african-american history grades 10-12 the ewing …

AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY GRADES 10-12

THE EWING PUBLIC SCHOOLS 1331 Lower Ferry Road

Ewing, NJ 08618

BOE Approval Date: 9/27/10 Michael Nitti Revised by: EHS Social Studies Teachers Superintendent In accordance with The Ewing Public Schools’ Policy 2230, Course Guides, this curriculum has been reviewed and found to be in compliance with all policies and all affirmative action criteria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Scope of Essential Learning:

Unit 1: The Slave Trade and Slavery (20 Days) 1 Unit 2: Abolition, The Civil War and Reconstruction (15 Days) 4 Unit 3: 1900-1920 (10 Days) 8 Unit 4: The 1920s (5 Days) 12 Unit 5: The Great Depression, The New Deal and WW II (10 Days) 16 Unit 6: The Civil Rights Movement (10 Days) 18 Unit 7: African Americans in Modern Politics and Society (10 Days) 21

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Unit 1: The Slave Trade and Slavery (20 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit will examine the origins of the Atlantic slave trade and the institution of slavery. Slavery led to political, economic and cultural changes that had lasting impacts on American history. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will be able to recognize the influence of African culture in American

culture (overarching). 2. Students will debate the impact of slavery throughout American history

(overarching). 3. Students will identify the social organization of slave society (topical). 4. Students will identify the events leading to the start of the Atlantic slave trade and

the nations involved (topical). 5. Students will recognize the methods used to ‘season’ newly-enslaved peoples

(topical). 6. Students will argue the effectiveness of slave revolts (topical). Essential Questions: 1. Was the use of violence to combat slavery justified? 2. How has slavery influenced racial issues that exist today? 3. How were slaves successful in infusing African culture throughout American

society? 4. How were slaves effective in preserving African culture in their own lives? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify the conditions slaves faced on their journey to the New World. 2. Identify major slave revolts. 3. Recognize the various treatments of slaves throughout the regions of North

America. 4. Compare and contrast the roles of men and women in slave society. 5. Explain the origins of the Atlantic Slave trade. 6. Describe the methods used to strip newly-captured slaves of their identity and

culture. Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast the experiences of slaves in the northern and southern

colonies.

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2. Analyze primary and secondary sources to describe experiences of slaves. 3. Explain the capture and sale of Africans from a slave’s perspective. 4. Propose legislation to end the slave trade. 5. Compare American slavery with modern day slavery throughout the world. Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. Essay: The middle passage was a horrifying experience for newly-captured

slaves. Describe the conditions a slave faced on the passage and discuss how these conditions impacted or possibly helped to prepare them for life as a slave. Propose legislation to end the slave trade.

2. Discussion: Is the Constitution a pro-slavery or anti-slavery document? Students will examine the language of the Constitution.

3. Debate: What is the role of violence in civil protest? 4. Discussion: The Middle Passage is described as a horrifying experience for

newly captured slaves. Describe the conditions a slave faced on the passage and discuss how these conditions impacted or prepared them for life as a slave.

5. Written analysis and debate: Examine the language of the Constitution to determine whether or not it is a pro-slavery or anti-slavery document.

Summative Assessments 1. Performance Task (GRASPS):

Goal: Students will explore the world around them to find evidence of enduring African and slave culture. Role: Students will take on the role of a historian producing a documentary. They will edit, narrate and produce their videos as part of a team. Audience: The presumed audience members are History Channel representatives looking for a concept for a new segment on African American culture. Situation: The History Channel is looking for user-submissions on YouTube. Product: Create a 10 minute documentary that includes clips from popular media, interviews of scholars and citizens, and narration.

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses Interdisciplinary Connections Language Arts, Technology, Art

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Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners)

• Gifted learners will benefit from reading David Walker’s Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World as the course transitions between this unit’s analysis of slavery and the following unit’s focus on the abolitionist movement. Students will be able to access the book through Google Books at: http://books.google.com/books?id=O7mlylpFtVYC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_slider_thumb#v=onepage&q&f=false.

• English Language Learners will be assisted by exposure to photographic libraries, using classroom resources as well as Library of Congress archives available on the internet here: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/picamer/paSlavery.html and http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/082_slave.html.

