1
10
9
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will describe the tensions and conflicts caused by the entry of African American workers into the industrial workforce during World War II.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will analyze government efforts to address racial tensions during World War II.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will interpret a poem about African-American perspectives of World War II. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
1073, 1216, 774, 1453
Historical Context
The overwhelming need for workers during World War II meant that factories were, for the first time, willing to hire black workers in skilled and high-paying jobs. Industrial jobs motivated African Americans to move in search of economic opportunity: thousands moved out of the rural South into urban areas to work in shipyards, ammunition factories, or aircraft plants. However, their new white co-workers and neighbors resented the change in the status of Jim Crow. Black migrants encountered prejudice, discrimination and sometimes violence. Such tensions spilled over into race riots throughout 1943, including one in Beaumont, Texas in which nearly 4,000 white citizens terrorized Beaumont's black neighborhoods. Black businesses and homes were pillaged and destroyed, over fifty people sustained injuries, and at least three people-one white, two black-were killed in the violence.
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Handout Beaumont photograph without description (showing title and source only) with focus questions on back. Have students work independently or in groups to analyze the photograph and answer the questions. </p>
<div>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Have students share out what they observed and what hypotheses they have about what's going on in the photo. Then hand out (or show) the Beaumont photo with the description.</p>
<div>
<ul>
<li>
<p>How does the description further expand the story of what's happening in the photo? </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Can students explain how this photo shows cause (segregation patterns among black and white workers led to racial tensions and violence) and effect (the black workers, though segregated, were able to get jobs because of the high demand for wartime workers)?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Pass out the "United We Win" poster, the poem "Beaumont to Detroit, 1943," and the analysis worksheets. Have students work independently or in groups to answer the questions. When students are finished, have them share their responses. Lead students in discussion of the causes and effects of race riots during World War II. </p>
</div>
</div>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
African American Workers: Conflict on the Homefront
Description
An account of the resource
In this lesson students analyze a propaganda poster, a photograph, and a poem to understand the tensions unleashed by the entry of African Americans into the industrial workforce during World War II.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2010.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license"><img style="border-width: 0;" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2010
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Work
Interdisciplinary
Lessons in Looking
Literature in the History Classroom
Riots
World War II
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will analyze two descriptions of the lives of enslaved women. Â </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will describe how slavery affected women differently than men. Â </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will create a dialogue between an enslaved woman and a slaveowner. Â </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
712
Historical Context
The institution of slavery permeated every aspect of American society before the Civil War, and it impacted the lives of women regardless of race or economic status. Defenders of slavery justified the institution on the grounds that there were innate racial differences between blacks and whites. These racial prejudices also helped define gender identities during the antebellum era. Slavery attached different sexual behaviors and traits to white and black women, which were then used as the basis for separate roles for white and black women in both the private and public spheres. Laws and social practices held that white women were fragile, moral, and sexually innocent, while black women were viewed as laborers and over-sexed beings. In the intimate setting of the household, such inequalities ensured that relations between white and black women were fraught with distrust, jealousy, and rage. Plantation mistresses were often well aware that the men in their lives took advantage of black enslaved women sexually; enslaved women could not escape white men's sexual attentions and rape was common. Many white slave mistresses used their "higher" racial standing to take out their frustrations about their confined role in society and their menfolk's infidelities, on black women. Black women had to cope with the unpredictable actions of both the master and mistress.
