Lesson on Historic Constitutional Inequalities
The set up for this lesson is just as, if not more, important than the lesson itself. The set up is what proved to me this lesson was truly engaging.
Background: Working through the Constitution I realized it's hard to "make it come alive" when all students know is how it is today. So I decided to pick racism and ask the students if they thought things had really changed since the 14th Amendment which provided African Americans citizenship. |
Set up:
Instead of the normal classroom desk arrangement, I had the students drag all their desks to the front of the room to be as close to the Promethean Board as possible. I wanted to create a more intimate feel. I told the students what we talked about during the lesson would not be on the test so they were not required to take notes. I told them if they wanted to, they could sleep, play on their cellphones or do other work, The only restriction was that they couldn't bother other students. |
I began the lesson asking the students what relevance the Constitution has to their lives today. Some said it protects them and others said it's what makes America what it is. One student said "nothing". I asked him why and he said it just doesn't really matter because he doesn't think about it or do anything with it. I liked that answer because it meant he was saying exactly what he felt.
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We fast forwarded to the Gettysburg Address because I wanted the students to read it... to really read it like they had never before. "Why is this speech so famous?" I asked them. We dissected terms like "liberty" and "[...] all men are created equal". We finished discussing the Gettysburg Address by dissecting how Abraham Lincoln says (paraphrasing) it's not enough to just say it, it has to be done. Then I asked the students if it really was done.
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And then this one...
I wanted them to explain to me what they saw. I didn't give them any background or explanation. Some of the students even talked about personal experiences. It was these pictures which changed the lesson from me being the teacher to me being a facilitator of discussion. Students didn't raise their hands; they just listened to each other and waited to speak. |
When the discussion began to ebb I asked them if they'd ever heard of "The Clansman" or "Birth of a Nation". One student said it sounds like a KKK thing. I gave a brief description of the book and then showed them a clip from "Birth of a Nation". They laughed at the cinematography but when I told them this was the real perception whites had towards African Americans at that time, the room got silent. I then sarcastically said, "but hey, that was like 100 years ago, it's completely different now."
I then did the same thing with this slide. I asked a student to read the caption which explains how African Americans were arbitrarily arrested and had to pay for their own arrests. I then said again, "but hey, that was like 80 years ago, it's completely different now." The students just looked at me.
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Many factors contributed to this lesson "landing" and being engaging. First, it was relavant. Starting with the 14th Amendment and ending with the election of President Obama really drove home the idea that what has happened in the past is not "dead" or irrelevant. It has shaped what the United States looks like today and how people view not only their rights but each other.
As for evidence of engagement in this lesson
1. Students were asking pointed questions and bringing in their own personal experiences
2. Students' body language was very positive as seen in sitting up, sitting straight forward, no fidgety-ness, etc
3. Students made eye contact with the speaker, whether that was me or fellow classmates. They looked at the slides and were genuinely digesting the pictures and text
4. After being told the lesson would not appear on the test, students still paid full attention and did not play on cellphones, do other work or put their heads down.
5. Students participated in asking questions and desiring to read when the slide had text on it
6. Students offered explanations to pictures and political cartoons
As for evidence of engagement in this lesson
1. Students were asking pointed questions and bringing in their own personal experiences
2. Students' body language was very positive as seen in sitting up, sitting straight forward, no fidgety-ness, etc
3. Students made eye contact with the speaker, whether that was me or fellow classmates. They looked at the slides and were genuinely digesting the pictures and text
4. After being told the lesson would not appear on the test, students still paid full attention and did not play on cellphones, do other work or put their heads down.
5. Students participated in asking questions and desiring to read when the slide had text on it
6. Students offered explanations to pictures and political cartoons