List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.2.12.D.1; 6.1.12.C.2; 6.1.12.D.2; 6.1.12.A.2 Teacher Resources Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. Iliffe, John. "The Atlantic Slave Trade." Africans: the History of a Continent.

Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995. Organization of American Historians (2010, July 12). OAH Magazine of History: A

Quarterly Magazine for Teachers of History. Retrieved September 2010, from Organization of American Historians: http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/

Technology Integration In order to complete their GRASPS performance assessment, students will need to:

• Use typing and word processing skills to develop scripts and communicate online.

• Record using electronic audio and video-recording devices.

• Edit videos and audio using Windows Movie Maker or an alternative software.

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Unit 2: Abolition, The Civil War and Reconstruction (15 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit will examine individuals and their efforts to end slavery in the United States, the role of slavery as a cause of the Civil War and the contributions of African Americans during the Civil War. This unit will also examine the Reconstruction era which presented America with the challenges of rebuilding the south and providing opportunities for African Americans to be self sufficient and assimilate into American society. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will examine the efforts to end slavery and the slave trade (topical). 2. Students will evaluate the contributions of African Americans during the Civil War

despite facing discrimination (topical). 3. Students will examine the positive and negative aspects of the Reconstruction

era (topical). 4. Students will recognize the effects of Reconstruction on race relations throughout

American history (overarching). Essential Questions: 1. Does the wellbeing of the total nation outweigh the wellbeing of individuals or

minorities? 2. How would the course of American history, regarding race relations, have been

different if Reconstruction lasted longer? 3. What is impact of legislation on the accepted norms of a society? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify major abolitionists and the methods they used. 2. Recognize the roles of African Americans in the Civil War. 3. Explain the causes of the Civil War. 4. Identify the benefits (Freedmen’s Bureau, Radical Reconstruction, black

congressmen, etc.) and drawbacks (KKK, Jim Crow Laws, Black Codes, voting etc.) of Reconstruction for African Americans.

5. Understand the current day arguments concerning the reparations issue. Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast the methods used by leading abolitionists. 2. Compare and contrast the opinions of black and white abolitionists.

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3. Analyze the Emancipation Proclamation to determine Lincoln’s role in ending slavery.

4. Analyze the Reconstruction amendments and their effectiveness in abolishing slavery and promoting equality.

5. Argue a side in an opinion essay. 6. Demonstrate the connection between sharecropping and the cycle of poverty. 7. Debate the issue of reparations. Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. Essay: Was John Brown a hero or tyrant? Did he have an impact on the freeing

of slaves? Explain. 2. Essay: Choose one abolitionist and explain the impact of that person on the

actual process of emancipation. 3. Discussion: What was the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation? 4. PowerPoint project: How did the Freedman’s Bureau, the KKK, Black Codes,

voting restrictions, black Congressmen, and the Radical Reconstruction Plan impact the path of Reconstruction?

5. Essay: Write an opinion essay on whether or not Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was an example of heroic leadership or a last resort (CPI 6.1.12.A.4.b).

6. Write a diary entry from the perspective of an African American fighting in the Union army as a former slave or a free northerner in an all-black infantry unit.

7. Read an abolitionist fiction or non-fiction (e.g., Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Life of a Slave Girl) and write an era-appropriate review of the book for a Southern newspaper.


Goal: Students will empathize with the struggles and difficulties of rebuilding the South and repairing the Union. Role: Students will take on the role of a Congressman during the Civil War (circa 1863), anticipating the end of the war and preparing a plan for the next step. Dealing with the frustrations of war, students, who will be assigned in a group of Northern Democrats, Republicans, or Radical Republicans, will represent their constituencies. Audience: Fellow members of Congress who will ultimately pass one plan to be approved/signed by the President (the teacher) who will also present his/her own plan and threaten vetoes. Situation: There are signs that the War may end soon. How will leaders of the nation redeem the South’s ‘rebellion’?

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Product: Create:

• A list of problems that caused the war.

• A list of problems caused by the war.

