SOCIAL SCIENCE

8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

THEME: Culture, Dignity, and Identity CONCEPT: Africa, Us, and the World African American in Post-Reconstruction America: contributions and challenges in the development of the global society. CONTENT TOPIC: Investigating and researching the role of African Americans in the transformation of America: from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement to the present through fiction and nonfiction texts UNIT TITLE: The Rise of America in the Modern World
Unit Overview:

At the height of the Cold War, global competition with the Soviet Union preoccupied the United States and highlighted the situation of African Americans. In the Cold War context, black struggles for freedom were largely denounced as un-American. During the Cold War, the federal government funded both white prosperity and black containment. Yet, African Americans kept on pushing with organized political strategies and social protest movements. Students will read a variety of informational texts including primary and secondary sources that examine the impact of the Cold War on the development of the Civil Rights Movement, including black musicians during the Cold War, key legislation and court cases, social justice, and local activists.
Length of Unit: 5 weeks Enduring Understandings 1. Economic systems differ with respect to level of stability, efficiency, freedom, security, and equality. 2. Politics: there is a dynamic interaction between power and political structures. 3. Politics: Different political systems structure and distribute power in distinct ways. 4. History: Events and actions of the past affect the present and the future. Guiding Essential Questions I) How do culture and identity influence who we are? II) How do time, culture and history influence works of art and/or the advancement of science and technology? III) What can I do to positively impact my community?

Essential Questions

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Common Core Standards

Reading RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text. RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic. Writing WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. WHST.6-8.5 With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. WHST.6-8.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently. WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a selfgenerated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. Speaking and Listening SL.8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. SL.8.2 Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation. SL.8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims.

Cognitive Skills

Executive functions Plan Flexibility: change direction if not working; adopt multiple approaches Strategy use: ability to reflect on strategy and select appropriate strategy Thinking skills Reasoning about concrete items versus abstract ideas Analyzing/evaluating arguments Developing a logical argument Inductive reasoning: using specific examples/observations and forming a more general principal Deductive reasoning: use stated general premise to reason about specific examples Appreciation: recognition of the value of something U2

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Content

(F) Formative

(S) Summative

Text/Resources

Building Knowledge Through Texts Internal and external forces shape power dynamics. Power has shaped the social, cultural, and economic scenarios of race, class, and gender and it continues to shape presently. There are intended and unintended consequences in the use of power in the United States. The struggle for power in America is a competition of ideas and values with multiple perspectives and conclusions. Assessments Formative assessments for this unit consist of: Guided Reading and Guided Writing, anecdotal notes, frequent checks for accomplishment of group and individual intermediate goals, reflections after each group meeting, summaries of select portions of text, and anticipatory guides. Summative assessments for this unit consist of: the accomplishment of stand-alone projects which will be a component of the final summative assessment, such as a mock radio broadcast, a research project, and mind mirror. Primary Sources: Worth a Lot of Negro Votes: Black Votes, Africa, and 1960 Presidential Campaign http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/teaching/2008_12/sources.html Short Texts: Excerpt taken from An Appeal to the World: A Statement of Denial of Human Rights to Minorities in the Case of citizens of Negro Descent in the United States of America and an Appeal to the United Nations for Redress by W.E.B. Du Bois, 1947 Excerpt taken from You and Segregation by Governor Herman Talmadge, 1955 Excerpt from The FBI and Martin Luther King by David J. Garrow, The Atlantic, July 2002 Excerpt from Malcolm Xs speech to African Heads of State, July 17, 1964 Arkansas Gazette interview with Eisenhower, September 4, 1957 http://www.ardemgaz.com/prev/central/central0904b.html Images: Careful, the Walls Have Ears http://eisenhowercivilrights.blogspot.com/ Graphic Organizers: Cartoon Analysis template: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/cartoon_analysis_w orksheet.pdf U3

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Document Analysis template: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/written_document_ analysis_worksheet.pdf Mind Mirror: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ923443.pdf Summarizing: http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/vocabulary/pdf/sr_allgo .pdf

Biographies: Paul Robeson http://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/313249 Barbara Jordan http://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/311919 Marian Wright Edelman http://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/311117 Ralph Ellison http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/06/20/specials/ellison.html or http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/howe-on-ellison.html Civil Rights Movement American Experience Wayback: Stand Up For Your Rights http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/kids/civilrights/ The National Civil Rights Museum www.civilrightsmuseum.org Little Rock Central High School 40th Anniversary www.centralhigh57.org NAACP: 90 Years of Making Democracy Work www.naacp.org Brown v. Board National Historic Site www.nps.gov/brvb Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/ National Womens Hall Of Fame http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=117

