interest centers about African
will
participate
American history, events and people
in during the  Attend the play Black Journey and act
unit
in the school play, “I Am Somebody”
 Compile a class timeline that includes
major events and people in African
American History, for a hallway display
Resources
 “In Our Own Image; An African American History,” by The People’s
Publishing Group, Inc. (my teacher has a class set)
 Map of the world (that shows the stretch from Africa to the US)
 Various websites for exploration and research, class computers,
as well as the full class set of laptops for a few research days
 “African American History for Dummies,” by Ronda Racha Penrice
(for teacher- quick references)
 Harriet Tubman’s Reader’s Theater from Scholastic Online (copies
for the class)
 Various picture books for read alouds
 Various non-fiction, grade level text, for research and exploration
 Large banner paper for hallway timeline as well as printed labels
for years, glue and white paper for students to write key
information
Assessment

Informally Formally

 I will assess students’  Independent study research

prior knowledge and sheets, progress reports
understandings and final products
through a K-W-L chart  Various worksheets
and discussion about  web-quest worksheets
the chart
 Reflective Literacy
 Frequent Discussions
 written pieces, drawings
 Including a fishbowl and explanations, poems
discussion and Q&A
sessions or song writing,
movement activities
A Glimpse into the Unit
 A Basic Introduction
Here are just
 K-W-L chart and discussion
a few of the
 Introduction to African history and the beginning of
lessons that African slavery
students will
 Fishbowl Discussion
participate in
during the  “Why is freedom so important? Why would slaves want
to be free?”
unit
 Harriet Tubman’s Reader’s Theater
 An authentic way to review the Underground Railroad
and Harriet Tubman
 Learning Centers for Independent Study
 Focus centers on the Underground Railroad, Civil War,
Segregation and Civil Rights, famous African
Americans, and an overall look at African American
History