Title: Subject: Grade Range: Description:

Circle of Knowledge Lesson Plan Jennifer Serafin Social Studies Third Grade Students will analyze slavery and its effect, determine the ethical injustice and reflect on the actions of our American Heroes that we have studied. Students will extend their learning by make real-world connections by studying Modern-Day Slavery, and its impact on peoples lives, including girls lives, today. Students will examine slavery in the context of human rights and the study of Eleanor Roosevelt, and then will write a letter to their local council advocating against slavery.

Instructional Unit Content Standard(s)/Element(s) Content Area Standards: SS3H2 The student will discuss the lives of Americans who expanded peoples rights and freedoms in a democracy. a. Paul Revere (independence), Frederick Douglass (civil rights), Susan B. Anthony (womens rights), Mary McLeod Bethune (education), Franklin D. Roosevelt (New Deal and World War II), Eleanor Roosevelt (United Nations and human rights), Thurgood Marshall (civil rights), Lyndon B. Johnson (Great Society and voting rights), and Csar Chvez (workers rights). b. Explain social barriers, restrictions, and obstacles that these historical figures had to overcome and describe how they overcame them. SS3CG2 The student will discuss the character of different historical figures in SS3H2a. a. Describe how the different historical figures in SS3H2a display positive character traits of cooperation, diligence, courage, and leadership. b. Explain how the historical figures in SS3H2a used positive character traits to support their beliefs in liberty, justice, tolerance, and freedom of conscience and expression. TAG Standards: Advanced Research 3. The student uses concepts within and across disciplines to develop valid hypotheses, thesis statements, or alternative interpretations of

data. Creative Thinking & Creative Problem Solving Skills 2. The student designs, applies, evaluates, and adapts a variety of innovative strategies to when problem solving (e.g., recognizes problems, defines problems, identifies possible solutions, selects optimal solution, implements solution, and evaluates solution). Evidence of Learning What students should be able to do: a. Responds to questions with supporting information that reflects in-depth knowledge of a topic. b. Examines an issue from more than one point of view. c. Separates ones own point of view from that of others. d. Identifies stereotypes, biases, and prejudices in ones own reasoning and that of others.

Procedure(s) Phase 1: Sparking the Discussion (Hook)

1.

Pass out note cards to each table of the following blurbs from the Modern Day Case Studies (1 story per card) Modern-Day Slavery: Case Studies

Iqbal: An eleven-year-old child in Pakistan is forced to weave carpets to repay a debt his father owes; he works 14 hours a day, sleeps by his loom and cannot leave the carpet factory or he will be caught and beaten. Luca: A young woman from El Salvador is told that she could earn more money working on a farm in the United States. When she arrives in the United States, she meets the family who is supposed to coordinate her work and they take her to an orange grove in central Florida. She is told that she owes the family a large sum of money for transporting her to the farm and must work at the farm and cannot leave until she pays off her debt. She is trapped.

Dasha: A twelve-year-old girl in India is married to a 60-year-old man. Her family coordinates the marriage because they no longer can afford to feed her. She has no choice in this and must work as a servant in her husbands household. She cannot go to school. Penon: Penon is twenty; she is owned by a farmer in Benin, West Africa. Her father, mother, brothers and sisters are also owned by this man. They all work on this farm; they are given a little food but no pay. Penons family has been owned by the farmers family for generations. Arun: A prisoner in Burma is forced to work building roads for the government; he is chained to his fellow prisoners and is given no pay for his work. He is often beaten by the guards. Mingma: A woman in Nepal is forced to work as a servant in a familys house. She has lived there as long as she can remember and has never been to school. She receives no money for her work, and is often beaten and threatened by the family members.
2.

Call for volunteers to answer the following questions: Do you like being forced to do something? Why or why not? What about the story you just read?

