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planning and preparation SAMPLE LESSON (domain 1b):
This lesson will follow an introduction to the Underground Railroad and the life of Harriett Tubman. Lesson Standards / Essential Questions CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1-3 above.) Lesson Learning Goals and Objectives Student will be able to:
Focus Questions • How did spirituals help to preserve African culture during slavery? • What are some of the hidden messages in spirituals? • How can lyrics of spirituals reflect personal meanings? Key Concepts Metaphor, Spirituals, Poetry, Lyrics, Interpretation, Self-Reflection Materials: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYbmLXH2c0o Coded Lyrics Worksheet: http://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public/Underground%20Railroad%20William%20Still/Classroom/Classroom_Coded%20Lyrics%20Worksheet.pdf Coded Lyrics Worksheet Teachers’ Notes: http://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public/Underground%20Railroad%20William%20Still/Classroom/Classroom_Coded%20Lyrics%20Worksheet%20Teacher%20Notes.pdf Lyrics to be cut apart: http://bento.cdn.pbs.org/hostedbento-prod/filer_public/Underground%20Railroad%20William%20Still/Classroom/Classroom_Student%20Spiritual%20Lyrics.pdf Instructional Strategies (BDA) Before Instructional Strategies (Introduction) Time Needed: 25 Review the story of Harriett Tubman, and make note of the places in Cape May and the surrounding area where she lived and worked, and of our proximity to other notable Railroad stops. Discuss ways in which students use music in their lives. Ask them to speculate for ways in which slaves might have used music, keeping a list on the board. Watch the PBS special on spirituals. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JtD_YpyXYU) Listen to Follow the Drinking Gourd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6N_eTZP2U And Steal Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J8f_1RYubw And Wade In The Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXqMQfpNSes, discussing possible interpretations. Explain how spirituals are different from hymns and psalms because they were a way of sharing the hard condition of being a slave. Be sure to discuss the significant dual meaning found in the lyrics and their purpose for fugitive slaves (codes, faith). During Instructional Strategies Time Needed: 15 m Play Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, (stopping periodically to explain parts of the song). Have students fill out the Coded Lyrics Worksheet while discussing the meaning as a class. Play the song again, uninterrupted. Ask each student to choose a unique line from a box of pre-cut Student Spiritual Lyrics. After Instructional Strategies (Closing & Additional Reinforcement/Practice) Time Needed: 25 m Allow the students at least twenty minutes to compose their own spirituals offering the following instructions before students begin to write: • Spirituals should reflect the life of a slave and/or impending travel on the Underground Railroad (15 points) • The student's selected spiritual lyric must be included at least once in their songs (25 pts) • Songs should be creative and engaging (15 pts) • Students should use metaphors and can include their own "code" with a key for the teacher (15 pts)
Differentiation Students who finish quickly can research Harriett Tubman’s connection to Cape May and discover five relevant facts to our area. Some students might need extra time, and can finish for homework. Students who have difficulty writing their own spiritual can choose a different spiritual and write a paragraph on their own interpretation. Assessment of Goals and Objectives Assessment will be made through discussion and Coded Lyrics Worksheets, and through the written product: The students will compose their own spiritual, incorporating elements of the lesson. Some students will share with the class, as they are comfortable, and the class will have the opportunity to ask questions about interpretation and metaphor used. Song Lyrics: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home Swing low, sweet chariot, Coming for to carry me home I looked over Jordan, and I what did I see Coming for to carry me home? A band of angels coming after me Coming for to carry me home If you get there before I do Coming for to carry me home Tell all my friends I coming too Coming for to carry me home I'm sometimes up, I'm sometimes down Coming for to carry me home But still my soul feels heavenly bound Coming for to carry me home Wade in the Water: Wade in the water Wade in the water, children, Wade in the water God's a-going to trouble the water See that host all dressed in white God's a-going to trouble the water The leader looks like the Israelite God's a-going to trouble the water See that band all dressed in red God's a-going to trouble the water Looks like the band that Moses led God's a-going to trouble the water Look over yonder, what do you see? God's a-going to trouble the water The Holy Ghost a-coming on me God's a-going to trouble the water If you don't believe I've been redeemed God's a-going to trouble the water Just follow me down to the Jordan's stream God's a-going to trouble the water Steal Away To Jesus: from The Books of American Negro Spirituals by J. W. Johnson, J. R. Johnson Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus Steal away, steal away home I ain't got long to stay here My Lord, He calls me He calls me by the thunder The trumpet sounds within-a my soul I ain't got long to stay here Green trees are bending Po' sinner stand a-trembling The trumpet sounds within-a my soul I ain't got long to stay here Follow the Drinking Gourd: When the Sun comes back And the first quail calls Follow the drinking gourd, For the old man is a-waiting for to carry you to freedom If you follow the drinking gourd The riverbank makes a very good road. The dead trees will show you the way. Left foot, peg foot, traveling on, Follow the drinking gourd. The river ends between two hills Follow the drinking gourd. There’s another river on the other side Follow the drinking gourd. When the great big river meets the little river Follow the drinking gourd. For the old man is a-waiting for to carry to freedom If you follow the drinking gourd. REFLECTION: I believe that this lesson will appeal middle schoolers’ imaginations. Following the harsh lessons of slavery, and after stimulating that background knowledge, the danger and secrecy of fugitive resistance is something with which I believe they will identify. This lesson will underscore their learning about the Underground Railroad and about Harriett Tubman, and I will make the connections for them with their immediate surroundings, as Harriett Tubman worked in Cape May and there are several areas here that are rumored to have been stops on the railroad for slaves who escaped across the Delaware Bay. There are a few students in class who require scaffolding, and approximately eight students out of sixty will most likely choose to interpret a different slave song rather than write their own. Their original spiritual song must include the six bulleted points listed above, of which students will be keenly aware. Songs may be sung to existing melodies or read without music. I believe that this lesson makes use of a range of resources, and is aligned well with the curriculum for 8th grade language arts. It incorporates cross-curricular material from music class as well as history, and I will make those teachers aware of our agenda. It is my hope that those cross-curricular connections will be appealing to several of my ELA students who are particularly interested in music and history. I believe students will have the appropriate background knowledge from this and prior lessons to produce a thoughtful song, and I believe that this lesson sets clear expectations of what they are to understand and produce. It is my hope that this lesson will remain with them long after they leave the classroom. |