Changes in the Court and Laws Landmark Decisions of the Supreme Court www.landmarkcases.org National Park Service Civil Rights Landmarks http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ U.S. Supreme Court www.supremecourtus.gov U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society www.supremecourthistory.org Supreme Court decision Brown v. the Board of Education http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/brown_v_board_docum ents/brown_v_board.html Jazz and the Cold War: Interview with author Penny Von Eschen http://www.jerryjazzmusician.com/2005/08/penny-von-eschen-author-ofU4

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

satchmo-blows-up-the-world/ Satchmo: The Official Site of the Louis Armstrong House and Archives http://www.satchmo.net/ Louis Armstrong Discography http://www.satchography.com/ Miles Davis http://www.downbeat.com/artists/window.asp?action=new&aid=425&anam e=Miles+Davis

Learning Activities

Students will research the connection between the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Students will read a variety of informational texts including primary and secondary sources that examine the impact of the Cold War on the development of the Civil Rights Movement.
Black Jazz Ambassadors Topical Question: Why did American policy makers feel that America would be served if they sent jazz musicians abroad? Hold a preliminary discussion to find out what the class knows about Louis Armstrong. They probably know that he was an African American who played the trumpet. How famous do they think he was, and why? If they know of him, what images of him come to mind, and how would they describe him? Explain that while everyone acknowledged that Armstrong was the greatest jazz trumpet player of all time, some people (including many African-Americans) were put off by the image he projected. They felt he pandered to the tastes of his white audiences while projecting the image of the "happy Negro" which had been popular in turn-of-the-century minstrelsy. Did Armstrong deserve this image, especially now since he was the only jazz artist of his day to speak out against segregation with such force? Review the events that unfolded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 (See launch lesson for more detail). Divide the board into two sections: label one "positive views of Armstrong and the other "negative." Share video clips and writings to help guide the discussion. Now, ask students what they know, or would like to know, about the events in Little Rock, Arkansas, in
Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles Informational texts will be available in a variety of formats including audio, visual and tactilely. Tasks will have components that allow for students to use visual, oral and tactile as well as kinesthetic skills to express knowledge gained. Students will be able to take ownership of tasks through the use of Choice Boards and Learning Centers Supply the material with the varied amount of print, varied text structures and extensive graphic support based on students instructional levels Use videos to enhance comprehension through auditory and visual modes Allow brief, cooperative brainstorming to activate

Week 1

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

1957 that elicited such a strong reaction from Louis Armstrong. What about these events upset Armstrong so much? Who did he criticize? Do you think he was being a disloyal American or a noble one for taking the stand that he did? Ask students how they think they would have felt had they lived through these events as they were happening. What questions would they like to ask Armstrong? Depending upon how much work you want to assign each class member and the number of students in your class, you may wish to create several radio broadcast teams, or have everyone contribute to one radio broadcast. Here is a list of suggested segments for the radio broadcast: Interview with Armstrong Analysis of the Supreme Court decision Brown v. the Board of Education (1954) Interview with Thurgood Marshall Interview with Rosa Parks Roundtable discussion with a panel of "presidential historians" about President Eisenhower Interviews with African-American authors James Baldwin (Go Tell It on the Mountain, 1953) and Ralph Ellison (Invisible Man, 1952). Interview with Miles Davis After students have completed their research should work to complete scripts for their portions of the radio broadcast. These can be detailed outlines. Students may record their radio programs and then play them for the class, at a school assembly or at an evening event for the community. They could also present their programs as if they were being broadcast live from the recording studio, so that the audience would watch them live as they spoke into "microphones." Key Civil Rights Cases and Laws 1. Review the roles of the three branches of government.

prior knowledge and make predictions Adjust the complexity, abstractness, type of response necessary, and connections required between topics based on readiness and learning profile Establish clear criteria for success Use wait time before taking student answers If appropriate, give students a chance to talk to partners or write down their answers before responding Provide clear guidelines for group functioning that are taught in advance of group work and consistently

Week 2

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Week 3

2. Explain that the Supreme Court of the U.S. is the highest court in the land and the court of last resort. A decision by the Supreme Court is the law of the land. The Court, composed of a panel of justices, is asked to rule on a lower courts decision. There is no trial, no witnesses are called, and the basic facts in a case are not disputed. For this activity, learners will be preparing and writing news reports. Their job is to: a. Ask them to select which of the laws or court decisions they think were the most important and share why. Read the excerpts, discuss with class as if they were justices, and analyze the U.S. Supreme Court decision. How did the class decisions compare with the true decisions? b. Write the lead paragraph for the daily newspaper. The first sentence could include: Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of... c. Post the stories through a newspaper format, posters, etc. Students will complete an anticipatory guide (page U12) about social justice, and participate in discussion of their responses with the whole class. Students will choose one of the following quotes and write a response to its author that explains why they either agree or disagree with the quote. Responses should reference the students experiences, and/or the outcomes and insights garnered from class activities. You really can change the world if you care enough. Marian Wright Edelman [Peaceful coexistence] means living in peace and friendship with another kind of society--a fully integrated society where the people control their destinies, where poverty and illiteracy have been eliminated Paul Robeson You don't fight racism with racism. We're gonna fight racism with solidarity. Fred U7