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Divide students into small groups. Â Have students read Sections V and VI ("Trials of Girlhood" and "Jealous Mistress") from Harriet Jacobs' <em>Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl</em>. Â Ask students to free write their general impressions, including any aspects of the reading that surprised them.</p>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Have students read aloud and discuss the brief excerpts from Harriet Jacobs and Mary Boykin Chestnut ("A Plantation Mistress Decries 'A Monstrous System'"). Â In discussion, students should address the following questions:</p>
<div>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Does Jacobs, a formerly enslaved woman, see enslaved women as victims or perpetrators?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>How does Chestnut, a plantation mistress, see enslaved women?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Ask each student to imagine and write a dialogue between Harriet Jacobs and Mary Chestnut. Â </p>
</div>
<p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Based on their written dialogues and a careful study of the readings, ask students to assess gender roles and moral and sexual attitudes under slavery. In their groups, students should address the following:</p>
<div>
<ul>
<li>
<p>How did sexual or moral attitudes differ for whites and blacks during slavery?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Jacobs and Chestnut believe that oppression differs for women and men under slavery. Do you agree? Â </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Why do you think the authors wrote these passages? Â Who do you think were the audiences for these writings? Â </p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>As students listen to their group members, they should make a list of common points of view and areas of difference between Jacobs and Chestnut. Â Then ask groups to reconvene and as an entire class, discuss the differences and similarities between the two women's views. Â </p>
</div>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Gender, Sex, and Slavery
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Description
An account of the resource
In this activity students read about slavery's effect on women from the perspectives of an enslaved woman and a plantation mistress. Then students create a dialogue between the two women.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2008.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Antebellum America (1816-1860)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Slavery and Abolition
Gender and Sexuality
Harriet Jacobs
Interdisciplinary
Making Connections
Other Teaching Activity
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will analyze the poem "The White Man's Burden" and poems written in response to it. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will be able to describe different arguments, for and against, United States imperialism.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will weigh the strengths and weaknesses of several poems as works of art, political commentary and historical evidence. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
747, 749, 748, 751, 750, 505, 1468, 1503
Historical Context
<p>Debate over U.S. imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century occurred not only in newspapers and political speeches, but in poetry as well. In 1899 the British novelist and poet Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem "The White Man's Burden," which urged the U.S. to take up the "burden" of empire, as had Britain and other European nations. Theodore Roosevelt, soon to become vice-president and then president, copied the poem and sent it to his hand, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, commenting that it was "rather poor poetry, but good sense from the expansion point of view." Other authors, by contrast, wrote parodies and critiques of Kipling's poem and the imperial ideology it espoused. John White's "The Black Man's Burden," Henry Lebouchère's "The Brown Man's Burden," and Howard S. Taylor's "The Poor Man's Burden" were three such parodies.</p>
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Pass out copies of the worksheet and Kipling's "The White Man's Burden" to each student. Students should individually read the poem and answer the questions in Part I of the worksheet. Then lead the students in a discussion of "The White Man's Burden," going over students' responses in Part I. </p>
<p><strong>Step 2: </strong> Divide students into small groups of 2 or 3 students. Pass out the essay "'The White Man's Burden' and Its Critics" and (optional) pages 8-9 of the <em>Savage Acts</em> viewing guide. Ask students to read the information in their groups and discuss how it enhances their understanding of the poem. The group should compose a response in Part II of the worksheet.</p>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Explain to students that Kipling's contemporaries wrote dozens of parodies and critiques of "The White Man's Burden" and the imperial ideology it espoused. Four of those poems are listed in Part III of the worksheet. Each group should choose one of the three poems from the list to investigate further. Make sure that at least one group analyzes each poem. Pass out the poems to the groups and give students time to read and answer the questions. </p>
<p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Reconvene the whole class. Ask a representative from each group to read a brief excerpt (1-4 lines) from the poem they read and share some of their findings with the whole class. Possible wrap-up discussion can include a discussion of how well the poems work as art, political commentary and/or historical commentary</p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
Art, Commentary and Evidence: Analysis of "The White Man's Burden"
Description
An account of the resource
In this activity students analyze Kipling's famous poem about imperialism and read several poems that were written in response to it. Students discuss how effective the poems are as art, political commentary, and historical evidence.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2008.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning.
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license"><img style="border-width: 0;" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Industrialization and Expansion (1877-1913)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Expansion and Imperialism
Group Work
Interdisciplinary
Literature in the History Classroom
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will be able to describe different aspects of slave life. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will be able to discern different types of text (primary, secondary, captions, citations, reading prompts) in a secondary source (or textbook). </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will select key words and phrases that are central to the meaning of the text. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will compose poems about slave life. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
1469
Historical Context
Slavery placed harsh limits on the lives of black men and women. Slaves had to do any work the master ordered. Masters were free to punish their slaves and sell them away from family and friends. Yet even within the rigid confines of slavery, African Americans struggled to assert their humanity. Through religion, music, daily resistance, and especially the family, slaves sought a measure of independence and dignity.