• A reconstruction plan that addresses all of these problems to the satisfaction of the students’ assigned political affiliation. Produce and participate in a Congressional session in which the plans are presented, debated, and voted on. Standards: 6.1.12.C.4.a, 6.1.12.D.4.c

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses Interdisciplinary Connections Language Arts, Technology Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) To extend this unit, students can use http:///www.wikispaces.com to create campaign websites for the Congress person s/he represented in the GRASPS performance assessment. The nature of the wiki is to be a collaborative space, which will be useful in accommodating the needs of English Language Learners who will be able to use the models their classmates practice in writing and captioning. List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.D.4, 6.1.12.A, 6.1.12.B.4, 6.1.12.D.4, 6.1.12.C.4. Teacher Resources "Abraham Lincoln Research Site." Information About Abraham Lincoln's Life,

Assassination, and Family. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://www.rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln2.html>.

Bogue, Allan G. The Congressman's Civil War. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989. Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. Organization of American Historians (2010, July 12). OAH Magazine of History: A

Quarterly Magazine for Teachers of History. Retrieved September 2010, from Organization of American Historians: <http://www.oah.org/pubs/magazine/>.

Nordquist, Marty, and June M. Howland. The Civil War and Reconstruction. Cleveland,

Ohio: Modern Curriculum, 1994.

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Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. New York: Random House Inc, 2003: 249-250, 358, 507.

Technology Integration

• For Formative Assessment #4 students will use PowerPoint to produce audio-visual presentations.

For the unit extension, students will be able to work collaboratively online using http://www.wikispaces.com as a means to publish their learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.

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Unit 3: 1900-1920 (10 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit will examine the roles of African Americans in the post Reconstruction era through 1920. There were many new opportunities available for African Americans yet racism and segregation were still strongly institutionalized in America. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will examine the roles of black leaders of the early 1900s (topical). 2. Students will identify the contributions of African Americans in industry, sports,

music and culture in the early 1900s and their effects on America today (overarching).

3. Students will examine the instances of racism and segregation that existed in the American south in the post Reconstruction era (topical).

4. Students will identify black organizations that developed in this time period and their impact on American society (overarching).

5. Students will explain the role of the rising African American middle class (topical). 6. Students will examine the roles and treatment of African Americans in the

Spanish American War and World War I (topical). 7. Students will examine the causes and effects of the Great Migration

(overarching). Essential Questions: 1. What are effective strategies for combating social inequalities? 2. What new opportunities did African Americans find in the early 1900s? 3. How did race based organizations use the concept of racial solidarity to meet

their goals? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify important leaders and organizations of the black community. 2. Understand the role racism and segregation played in the Exoduster movement

and the Great Migration. 3. Explain the contributions of African Americans in the Spanish American War and

WW I. 4. Identify the contributions of African American musicians (jazz, ragtime etc.) 5. Recognize the struggles and triumphs of black athletes of the early 1900s. 6. Understand the importance of new industrial inventions created by black

inventors.

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Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast DuBois’ Paris Exposition photos with Jim Crow era

photos. 2. Compare the experiences of the poor class and middle class in American

society. 3. Research the contributions of black inventors of this time period. 4. Analyze primary and secondary sources to understand the experiences of

African Americans during this time period. 5. Label a map tracing the paths of the Great Migration emigrants. 6. Propose a way to memorialize the black soldiers of WW I. Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. Compare and contrast the ideas and methods of Booker T. Washington and

W.E.B. Du Bois. 2. Using PowerPoint, create an interactive map of the United States which shows

patterns of African American migration and highlights the impact it had on cities and regions.


Goal: Students will create a chapter to be included in a standard United States History textbook that highlights the diversity of African American experience from 1900-1920. Role: Students will take on the role of a historian working for a textbook company (e.g., Prentice Hall). Audience: U.S. History students Situation: Many textbooks do not contain multiple perspectives on history, though most are now making an effort to be more holistic. These companies need a diversity of research and researchers’ opinions to determine what is most important to include in their already oversized textbooks. Product: Create a textbook layout of four pages with images, vocabulary terms, section questions, main ideas, and primary source quotations that highlight one or multiple aspects of African American life from 1900-1920. Possible topics include African Americans in the Spanish American War, music, sports, the impact of African American inventors, the Great Migration, and African American participation in World War I. Standards: 6.1.12.C.7.b., 6.1.12.A.4.d, and 6.1.12.A.5.c

