Reviewing Available Lesson Plans

I am very excited to incorporate some of the materials and lesson plan ideas from Lift Ev'ry Voice. Lesson One is particularly rich in primary and secondary sources I can use in my review unit. It has been years since I have read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I would like to expose students to it. After all, this is an important work of literature (America's first best-seller).

In contrast to Uncle Tom's Cabin, which is a secondary account of life as a slave written by a white woman, slave narratives are a primary source. In the past, I've used Frederick Douglass in my English class. Now as a history teacher, I will incorporate the excerpt from Solomon Northrup. I will also ask students what they know about the day to day life of slaves (stressing that there was not just one typical slave existence).

I looked for voice threads I could use that featured photos/illustrations of slaves. I did not find one that knocked me off my feet, so I think i will create one. This will allow me to incorporate more primary sources into my lesson plans.

Learning New Content/New Angles on Familiar Content

This week has been an excellent review of material for me. Though I was a history major in college, I have spent the past five years teaching high school English. This fall marks my first foray into teaching social studies, specifically Modern American History. Discussing such topics as abolitionism, temperance, women's rights, and the Great Awakening has refreshed my mind about the Antebellum era.



The major political events of this period--Missouri Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Decision, Fugitive Slave Act-- are things I haven't thought about in a long time. Thinking about them in the context of teaching has been useful.



Because I teach Modern American History (focusing predominantly on 20th century U.S. history), I will spend little time on the Antebellum era. Instead, I plan to design 3-4 lessons that will serve as a review of major reform figures and movements. I will use these as a lead-up to a review of the Civil War and Reconstruction.