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Tell students that they will be reading texts and looking at images that describe different aspects of slave life. Then they will create poems about slave life. But before they read on their own (or with a partner), the class will read a short text together. </p>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Model strategies for how to read a secondary text. Pass out pages 1 and 12 from the <em>Doing As They Can</em> viewer's guide. Before reading, have students identify the different types of texts on the pages: Main text, captions, citations, check-for-understanding question, images. Review with students that different types of text convey different information. Remind them that the main text and captions are "secondary sources," meaning that they were not created during slavery. Tell students that the images are primary sources: they were created when slavery existed. The captions may include information that is not in the main text. The images help reinforce the content of the main text. </p>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Have the students read along silently as the teacher reads the passages aloud. As they read, students should underline words or phrases that they think are most central to the meaning and content of the text. The teacher may want to model this strategy by projecting the text on Smartboard or overhead and underlining as you read. </p>
<p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Now students will practice what the class just did together: reading a passage and finding the most important words or phrases that convey the meaning of the text. For this portion of the activity, students may work independently or in pairs. To each student/pair, assign one of the following sections of the viewer's guide:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>In the Beginning (pages 2-3) (May work best for higher-level students, since it has a timeline, secondary source texts, and primary source texts and images.)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>King Cotton (page 4)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Southern Society (page 5)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>From Dawn to Dusk (page 6)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Master's Time, Slaves' Time (page 7)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>"Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" (page 8)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Slave Rebellions (page 9)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Day to Day Resistance (page 10)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Let My People Go! (page 11)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>It is okay to have more than one student/pair working on each text. As the students read and underline, the teacher should circulate to help define unfamiliar vocabulary or identify different types of texts. </p>
<p><strong>Step 5:</strong> Now students will use the phrases and words they underlined to create a "found poem"--a poem that incorporates as many of the chosen key words or phrases as possible with your own words. The poem should reflect the students' ideas about the passages and the history of slavery. Suggested guidelines:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Words and phrases can be rearranged, they need not be used in the order in which they appear in the original text</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Words can suggest your point of view and an idea that might not be stressed in the original text</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Give the finished poem a title</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 6:</strong> Ask students to share their poems with the whole group. Discussion questions include:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>What statements or ideas from the readings did the poems reflect?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Were many of the key words and phrases the same? If so, compare and contrast the different ways that people used the same language.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
Exploring Slave Life Through Found Poetry
Description
An account of the resource
In this lesson students look at primary source images and read short secondary texts to understand slave life. In the activity, the teacher models and students practice differentiating between different types of text (primary, secondary, etc.) they might encounter in the social studies classroom. Students show their understanding of a passage's central concepts by selecting words and phrases to compose a "found poem" about the main ideas of the text. This lesson was designed for struggling readers and ESL/ELL students.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2008.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license"><img style="border-width: 0;" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Antebellum America (1816-1860)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Slavery and Abolition
Interdisciplinary
Literature in the History Classroom
Reading Supports
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul><li>
<p>Students will analyze poems written by immigrants to understand aspects of the Chinese experience in America.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will compose their own original poems about Chinese immigration.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
756, 1576
Historical Context
<p>In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chinese immigrants to the United States faced discrimination, harassment, violence and legal exclusion. After 1882, the nation's first laws excluding Chinese immigrants on the basis of nationality meant that all Chinese entering the United States were subject to interrogation and the possibility of being denied entrance. The Angel Island immigration center was opened in San Francisco in 1911 to help process all immigrants coming from Asia, including the Chinese. The Chinese persisted in the face of such hardship and established enclaves such as Chinatown in San Francisco. Among Chinatown's many community organizations were literacy societies; four of the poems used in this activity were published by these literary societies in 1911. One of the poems ("Imprisoned in the wooden building...") is taken from the walls of Angel Island, scratched there by a Chinese immigrant awaiting a determination on his or her fate. While Angel Island is frequently called the "Ellis Island of the West," it functioned more as a place of gatekeeping and detention and not as a place of welcome.</p>
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Note: </strong>The instructions on the worksheet have been kept to a minimum so that the teacher can adjust for his or her students' levels. Â Suggested modifications would be to assign each student one of the poems to analyze on her own, and allow the student to analyze the poem with a partner. Â Another variation would be to divide the students into small groups and have each group work on one of poems in Step 3.</p>