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Hampton Justice of right is always to take precedence over might. Barbara Jordan Students will be assigned to create a presentation to document, with photos, narratives, and interviews, the concept of grass roots organization during the Civil Rights Movement or other movement in the United States between 1940 and the present (e.g.: Latino rights, womens movement, workers rights, anti-war, etc.). Students must understand its connection to the Civil Rights Movement as well as its connection to the effectiveness and failures of grass roots activism and its impact on the history of the United States. Explain and comprehend the purposes of federalism as a form of democracy that seeks to promote liberty, justice, equality, and human diversity. Identify differing opinions on the federal governments role. Unsung Social Activists Students will create mind mirrors to capture the thoughts and concerns about justice of an African American Civil Rights figure. Mind mirrors should be accompanied by written narrative. Each narrative will contain a minimum of ten facts discovered during the research phase. In teams, students will peer edit and provide constructive feedback for improvement to their peers. Narratives should include responses for the following questions: What was this person or group fighting for? What were some of the efforts they used for achieving social justice? Were these efforts successful? Why or why not? How was this success measured? Are they still pursuing these ideals? If not, has someone else or another organization continued to pursue their work? Mind mirrors have been used in English Language Arts classrooms to analyze poetry and develop a deeper understanding of its author. In this adaptation of the U8

Week 4-5

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles

SOCIAL SCIENCE

8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

exercise, mind mirrors offer a way for students to get inside the heads of historical characters using the same analytic skills. Mind Mirrors build off students interactions with text penned by the historical figures they are researching. During this activity, students are to synthesize an understanding of the historical figures writings and represent it on a mind mirror. See page U15 for an example of a Mind Mirror. Mind Mirrors should contain: At least two quotes from the individual, properly marked by quotation marks Two original phrases about the historical figure that the student has written Two symbols that relate to the individual Two relevant drawings

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Teacher Background Information

Cold War Civil Rights

The African-American experience remained a central component of the geopolitical struggle during the Cold War. The Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) continually challenged America's selfproclaimed "Leader of the Free World" status by highlighting anti-black racism in the United States. In response, the United States both publicly endorsed gradual integration and fostered a stifling climate of anti-communism. Following Du Bois, singer and activist Paul Robeson signed a U.S.S.R. petition to the United Nations, "We Charge Genocide," documenting a series of human rights abuses against African Americans. Communist activist Claudia Jones organized in Harlem for jobs, housing, and humane immigration policies. Both Robeson's and Du Bois's passports were revoked until 1958 while the Jones, who was born in Trinidad, was deported to Britain. In the Cold War context, black struggles for freedom were largely denounced as un-American. The segregation of black children in inferior schools, however, brought special criticism. Worldwide charges of American hypocrisy certainly played some part in the Brown decision. But the climate of anti-communism largely constrained most political battles to the legal arena while displacing the larger calls for freedom that included jobs, housing, land, and wealth. At the same time, courtroom success was quickly followed by waves of "massive resistance" by whites. Less than a year after the Brown decision, fourteen-year-old Chicagoan Emmett Till was found murdered in Mississippi's Tallahatchie River. He had been shot and his body mutilated because he allegedly whistled at a white woman. Yet, his death was simply the most spectacular manifestation of white terror and racial containment. In the context of the U.S.-U.S.S.R. competition for world leadership that followed WWII, African-American reactions towards social injustice took two forms: one that paid heed to the promise of American democracy taking aim at segregation through nonviolence and another that grew out of anger toward a country that sacrificed black life so carelessly embracing racial self-sufficiency and self-defense. At the same time, black artists and intellectuals gained a foothold in American culture. As international ambassadors, they also undercut Communist accusations of American hypocrisy. International competition made African Americans into symbols of American worthiness to lead the Free World.
Sources: Horton, James Oliver and Lois e. Horton. Hard Road to Freedom: The Story of African America. (2001) Painter, Nell Irvin. Creating Black American: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present. (2007) Robeson loses his appeal over his passport. On This Day in History. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/paulrobeson-loses-appeal-over-his-passport

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Teacher Background Information

