| Bell Ringer | Watch the video Black Panther Party Revisited. After the video, ask students to discuss connections they have heard in the news to this video. | 7 min. 5 min. | Turn on the Closed Captions for students who may need assistance with English language. This can also be assigned to students to view outside of school so they can watch it, stop and restart as necessary. |
| Teacher | Ask students to read the two articles from 1968 in Davenport, Ia. This can be done on paper or through google docs. The google docs provided include questions to guide students comprehension and analysis. Present the following discussion question (write on the board, post on google doc, write on smartboard, or print them out onto a piece of paper for students to take reading notes): what did you find the most surprising about the article? Ask the students to consider the viewpoints of the black students and the administration. Are they coming from different experiences? Ask students to predict what will happen after the administration and the black student organization met. Which source appears to be more reliable? Negros at Central Discuss Protests Davenport Central In Trouble | 5 min. | The two articles are primary source documents. If needed they can be translated using google translate for ELL students. Some students may benefit from listening to someone read the document aloud while they follow along. |
| Students | Students read the articles and answer the questions. On a large index card or half a sheet of paper, have the students write their responses to the discussion questions. | 10 min. 5 min. | Depending on your students this amount of reading time and reflection time may not be enough. The comprehension and analysis questions on the readings can be used for discussion as well. |
| Transition | Students can talk with a partner or a small group to share their reactions to the readings. | 3 min. | Consider mixing your groups so students listen to different perspectives. |
| Teacher | Ask the students to share out what their groups discussed using the discussion questions suggested. | 7 min. | It is always helpful when groups discuss topics to call on a student and ask them to share a group member’s thoughts, not their own. This way the students need to really listen to one another. Also, it allow for further questioning. If working with a smaller class, have them sit in a circle and share their ideas as a group. |
| Transition | Tell the students that tomorrow we will read two controversial articles that were published on the same day in 1970. | 3 min. | If you have students who need more time to discuss, let them know that tomorrow you will begin class with a snapshot of today's class. |
| Closure | Ask students to write on their notecards, papers, or documents “What else are you wondering about in this scenario?” | 5 min. | Collect these as an exit ticket to check for understanding, comprehension, and their analysis |
| | DAY 2 | | |
| Bell Ringer | Ask the students what “inflammatory language” means? Write down the various responses they share. Provided to the students or have one of the students google the meaning of the term “inflammatory”. Write the answer on the board. | 5 min. | Students can write the answer using Pear Deck, on a piece of paper, or by sharing out. |
| Teacher | Today we are going to start class by reading two different articles that have inflammatory language. Each author uses a different language to make their argument. We are going to analyze the language used. Ask the students to use a highlighter pen or use a digital highlighter on their chromebook to highlight the words or phrases that they find inflammatory. Article With No Title Black Student’s Union | 5 min. | Some students may benefit from either translating these using google translate or reading these aloud. I would warn that these articles have some highly offensive language in them. Some students may not feel comfortable reading them aloud. Another option is to consider sharing the documents with students via google docs. After the students have done their own highlighting, have them compare their highlighted text. They can discuss which words they highlighted or did not highlight. You can then assign each group a different section of either text to highlight on a common shared document. They can share with the class why they chose those words and phrases. This is an excellent way for students to speak in front of their peers. |
| Student | Students spend time reading the two articles and highlighting the inflammatory language. | 10 min. | |
| Transition | Ask the students the following: Did you find one article more inflammatory than the other? Did the lack of an author affect your opinion of the article or the writer? | 3 min. | |
| Students | Students should have some time to discuss their thoughts and reflections of the articles | 10 min. | Using the inflammatory language discussion and the discussion questions on the readings, ask the students to reflect on their reactions to the articles. |
| Teacher | Ask the students to make predictions of how they think the following groups will react to these articles: black students, white students, administration, newspaper staff. Tell the students that tomorrow they will read the reactions to the two articles in the The Blackhawk student newspapers and test their predictions. | 5 min. | These directions can be shared on the whiteboard or smartboard. Or students can be instructed to divide a piece of paper into four sections or four boxes and list their predictions for each group. |
| Closure | Make some predictions about the results these two articles will have on the students at Davenport Central. Consider how the following groups will react: black students, white students, administration, newspaper staff | 10 min. | Students can work independently writing out their own predictions. Or students can work in small groups and consider the viewpoint of one of the groups (black students, white students, administration, and newspaper staff). These can be shared by each group creating a google slide in a shared presentation. Then each group can present their predictions. |