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Â (Optional) Ask students to share out their prior knowledge of Chinese immigration to the United States. Keep track of their responses on the board in a concept map to refer to in later discussion. Â </p>
<p><strong>Step 2: </strong>Ask students to follow along as you read the four historical understandings about Chinese immigration. Go back to the concept map on the board and decide which historical understanding each concept matches. </p>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Pass out the poems as a set. Â Ask students to find Poem 1. Â Ask a student to read the poem out loud once in English. Â If any students are fluent in Chinese, ask them to read the original Chinese out loud. Â Then, go over the questions for Poem 1 on the worksheet. Â The teacher can choose to let students answer the questions orally or write their answers on a separate piece of paper before discussing as a group. Â </p>
<p><strong>Step 4: </strong>Â Divide students in small groups (see Note, above). Â Ask each group to read through the remaining poems together, answering the questions listed in Step 3 on the worksheet. Â Students should prepare to share their responses with the whole group.</p>
<p><strong>Step 5:</strong> After students have had time to read one or more of the poems, go over their responses. Â If each group or pair is working on one poem, ask them to read the poem out loud and tell which historical understanding(s) it best matches. Â For each poem, review which words or phrases helped students make the determination about the historical understandings. Â </p>
<p><strong>Step 6:</strong> Ask students to create original poems about the Chinese immigration experience in the style of the poems they just read. Â The words on the worksheet may help them get started, but they can also use some of their own words. Â Students can write the poems in more than one language if they are able. Â </p>
<p><strong>Step 7:</strong> Ask for a few volunteers to read their poems out loud. Â Ask the class to decide which historical understanding(s) the poem reflects. Â </p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
The Poetry of Chinese Immigration
Description
An account of the resource
In this activity students read poems written by Chinese immigrants to understand the hopes of and challenges faced by Chinese immigrants during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Then students write an original poem about the Chinese immigrant experience in the U.S. This activity uses materials in both English and Spanish and includes a word bank to help ESL/ELL students create their poems.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2008.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2008
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Industrialization and Expansion (1877-1913)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Immigration and Migration
Chinese Immigration
Group Work
Interdisciplinary
Literature in the History Classroom
Reading Supports
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul><li>
<p>Students will examine poetry, lyrics and letters in order to deepen their understandings of the experiences of the Irish in the United States.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will compose original found poems using words and phrases they find in the primary documents. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
776, 765, 842, 767, 715, 717, 722
Historical Context
<p>The potato famine of the 1840s and 1850s spurred the migration of thousands of impoverished Irish to the United States. The new immigrants—rural, Catholic, and starving—settled in the poorest districts of large cities in the East, especially in New York’s Five Points neighborhood. Without formal social services or adequate skills for an industrial society, Irish immigrants struggled to establish homes and provide for their families. Meanwhile, native-born Protestants, especially those from the upper- and middle-classes, were highly suspicious and often hostile towards the immigrants. Nativists felt immigrant culture, religion, and social customs degraded “real†American society. They also feared the growth of Irish political power. These factors combined to keep Irish immigrants in low-paying and dangerous jobs. Yet, despite these deplorable conditions, Irish immigrants built a vibrant working-class community in the Five Points and other cities.</p>
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> The students should read the texts. Depending on the level of the students, the teacher may choose to give students only a subset of the documents to work with. The teacher may also choose to read aloud (or ask for volunteers to read aloud) the poems, lyrics and letters. As they read the poems, students should underline or list words or phrases that they believe are central to the meaning and content of the text.  The teacher may want to model the procedure with one document. </p>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Working independently, students should each create a found poem that incorporates as many of their chosen words and phrases as possible. The poems should reflects students' understandings about the experiences of the Irish in America. The teacher may want to discuss or project the following guidelines for found poems:</p>
<ul><li>
<p>Words and phrases can be rearranged; they need not be in the order in which they appear in the original text.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Words can suggest your point of view and an idea that might not be stressed in the original text.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If necessary, other words that do not appear in the original documents may be added.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>The authors should give their finished poems a title.</p>
</li>
</ul><p><strong>Step 3:</strong> The teacher should divide the students into small groups of 4 or 5. Group members should share their poems with each other and discuss:</p>
<div>
<ul><li>
<p>What statements or ideas from the readings did the poems reflect?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Were many of the chosen key words and phrases the same? If so, compare and contrast the ways different people used the same language.</p>
</li>
</ul><p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Each group should choose at least one poem to share with the whole class. Â </p>
</div>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
Exploring the Irish in America Through Found Poetry
Description
An account of the resource
In this lesson students read poems and letters that describe the work and lives of nineteenth-century Irish immigrants to the United States. As students read the documents, they choose words and phrases to create found poems that reflect their understandings of the Irish-American experience.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2009.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2009
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Antebellum America (1816-1860)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Immigration and Migration