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses

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Interdisciplinary Connections Language Arts, Art, Technology Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) Visual/spatial learners will benefit from the nature of the GRASPS assessment. Their learning style can also be accommodated by the use of capture motion pictures of the Spanish American War through the Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sawhtml/sawsp1.html. Speech-impaired students will be able to collaborate with classmates as they work on their major assessment by sharing their documents on Google Docs and adding comments. The rubric for the assessment should always include peer assessment for communication and collaborative effort. List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.A.5, 6.1.12.C.5, 6.1.12.A.6, 6.1.12.C.7.b., 6.1.12.A.4.d Teacher Resources: "African American Odyssey: World War I and Postwar Society (Part 1)." American

Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart7.html>.

"First World War.com - Propaganda Posters: United States of America (2)." First World

War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://www.firstworldwar.com/posters/usa2.htm>.

"Gas Attack, 1916." EyeWitness to History - history through the eyes of those who lived

it. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gas.htm>. Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. McDonald, Cher. "WWI Newspaper Assignment." Ms. McD U.S. History. N.p., 1 Sept.

2009. Web. 25 Aug. 2010. <msmcdushistory2.pbworks.com/World-War-1-Newspaper-Assignment>.


• Research using the internet to find photographs to include in their student-created spreads.

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• Utilize scanners, cameras, and photography software to create and include images they were unable to find on the internet.

Use Microsoft Publisher or an alternative software to create and edit their layouts as well as word process.

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Unit 4: The 1920s (5 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? In this unit, students will investigate the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on American culture and society. Despite growing fears of communism and ‘scientific’ evidence of ‘inferior’ races, which were prevalent in 1920s, African Americans were able to influence the cultural landscape of the United States. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will be able to identify examples of racism and discrimination that

existed in the 1920s (topical) 2. Students will recognize the achievements and contributions of blacks during the

Harlem Renaissance period and their influence today (overarching) 3. Students will recognize the roles and contributions of black leaders of the 1920s

(overarching) Essential Questions: 1. Was the Harlem Renaissance truly a ‘renaissance’ or a continuation of progress? 2. Were the 1920s a progressive decade for African Americans or did the climate of

fear overshadow black achievements? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify the individuals related to the Harlem Renaissance and their major

contributions 2. Recognize black political leaders of the 1920s. 3. Explain the reasons for the rise of the KKK and the popularity of racist social

beliefs during the 1920s. Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast the methods and beliefs of Marcus Garvey and Henry

McNeal Turner. 2. Research and present information about a Harlem Renaissance figure as if you

were that person.

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Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. Working in small groups, students will write letters to members of the House and

Senate urging their support of the 1921 anti-lynching bill. 2. Students will write poetry modeled after the styles and forms of Harlem

Renaissance poets like Langston Hughes, expressing the experiences of African Americans who moved from the South and found further discrimination in the North.

3. Draw a political cartoon from a poor, working white person’s perspective depicting ‘Northern fever’ among Southern blacks and the detriment they perceived it had on people from the North.

4. After performing independent research, create an illustrated timeline displaying key events during World War I that affected African Americans at home and abroad.

5. Debate: Was Marcus Garvey a hero or a race-baiting capitalist? 6. Prepare an audiovisual show of images and sounds that shows the breadth and

wealth of ideas put forth by African American leaders during the Harlem Renaissance.


Goal: Students will synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to highlight and display the breadth of African American experiences in the 1920s. Role: Student groups will work as a newspaper team performing the jobs of reporters, researchers, writers, photographers, editors, and political cartoonists. Audience: Students will be writing for an African American readership, modeled after the goals of racial solidarity-building publications of the time period. Situation: African Americans have been building new cultural forms that are often overlooked by the popular media. Moreover, the rise of the new KKK has had damaging effects on blacks’ sense of security and belonging to the American nation. Newspapers that circulate in African American communities offer an outlet and a record of these experiences and a forum through which to voice the total experience. Product: Create a newspaper with the following elements: 1. Title 2. Logo 3. Articles discussing:

a. The Harlem Renaissance b. A major Renaissance figure and his/her work c. The terrorism of the KKK

