Abolition of Slavery

1. Abolition of Slavery Curriculum Unit Design Presented By: Heather cain and Sam Funnell

2. Context We decided to focus on slavery and the abolition of slavery. Our designed curriculum is intended for a 5th grade, Hartford classroom over a 5-day span. We are basing our curriculum off of having 90 minute classes. Our main objective is to teach the students about a historical and pivotal event in history, as well as allowing the students to make personal connections with a historical event. Our unit encompasses a multi-intelligence type of structure that will allow for students with differing learning styles to succeed. Our curriculum unit is designed to allow the students to develop a deeper understanding of history while interpreting it to make connections within their own lives.

3. Teaching goal: Multi-intelligence environment • Our main objective is to create a multi-intelligence environment based off of the theory of Howard Gardner • This will give each student a chance to understand the material and excel. • Instead of focusing on strictly lectures, individual assignments and evaluations; we intend to incorporate different teaching techniques that can apply to different types of learners. • Personal Journals-allow students to freely express their opinions • *Field Trip-Students can visually see & experience the content to get a better understanding • *Debate-Verbally expressing their knowledge • *Active Role Play-A hands-on activity • Group Discussions-Being able to communicate personal experiences to make connections and deepen their understanding

4. Multi-intelligences

5. Teaching goal: multicultural environment • Hartford Public Schools are made up of 93.8% minorities (Metro Hartford School District Enrollment 2007-2008 ) • We wanted to integrate a culture that the students can relate to • James Banks says that “students learn best and are more highly motivated when the school curriculum reflects their cultures, experiences, and perspectives.” (Page 243, Approaches to Multicultural Curriculum) • This will avoid student alienation and encourage students to dive into a topic they can relate to and apply to their every day lives

6. Multicultural

7. Learning objectives • Students will be able to describe, discuss, & comprehend the significance of a critical turning point in history, including its notoriety of racism and inequality • Students will be able to identify and analyzea significant a historical event and apply, compareand contrast its characteristics to their personal experiences • Students will be able to compare and contrast different perspectives of a historical event • Students will be able to argue and defendvarious historical perspectives as they relate to a historical event and judgetheir merits • Students will be able to create solutions and apply them to society

9. Day 1 • The topic of slavery will be introduced to the students • Students will have a brief writing assignment about what they know about slavery and any thoughts they might have about it. • We will discuss with students what they know about slavery fostered by questions from the teacher • Students will watch parts of a movie to deepen their understanding of the new topic-Unchained Memories: Reading From The Slave Narratives • Students will be asked to keep a journal for homework and write in it every class in the perspective of a slave • This will target the learning objectives: • Students will develop a comprehension of the historical event • Students will be able to discuss and describe a historical event

10. Day 2 • Students will be introduced to some people who tried to combat slavery by visiting the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center • We will attend the school program entitled, Inspiration To Action. • This will target the learning objective: • Students will be able to analyze, compare and contrast different perspectives of a historical event • Students will identify & analyze a pivotal aspect of a historical event

11. *Day 3 • Students will be introduced to another abolitionist, Harriet Tubman, through a short power point • Students will participate in a role-playing game to understand the different motives, interests, hopes and fears through each perspective • This will target the learning objective: • Students will be able to identify & analyze the historical event through different perspectives • Students will be able to compare and contrast the different perspectives

12. Day 4 • Students will be asked to talk about what they know about racism/race inequalities through an open discussion • Students will participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners/groups about personal experiences relating to inequalities • Students will be asked to write a list of ideas to help society take greater leaps toward equality • We will discuss the viewpoints of people on both sides of the issue of slavery and explain some of the reasoning for these differing opinions. • This will target the learning objective: • Students will be able to identify and analyze, significant historical events and apply and compare and contrast them to their personal experiences. • Students will be able to create & organize a list of ideas and apply them to the greater society

13. *Day 5 • We will do a debate about slavery through various perspectives (Students will be assigned to argue either on the the behalf of white slave owners, slaves, or pro-abolition northerners) • Students will be asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the unit through writing a letter to the President, as if they were living in the US before the 13th amendment, from the perspective they were assigned for the debate • This will target the learning objective: • Students will be able to argue and defend a historical event through several perspectives and judge its merits • Students will be able to defend their knowledge with clarity and voice

14. Evaluation • In order to evaluate the learning of the students over the course of this unit, we will compare writing assignments from the first day as well as the last day. • We will be looking for them to display improved overall knowledge of the subject as well as the ability to articulate and argue a viewpoint that they may or may not agree with.

15. Resources • Movie- Unchained Memories: Reading From The Slave Narrative • Harriet Beecher Stowe Center • Journals