Five Points
Group Work
Interdisciplinary
Irish Immigration
Literature in the History Classroom
Making Connections
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Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will examine primary source materials that address the impact of the railroad upon Indian life from different points of view.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will engage in a critical reading of an image.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will create a new illustration drawn from the perspectives of Plains Indians. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
1914, 1187, 1540, 1541, 1753
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1:</strong> Project or pass out copies of the 1872 print <em>American Progress</em>. Draw attention to the activities represented in the foreground, middle, and background of the print. As a class, discuss the following points and make notes on the board or in students' notebooks. </p>
<ul>
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<p>List the objects or people you see in the image.</p>
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<p>List adjectives that describe the emotions portrayed in the image. What seems of significance?</p>
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<p>Describe the action taking place in the image. </p>
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<p>What does the image tell us about what happened on the Great Plains? About interaction between settlers and Indians?</p>
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<p>What is the point of view of the artist? Does he view what happened on the Great Plains as good? bad? both? Explain. </p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 2:</strong> Pass out copies of "Federal Agents Offer Solutions for 'Solving the Sioux Problem'" and "Native American Warriors Describe the Threats to their Way of Life. As a class, read the documents aloud. After reading the documents, have students fill out the change taking place on the Great Plains and who was involved. What new information do the primary documents provide? How do they complement or contradict the perspective shown in "American Progress"?</p>
<p><strong>Step 3:</strong> Pass out copies of "George A. Croffut Explains The Print 'American Progress'" and read aloud together. Be sure to point out to students that the essay originally accompanied the image "American Progress." Â Ask students to look over their original observations about the print. Ask students to share whether they would change any of their observations and explain why or why not. Â </p>
<p><strong>Step 4:</strong> Divide the class into small groups. Using the text that accompanied the print written by George A. Croffut, students should discuss how, if they were Ten Bears or Sitting Bull, how they might draw an illustration of the same subject from an Indian perspective. Each group should produce a rough sketch of such an illustration. (Don't worry about artistic skill; it's the concept that's important.)</p>
<p><strong>Step 5:</strong> Have each group share out their drawings. As a class, compare and discuss illustrations. </p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
The Iron Horse vs. the Buffalo: Native American-Settler Conflict on the Great Plains
Description
An account of the resource
In this activity, students read a series of primary source documents, including the 1872 print "American Progress," that depict the social, political and cultural conflicts between settlers and Native Americans during the 19th century. Then, working in small groups, students will consider the events from the perspective of Native Americans, and create an illustration to counter George A. Crofutt's famous print of "American Progress" moving across the Great Plains.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2011.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Relation
A related resource
1514
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2011
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Industrialization and Expansion (1877-1913)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Expansion and Imperialism
Group Work
Interdisciplinary
Lessons in Looking
Making Connections
Native Americans
railroads
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Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul>
<li>
<p>Students will read an interpret texts in a variety of genres (poetry, novel, essay, interview, speech) by drawing on their experiences and their interactions with other readers.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will examine the contributions of writers. </p>
</li>
</ul>
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Note: </strong>For this activity, we recommend that students choose from among the following works of literature and poetry. Except where linked to an outside source, the works are all available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heath-Anthology-American-Literature-Vol/dp/061810920X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304090453&sr=8-1" target="_blank"><em>The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. II</em></a> (Houghton Mifflin, Fourth Edition, 2001). (Page numbers given are from Vol. II.) </p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Langston Hughes, "I, Too" (p. 1605)</p>
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<p>Rosario Morales and Aurora Levins Morales, "Ending Poem (Child of the Americas) (P. 3146)</p>
</li>
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<p>Gish Jen, "Mona in the Promised Land" (p. 2982)</p>
</li>
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<p>Paul Lawrence Dunbar, "We Wear the Mask" (p. 174)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>James Baldwin, "My Dungeon Shook: A Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation" (<a href="http://www.valdosta.edu/~cawalker/baldwin.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000000;">Link</span></a>)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Richard Rodriguez, "Hunger of Memory" (excerpt) (p. 2593)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Sherman Alexie, "Indian Education" (<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/8267735/Indian-Education" target="_blank"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="color: #000000;">Link</span></span></a>)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Jose Martí, "Our America" (p. 879)</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 1: Choosing a Piece of Literature</strong></p>
<p><strong></strong> Allow students to individually browse the literary pieces and choose ONE piece of writing on which to concentrate. After students have chosen their literature, divide students into small groups of 3-5 students. In each group, aim to have a variety of literature pieces representative, though it is okay if more than one student is reading the same work. Not all pieces of literature have to be represented in each group.</p>
<p><strong>Step 2: Analyzing the Documents</strong></p>