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d. The work of the NAACP e. The Back to Africa Movement f. Women’s suffrage and black women’s ambivalence towards the

movement g. Two other major events and/or people that interests the group

4. Photographs a. Taken from source documents, including the internet b. At least two staged photographs made by the group exclusively for

this project, to be used as visual aids for their articles 5. Two political cartoons surrounding the issues of the KKK and Marcus

Garvey’s movement Standards: 6.1.12.A.6.c, 6.1.12.A.6.b

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses Interdisciplinary Connections Art, Technology, Language Arts Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) The GRASPS performance assessment has several accommodations built into it:

• For students who have difficulty writing but who are otherwise artistically-inclined learners, the political cartooning component of the assessment will serve as both a learning activity and a test of knowledge acquired from the unit.

• Visual/spatial learners who have literacy troubles will be accommodated through the use of photographs and images and will be able to use their skills to assist their classmates in the total project.

• Linguistic learners will be given the opportunity to communicate through writing in multiple genres, including the scholarly narrative, the personal narrative, and the editorial.

• To accommodate the English Language Learner, the teacher should encourage the student to complete his/her part of the assignment in both the native tongue and English and to include both in the final product, as research encourages heritage pride as a means to creating a safe classroom environment as well as teaching English literacy through heritage language literacy (Tokuhama-Espinosa, Tracey. Living Languages: Multilingualism across the Lifespan. 1 ed. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2007.).

• List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.A.6.c, 6.1.12.A.6.b

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Teacher Resources: Du Bois, William Edghart B. "On Being Crazy." American Negro Short Stories. Ed. John

Henrik Clarke. New York: Hill and Wang, 1966. Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. Technology Integration In order to complete their GRASPS performance assessment, students will need to:

• Research using the internet to find photographs to include in their student-created spreads.


• Use Microsoft Publisher or an alternative software to create and edit their layouts as well as word process.

The teacher may also direct students to use the Read.Write.Think. Printing Press online at http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=110 or the Newspaper Clipping Generator online at http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp. These tools provide multiple outlets for students to test and revise layouts and see a full picture as they work on a more solid, complete version in Microsoft Publisher.

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Unit 5: The Great Depression, The New Deal and WW II (10 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit focuses on the opportunities and injustices African Americans faced during the Great Depression, New Deal and World War II eras. African Americans dealt with many hardships during the Great Depression, and although strides were made in desegregating the military during and after WW II, blacks were still not always given equal rights. The New Deal gave many new opportunities to African Americans but racial equality was still not a common practice in the United States. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will be able to recognize the effects of the Great Depression on African

American society (topical) 2. Students will recognize the opportunities the New Deal provided for African

Americans and their influence today (topical and overarching) 3. Students will identify the roles of African Americans in the armed forces during

World War II and how they provided more opportunities for blacks in later years (topical and overarching)

4. Students will identify the contributions of African American women in the war effort (topical)

Essential Questions: 1. How was the experience of African Americans different from other groups during

the Great Depression? 2. How does war affect the domestic social politics of a nation? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify the African American experience during the Great Depression. 2. Identify New Deal programs and their effects on the African American population. 3. Explain the roles African Americans played (and were not allowed to play) in the

armed forces during WW II. 4. Recognize African American women’s groups and their contributions during WW

II. Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast the experiences of blacks and whites during the Great

Depression. 2. Research and analyze Great Depression era primary sources. 3. Argue a side in an opinion essay.

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4. Analyze WW II era artwork. 5. Analyze primary and secondary sources to describe experiences of soldiers. Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. In small groups, create a list of pros and cons on the New Deal programs from

the perspective of poor African Americans. 2. Students will write an essay comparing and contrasting Hoover and Roosevelt

strategies to helping poor Americans/African Americans. Summative Assessments 1. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses Interdisciplinary Connections Language Arts, Mathematics and Economics Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) To accommodate students who have difficulty outlining essays (linguistic) and students who have difficulty processing a graphic organizer chart on paper, the teacher will direct all students to the Read.Write.Think. Persuasion Map as an elementary step: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/. List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.A.9.a, 6.1.12.D.9.b, 6.1.12.A.10.a, 6.1.12.B.10.a, 6.1.12.D.10.C Teacher Resources: Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. "To Move or Not to Move? Decision-Making and Sacrifice Lesson Plan." Schomburg

Center for Research in Black Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2010. <www.inmotionaame.org/education/lesson.cfm?migration=8&id=8_002LP>.