The Cold Wars Black Ambassadors: Jazz Musicians

United States government officials saw themselves involved in a Cold War competition with the Soviet Union for the hearts and minds of the worlds emerging nations, as well as those in Europe. President Eisenhower, who was comfortable with neither jazz nor African Americans, was very worried about the image of the United States culturally, and was afraid that the world viewed Americans as mostly materialistic barbarians. He wanted to disprove that and show that the United States had culture and art, so he and others around him decided to turn to jazz and modernism, making the claim that this was the most unique form of American culture. The other enormous appeal for sending jazz abroad was the fact that, while Eisenhower and other officials may have been uncomfortable with African Americans and their pursuit of civil rights, they understood very well that the continued racial discrimination in the United States and the violent white resistance to civil rights was enormously damaging to the image of the United States. This was especially true in the emerging countries of Africa and Asia. Because African Americans were the prominent musicians in jazz, it was natural that they would turn to jazz as an art form to promote abroad because it would show how much progress had been made in the country, and that America was not racist. While in retrospect it seems obvious why this decision was made, the State Department and Eisenhower didnt figure this out on their own this idea was promoted by a group of journalists, critics, and musicians, and apparently through the efforts of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., the African American congressperson from Harlem. Powell was the person who first went to the State Department and told them that they should send jazz musicians abroad, among them being the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. In a 2005 interview, Penny Von Eschen, author of Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War, states, I call Eisenhower and Gillespie the diplomatic odd couple, and cant help but laugh at the image of the two of them. If Eisenhower had actually known that Gillespie was a person who symbolized a hip rebellion, it is unlikely he would have been the first person chosen for the tours.
Sources: Horton, James Oliver and Lois e. Horton. Hard Road to Freedom: The Story of African America. (2001) Painter, Nell Irvin. Creating Black American: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present. (2007) Von Eschen, Penny M. Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War. (2006)

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan STUDENT HANDOUT Anticipatory Guide: Cold War Civil Rights
Opinion
AGREE DISAGREE

Support Your Opinion

Individuals should always take a stand against what he/she believes to be an injustice. Art and music can serve as a vehicle for social change. The status quo of society should be questioned. The benefits outweigh the consequences when questioning or challenging social order. Labeling and stereotyping influence how we look at and understand the world. How an individual responses to prejudice and injustice reveals his/her true character. Most individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression because their parents taught them it was wrong.

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan
STUDENT HANDOUT

Change in the Courts

Many changes came when the Jim Crow laws that limited the freedoms and rights of African Americans were challenged in the courts: Brown v. Board of Education: In 1954, the Supreme Court said racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Bailey v. Patterson: In 1962, the Supreme Court decided that it was unconstitutional for transportation facilities like bus and train stations to be racially segregated. Loving v. Virginia: In 1967, the Supreme Court decided that any state law that prohibits interracial marriage is unconstitutional.

Change in the Laws

Other changes came about when new laws were passed through Congress: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, and national origin. This includes discrimination in the workplace, public places, schools, and in voting. The 24th Amendment ended the practice of poll taxes in 1964. States and local governments could no longer charge citizens for the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits any restriction on the right to vote. This included poll tests and voter intimidation. It followed through on the promise of the 15th Amendment.
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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Teacher Background Information

Other Notable Court Cases: 1955 - 1974

1956: The Supreme Court, without comment, affirmed a lower court ruling declaring segregation of the Montgomery bus system illegal, giving a major victory to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the thousands of anonymous African Americans who had sustained the bus boycott in the face of violence and intimidation. 1958: The Supreme Court upheld the rule of law in Cooper v. Aaron, stating that official resistance and community violence could not justify delays in implementing desegregation efforts. 1968: In Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co., the Court held that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 bans racial discrimination in housing by private, as well as governmental, housing providers. 1971: In Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the Court ruled busing was an appropriate legal tool for addressing illegal segregation of the schools. 1971: In Griggs v. Duke Power Co., the Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits not only intentional job discrimination, but also employer practices that have a discriminatory effect on minorities and women. The Court held that tests and other employment practices that disproportionately screened out African American applicants for jobs at the Duke Power Company were prohibited when the tests were not shown to be jobrelated. 1974: In Milliken v. Bradley, a case involving the Detroit metropolitan area, the Court effectively halted school busing at a city's borders. The Court's 5-4 decision blocked Detroit's city-suburb desegregation plan that would have involved busing across school district boundaries. Ignoring evidence of state governments' past and continuing involvement in housing and school segregation, the Court said that "local control" was an important tradition in education. The decision allowed for proof of "interdistrict violations," while placing heavy burdens on plaintiffs in future cases.

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8th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 4 Unit Plan

Teacher Resource Page

Example of a Mind Mirror

Example of a Mind Mirror from a poem entitled "My Plea" by Mary Matsuzawa.

My Plea Oh God, I pray that I may bear a cross To set my people free, That I may help to take good-will across An understanding sea. Oh, God, I pray that someday every race May stand on equal plane And prejudice will find no dwelling place In a peace that all may gain.

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