<p>Have students read their selected literary pieces and then write a brief reflection about the work. In their writing, students should focus on the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>What key words stand out for you? Why?</p>
</li>
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<p>What are the recurring themes?</p>
</li>
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<p>What do you feel the writer is expressing in this work?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>What literary techniques (repetition, imagery, metaphor, rhyme, subject matter, personifications, etc.) are used by the writer?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>What observations or insights do you have about the selection? </p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 3: Presenting the Literary Texts</strong></p>
<p>Have students present their selections to the members of their groups. They should share why they chose the piece they did, and share their thoughts raised in Step 2. </p>
<p>Then groups should discuss the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>What similarities or differences do you notice in the selections?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>What can we learn about race from them?</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Step 4: Creating a Literary Piece about Race</strong></p>
<p>Have each group create a found poem by selecting key words and phrases from the original texts and their writings that incorporates their understandings about race. </p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
Exploring Race Through Literature
Description
An account of the resource
Diverse literary texts provide opportunities for making connections about race and hearing multiple voices and perspectives. In this activity, students read literature and poetry from different American writers, reflecting on the meaning and experiences of race in the United States. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot reproduce the texts here, but the instructions below include anthologies and links to online sources where the texts can be printed out.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2011.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license"><img style="border-width: 0;" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc-nd/3.0/88x31.png" alt="Creative Commons License" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2011
Subject
The topic of the resource
Race and Ethnicity
Interdisciplinary
Literature in the History Classroom
Making Connections
-
Teaching Activity
Objectives
<ul><li>
<p>Students will understand how waging a "total war" altered the nature of American society.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Students will understand the effects of World War II at home.</p>
</li>
</ul>
Materials
1217, 1192, 1189, 1216, 1190, 1191, 1144, 1193, 1194, 1195, 1196, 1199, 1198, 1201, 1197, 1202, 1200, 1203, 1204, 1827
Historical Context
<p>Propaganda was one of many weapons used by many countries during World War II, and the United States was no exception. From posters to films and cartoons, the federal government used propaganda not only to buoy the spirit and patriotism of the home front, but also to promote enlistment in the military and labor force. Several government agencies were responsible for producing propaganda, with the largest being the Office of War Information (OWI), created in 1942. The OWI created posters, worked with Hollywood in producing pro-war films, wrote scripts for radio shows, and took thousands of photographs that documented the war effort. Worried by the increase in government sponsored propaganda, academics and journalists established the Institute for Propaganda Analysis. The Institute identified seven basic propaganda devices: Name-Calling, Glittering Generality, Transfer, Testimonial, Plain Folks, Card Stacking, and Band Wagon. [For more on the IPA and the seven devices, please see http://www.propagandacritic.com/] All of these devices were used during the war. In this activity, students will analyze World War II posters, examining the different techniques and themes used by the OWI and other branches of government.</p>
Lesson Plan Text
<p><strong>Step 1: Poster Analysis</strong></p>
<p>Before the lesson begins, the teacher should prepare packets of posters for each nation: United States, Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and Soviet Union. </p>
<p>Divide students into small groups of 3-4 students. Assign each group one of the four nations and pass out the packets to the appropriate groups. Each student should choose one poster from the packet to analyze, using the Poster Analysis Worksheet. </p>
<p>After individually analyzing posters, the groups should reconvene. Each group member should present their poster to their group members. After presentations, group members should discuss how they feel the posters work together: Is there a common theme? Are there common images? What aspects of the posters make them propaganda?</p>
<p><strong>Step 2: Essay Writing</strong></p>
<p>After the group discussion, students should individually write an essay about the posters. The teacher may choose one assignment from the list below or allow students to choose from among the options; the teacher may also differentiate the lesson by varying which assignment is given to each student:</p>
<p>Â </p>
<ul><li>
<p>Compare and contrast two or more posters</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Visual essay: pull together different images to tell a story; text should bridge the posters together</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Responsive essay: elaborate on the emotions (anger, sadness, pride, etc.) that the poster(s) evoke</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Historial writing: Historically contextualize the poster: Is there a particular event or person the poster refers to? What makes this a World War II poster? (Requires additional research)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Point of view writing: Pretend you are a person in the poster; what story do you want to convey?</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Fiction writing: Make up a narrative describing the events leading up to or following the scene depicted in the poster</p>
</li>
</ul><p>Â </p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning
Title
A name given to the resource
Propaganda and World War II
Description
An account of the resource
In this activity, students compare World War II propaganda posters from the United States, Great Britain, Nazi Germany, and the Soviet Union. Then students choose one of several creative or analytical writing assignments to demonstrate what they've learned.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning, 2011.
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Copyright American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
<div><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.</div>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2011
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
Group Work
Interdisciplinary
Lessons in Looking
Making Connections
World War II