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Unit 6: The Civil Rights Movement (10 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit will examine the concentrated efforts of African Americans to shed a political and social spotlight on the issues of discrimination and segregation. The Civil Rights movement produced some of America’s most revered national leaders, and their efforts to work for racial equality and nondiscriminatory legislation have helped to shape the current race relations in America. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will identify the factors that allowed the Civil Rights movement to ‘take

off.’ (topical) 2. Students will evaluate the merit of violent versus non-violent protest (topical) 3. Students will recognize the differences between de jure segregation and de facto

segregation (topical) 4. Students will be able to assess the overall success of the civil rights movement

(topical and overarching) Essential Questions: 1. Did the Supreme Court abuse its power in the Brown v. BOE decision or does

the Court have a responsibility to mandate social justice outside of its constitutional authority?

2. What were the successes and failures of nonviolent protest during the Civil Rights movement?

3. Why was militancy deemed necessary? 4. How is the Civil Rights Act of 1964 reflective of political ambivalence to social

equality? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Classify the various Civil Rights groups. 2. Identify significant Civil Rights leaders. 3. Explain major Civil Rights legislation and court rulings. 4. Identify the major goals of the various Civil Rights movement groups. 5. Investigate the methods used by different Civil Rights groups. Acquired Skills: 1. Compare and contrast Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. 2. Map Skills – identify locations of major protests. 3. Analyze Earl Warren’s argument on desegregation of schools.

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4. Make an argument discussing the overall success or failure of the Civil Rights movement.

5. Sequence the events of the Civil Rights movement on a timeline. 6. Research Civil Rights legislation and modern Civil Rights issues. 7. Analyze primary and secondary sources to understand the experiences of

African Americans during the Civil Rights era. Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessments 1. Simulation: Take on the role of a real Civil Rights Movement leader. Create a

speech that highlights the leader’s personal feelings towards the movement. Respond to questions from the forum of other Civil Rights Leaders and engage in an open debate on what direction the movement should move.

2. Essay: Which Civil Rights movement would you join (SNCC or SCLC; violent or nonviolent protest)? Explain the benefits of the faction you would join and the negative aspects of the group you would oppose.


Goal: Write a newspaper article covering an important event of the Civil Rights Movement. Role: Students will complete the tasks of a journalist; reporting on a major Civil Rights Movement event. Audience: The school/class will read the articles in a ‘historic newspaper’. The newspaper can be posted to the school’s district website upon approval. Situation: Students will pretend these events are recent news and will report on government action, response of the people, etc. Product: The articles should include specific people, dates, chronology, quotes, legislative responses, statistics, etc.

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses Interdisciplinary Connections Literature, Technology, Sociology Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) Extension: Students will take the article completed for their GRASPS assessment and work in groups to role play and record the event represented. They will work in these groups to develop scripts for interviews with the journalist and together all group

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members will compile their videos and recordings to be played for the class as a news program. Gifted Learners will be able to complete this unit while simultaneously reading excerpts from the following advanced books: Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press, Inc., 1965. Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks. Revised edition ed. New York: Grove Press,

2007. Marable, Manning. Let Nobody Turn Us Around: An African American Anthology. 2 ed.

Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2009. List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.A.13.a, 6.1.12.A.13.b, 6.1.12.C.13.a, 6.1.12.D.13.a, 6.1.12.D.13.b Teacher Resources: Bond, Julian, Stephen Middleton, and Rose A. Mulford. Historical Case Studies: The

Civil Rights Movement. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Globe Fearon Educational Publisher, 1997.

Litwack, Leon. “White Folks: Act”. Larry Madaras ed. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on

Controversial Issues in American History, Volume II. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill (2005).