| | DAY 3 | | |
| Bell Ringer | Today we are going to test your predictions from yesterday. Using the four corners of the room and the signs in each corner, move to the corner of the room of the group you think will be most upset with the articles that were read yesterday. | 5 min. | Print off or write out a sign with each group from the day before: black students, white students, administration, newspaper staff. Take each sign in a different corner of the room. When the students group themselves based on their predictions, ask a student to share out one reason why they picked that group. |
| Teacher | Today we are going to examine the various articles that were published in the newspaper for the next two editions. Some of these are editorials, letters to the editors, interviews, and stories. Our job today is to analyze a variety of these sources for bias, accuracy, and to assess the arguments presented. Articles to use: "BSU Not a Solution”-March 26, 1970 “Humanism”-March 26, 1970 What the Heck?-March 26, 1970 Ten-Point Program Ignites Response-March 26, 1970 “Peace and Freedom Party: Panthers SDS,-CHS” -March 26, 1970 “Black Student Union: Not Racist?” Interviews-April 24, 1970 “Panthers Attract Young Blacks”-April 24, 1970 “Races Come Together”-April 24, 1970 “Violence Foreseen”-April 24, 1970 | 5 min. | This lesson outlines how to use these articles in a gallery walk. Print off each article and display them throughout the room. The students will move through the room and to the stations. Consider creating a “station card” that the students complete. These should include space for them to write the following information: title, author, type of article, summary, and bias present. (I like to use cards as they will use these to organize their arguments in the final assessment, |
| Student | Students will move around the room to different stations. They should read the article at each station. They can take notes or complete the station cards as described above. | 35 min. | |
| Closing | Exit Ticket: Complete the google form/exit ticket Which article had the strongest argument? Which article relied on inflammatory language. Which article had the most persuasive article? | 3 min. | Complete an exit ticket: Consider using a google form |
| | DAY 4 | | |
| Bell Ringer | After reading all the different reactions to the news articles, which one did you think was the most helpful in understanding the issue of race at Central High School? | 5 min. | Allow students a few minutes to review the notes they took the day before in the gallery walk. Some students my benefit from seeing the articles again or talking through their notes with other students. |
| Teacher | This mini unit has been focused on trying to discover what was happening at Central High School. Now that you have read several primary sources, you will develop an argumentative essay that explains “How did race influence the events at Central High School in the early 70s?” Let’s look at our essential lesson questions: How are the protests by groups such as #BLM connected to the protests of the late 1960s? How was race viewed in the late 1960s in a Davenport, Iowa high school? How was the demand for a Black Student Union viewed by high school students in Davenport, Iowa? How did students share their views in high school in the late 1960s? How do students share their views today? Let’s start the class by creating a chart with each of these questions and see if we can list the supporting documents. On the board create four different columns and ask students to mention the stories they read that would be related to that topic. | 15 min. | If you don’t want to do the column chart as a large group, you can break the class into small groups and assign a group one of the questions. That group will discuss the question and connect the stories that they read. They are seeking stories that would support a writer's ability to answer the question. Still some other students may need more direction. In those cases, assign the group the question and the articles and ask the students to analyze the articles to find evidence they could use in their arguments. |
| Student | Give each student a large notecard (4x6) and ask them to put their name on the card. They are then to select the writing prompt and create a list of the articles they want to use to support their argument. | 10 min. | Some students again, may need some more supports. You could create cards that have the questions on them and list the articles they could use to answer the question. This would be a much more guided way to support the students. |
| Transition | Now that you have chosen your question and articles, consider what your thesis statement will be. Ask: How do we define a thesis statement and what is its function? | 3 min. | Some students may need a review of what a thesis statement is. Scribbr offers some great tips you might share or post for your students. |
| Teacher | Examine the writing prompt and take a few moments to formulate a thesis statement for your essay | 4 min. | Some students may need some more support during this time. Walk around the room and check on their progress. |
| Student | Students will work on the thesis statement writing it on their cards. When they are done they can turn in the cards to be reviewed by the teacher. Turn in your cards to a basket or pass them forward | 10 min. | Some students may need more support. A few helpful questions to ask are: What is the main idea the essay is going to argue? What articles would be used to support this? What points are made in the article that support the main idea of your argument? |
| Closure | Tomorrow the cards will be returned and students will work on writing their essays. Upon return of the cards allow students a few days outside of class to write their essays. If time allows, students could write their essay in class as well. | 10 min. | Some students may need to have a personal conference to go over their cards. Another option is to allow the students to do a peer review of their essays. Here are a few helpful websites to help students do peer review. Guidelines for Student Peer Review Peer Review Checklist |
