American Social History

In this unit we have explored how immigrants figure prominently in the “founding narrative” of our nation as colonizers, settlers, conquerors, and heroes of freedom. Late 19th-century immigrants, too, especially those from Europe, also people history heroically as seekers of financial betterment and religious freedom (e.g. the “Great American Melting Pot” Schoolhouse Rock video we saw). We have discussed how immigrants’ own accounts (the “Undistinguished Americans”) often didn’t fit the idealized vision of immigrants depicted in the Statue of Liberty’s poem. And contemporary immigrants spark ongoing controversy in America today over resources, border control, and who does or doesn’t “fit” in a pluralist American society. Many of these issues are particularly contentious in schools, which are the front line of educating young newcomers, and where questions of language, history, and identity are especially fraught.

In this assignment, you’ll put yourself in the place of an educator looking to broaden his/her curriculum to be more inclusive of “undistinguished” immigrant Americans. You, the educator, have selected or have been given Pam Munoz Ryan’s novel Esperanza Rising, and must now build a lesson or a series of lessons around it.

First, decide what grade you teach. Is this a late elementary school classroom (4th or 5th grade?)? If so, you might use the novel across both Language Arts and Social Studies. Is this a middle school classroom (6th, 7th or 8th grade)? If so, it is part of a Social Studies and/or Geography curriculum. Is this a high school classroom (9th-12th grade)? The novel may be part of a US History or general Social Studies class.

Next, develop a lesson plan that will realistically fill at least one class session. You’ll need to consider the learning capabilities of the students in your classroom, and will need to engage their interest and find a creative or compelling way to incorporate the novel in your teaching.

Consider these questions in your planning:
What will you want students to learn from this novel?
What goals will your lesson or project accomplish?
How long will it take?
Will they work in groups or individually?
How will you measure your students’ learning?
What other resources or materials might be needed?
What educational standards are addressed? (E.g. You could use the Massachusetts or National History Frameworks, or the actual standards of a school district of your choice)

On Wed 4/29, you’ll turn in a packet containing:

• 1) One lesson plan “grid,” completed (here is a PDF of the form; a type-into Word version is here)
• 2) A “script” or set of instructions so that the lesson(s) can be used over again or shared with other teachers (see the list of examples below for ideas on what that might look like)
• 3) A short (1-page) reflection paper (similar to what you did for the Digital Project) explaining what you learned from this assignment

Your project will be assessed for completeness of those 3 items, creativity of the lesson or project, suitability & appropriateness for the age group in your classroom, whether the project is realistic and do-able, and whether it incorporates the novel successfully.

Here are some examples of lesson plans and ideas from a variety of educator websites that incorporate social history topics using children’s literature or primary sources, to give you some inspiration:

• A sample 10th-grade lesson plan using a film to discuss the Watergate crisis (Jim Skvorc, Summit HS in Colorado)
• A sample 8th or 9th-grade lesson plan about pioneer trail dairies (Robert Mulick, Lowell Scott MS in Idaho)
• Using Children’s Literature about the Great Depression (Carol Hurst)
• Using the children’s book “Letting Swift River Go” in elementary classrooms (Carol Hurst)
• High school lesson plans incorporating letters to Eleanor Roosevelt (New Deal Network)
• Additional enrichment activities about the Depression and the New Deal (New Deal Network)
• Lesson plan ideas for a unit titled “Immigration Builds a Nation” (Education World)