Nordquist, Marty, and June M. Howland. Voices in African American History: Civil

Rights. Cleveland, Ohio: Modern Curriculum, 1994. Rabinowitz, Howard. “Exclusion to Segregation: Southern Race Relations, 1865-1890”.

Larry Madaras ed. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American History, Volume II. Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill (2005).



Use Microsoft Publisher or alternative software to create and edit their layouts as well as word process their news articles.

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Unit 7: African Americans in Modern Politics and Society (10 Days) Why Is This Unit Important? This unit highlights the political improvements for African Americans since the Civil Rights movement. While this time period showcases several positive results of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, controversial issues such as Affirmative Action and trickle-down economics had significant effect on African-Americans, both positive and negative. Enduring Understandings: 1. Students will be able to assess the overall success of the civil rights movement

(topical and overarching) 2. Students will recognize the impact of the policies of our modern presidents on

African Americans (topical) 3. Students will recognize the important contributions of African Americans in

today’s society (overarching) Essential Questions: 1. How did the notion of blackness transform African American identity? 2. Is Affirmative Action fair? 3. Is Affirmative Action beneficial for African Americans? 4. How have the goals of the Civil Rights movement been achieved? Acquired Knowledge: 1. Identify political progress for African Americans from the 1970s to present. 2. Identify the significance of the Gary Convention. 3. Explain various presidents’ policies relating to African Americans. Acquired Skills: 1. Make an effective argument supporting or opposing Affirmative Action. 2. Analyze the Supreme Court’s argument in the Regents v. Bakke decision. 3. Give a speech supporting or opposing the Public Works Employment Act. 4. Research current events relating to African Americans. 5. Summarize articles relating to African Americans in politics and society.

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Benchmark or Major Assessments (Assignments, Quizzes, Tests, Projects, Performance Tasks) Formative Assessment 1. Essay: Debate the effectiveness of the Civil Rights Movement. 2. Debate: Is Affirmative Action fair? Summative Assessment 1. Performance Task (GRASPS):

Goal: Produce a presentation that demonstrates how life has changed for African Americans since the Civil Rights Movement. Role: Students will become social historians and produce a PowerPoint presentation, utilizing video and audio media. Audience: Elementary and/or middle school students. Situation: Students will be commemorating Black History Month. Product: Students will create a presentation (using PowerPoint) using research from historical sources, interviews from people who lived through Civil Rights Movement, audio/visual media from the time, etc. and exhibit the PowerPoint to elementary and middle school students.

2. Unit Test: Multiple choice; short answer; and long answer responses. Interdisciplinary Connections Literacy, Technology, Sociology Accommodations and Extensions (Special Ed., ELL, Gifted Learners) Extension: The classroom debate about Affirmative Action may be even more effective when students are given the opportunity to practice interpersonal and sociological research skills. By creating forms using Google Docs, students can generate questions and answers to be completed as a survey online and distribute the link to friends and family using social networking websites. Once the results are in, students can tally their results, dis-aggregate by ethnic self-identification, gender, age, religion, and other identifiers in order to draw conclusions about how different groups may feel about the same issue and why their perspectives might be different. Logical/mathematical learners will be given the opportunity to work with their classmates in reviewing Census data and other nationally collected statistics tables and numbers to discuss the socioeconomic marriage of race and income in America. Teacher will point students to the following source as a first step: "Poverty." Almanac of Policy Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. http://www.policyalmanac.org/social_welfare/poverty.shtml.

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List of Applicable NJCCS and Standards/CPIs 6.1.12.D.13.a, 61.112.A.13.b Teacher Resources: Hine, Darlene Clark., William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. African-American History.

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. "Newsweek - National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology,

Entertainment, and more - Newsweek." Newsweek - National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology, Entertainment, and more - Newsweek. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://www.newsweek.com>.

Schulten, Katherine. "The Learning Network - The Learning Network Blog -

NYTimes.com." New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2010. <http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com>.

Technology Integration

• Students will use PowerPoint to create audio-visual presentations. In the Unit Extension students will use Google Docs to create online surveys and use Excel formulae to analyze the data collected.

african-american history grades 10-12 the ewing …

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