Phase 2: Acquiring Content Needed to Participate in Discussion 1. Pose the essential (focus) question: Is slavery ethical? Why or why not? Why did the South fight against the Emancipation Proclamation? What were the pros (reasons for) slavery? Economic development and stability What were the cons (reasons against) slavery? Cruel, inhumane How did those that were for slavery help to end it? Think about Mrs. Van Auld for example. How would you have felt if you were a slave? A plantation owner? A white

child during this time? A black child during this time? How does this make you feel to know that your skin color would determine your future? Is this ok? What do we call this? Is it legal? Activate prior knowledge by having students create sentences using at least three words from the Word Splash. (see attached) Students will use the Seed Discussion organizer. (See attached) Phase 3: Kindling the Discussion Students will use their notes and the Questioning Cube to answer and have small group discussions. Why did the South fight against the Emancipation Proclamation? What were the pros (reasons for) slavery? Economic development and stability What were the cons (reasons against) slavery? Cruel, inhumane How did those that were for slavery help to end it? Think about Mrs. Van Auld for example. What other solutions could the plantation owners have for the work slaves completed? Is this fair? Next, Slavery still exists today. There are at least 27,000,000 slaves still captive around the world. How do you feel about this? What should we do as individuals? As a class? As a country? Using the two or more articles on modern day slavery, discuss what this means for our society. http://www.freetheslaves.net/Document.Doc?id=1 (see attached) with the Commercial Sexual Exploitation portions removed as well as the modern-day cast studies below.

In whole group, students will participate in a discussion driven by the following questions: Review the six questions from the question cube. How would you have felt if you were a slave? A plantation owner? A white child during this time? A black child during this time? How does this make

you feel to know that your skin color would determine your future? Is this ok? What do we call this? Is it legal? Slavery still exists today. There are at least 27,000,000 slaves still captive around the world. How do you feel about this? What should we do as individuals? As a class? As a country? How did some of our American Heroes work towards ending slavery? What did Frederick Douglass contribute? Eleanor Roosevelt?

Phase 4: Synthesis Activity Do you believe modern day slavery is acceptable? Do you believe we have a responsibility in defending slaves? Do you believe this is justice? Write a letter to your representatives discussing modern day slavery. Why is slavery wrong? What should we do as a generation? A society? Summarizing Activity 3-2-1 Exit Ticket Next step: Write a letter, make a public service announcement, spread the news, etc. The attached is a template, but just a starting point. Be creative! Dear [NAME OF CITY COUNCIL/MAYOR]: Most people believe slavery ended in 1865, but actually it is still alive today. In fact, there are 27 million people in slavery nowmore than at any other time in human history. All over the world, people are held against their will through violence, forced to work, and paid nothing. The good news is that there is a growing movement to fight it. All over the United States, individuals, schools, communities, and now cities have taken a stand against modern slavery. Please consider passing a municipal resolution in support of a strong, coordinated national response to modern slavery. Our country needs to tackle modern

slavery through every levelfrom ensuring no one is held in slavery in our own city to keeping slave-made goods off our store shelves. Passing this resolution would send a strong message to other U.S. cities and to our national government that the citizens of [YOUR CITY NAME] do not want to live in a world with slaves. Please let us know of your progress in this important request. Sincerely References: http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=302 http://ftsblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/GLI-Materials-MiddleSchool.pdf Handouts: Word splash: www.wordle.net insert these words! Questioning Cube Then and Now Seed Discussion Organizer (separate document) Modern Day Slavery Facts (PDF file)

Words for Wordle Slavery Word Splash www.wordle.net Emancipation proclamation Slavery Modern-day slavery Freedom Victory Liberty Oppression Cruelty Forced Labor Human Rights Master Slave Plantation Union Confederacy Servitude

Slavery Then and Now Introduction Seed Discussion Organizer

Information that I dont understand: Things that seem surprising or interesting:

Things that I still want to know:

Things that remind me of other things I know:

3-2-1 Exit Ticket

As you respond to the prompts below, use all words in the Word Splash at least once. 3 points of tension as it relates to Modern-Day Slavery 2 possible solutions to the tension of Modern-Day Slavery 1 issue in your life that you feel you or someone you know are being wrongly oppressed