Language Arts RWLO Template Title Placeholder



THE USE OF PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS FOR THE HISTORY CURRICULUM

Project Overview

The Slave Narrative Collection provides a unique and virtually unsurpassed collective portrait of the African-American experience. The voluminous number of documented slave testimonies available in the United States is unique among former slaveholding nations. In addition to the substantial number of life histories it contains, the most compelling feature of the collection is the composition of the sample of people who made up its informants. The Collection covers 300 years of American history as seen and experienced by African-Americans both enslaved and free. Although not a representative sample of the slave population, the Collection is a remarkably diverse and inclusive cross-section of former slaves.

Students will be presented with a variety of primary and secondary source materials; careful reading of these sources will prepare students for class discussions. Students will be confronted with conflicting bodies of evidence and challenged to analyze these issues and arrive at conclusions for themselves. Music and film will supplement classroom lectures and discussions.

Student Learning Objectives

For this RWLO, the student will be able to:

• Develop chronological thinking about patterns of change and continuity in social and political attitudes. Issues such as women and work, race and equality will help to trace attitudes over time.

• Juxtapose two or more pamphlets to compare and contrast attitudes of the time. These comparisons will help to analyze the narratives for what they reveal about motivations, intentions, hopes, fears, and doubts of the people involved.

• Build historical thinking skills by examining how an author’s race, gender, and social class influenced the point of view presented in a document. They will also examine the influence authors had on their audiences.

• Research a topic from different points of view, places, and time. They will development different perspectives on historical events or periods.

• Examine the historical issues of segregation, social mobility, and violence against minorities.

• Understand how African-Americans generated effective political action under the political, social, and economic conditions in which they were living.

Procedure

Time: Approximately 8 weeks

Materials: Internet access

Prerequisites: English 101, some computer competency

Implementation: This RWLO can be used as a supplement to lectures allowing students to read and explore primary source materials in the given subject area.

Steps:

1. As a class, discuss the various forms of writing that might be considered autobiographical -- for example, logs, journals, diaries, memoirs, reminiscences, and letters.

2. Discuss the purpose of these forms: are they generally meant to be utilitarian or literary? Public or private? Specific or general?

3. What issues related to class, gender, occupation, literacy, access to resources, etc. make it more likely that an individual would choose one form over another?

4. Working individually or in pairs, students will choose two forms of autobiographical writing (for example, diaries and slave narratives. See web sites below).



Duke University Special Collections



African American Mosaic (Library of Congress American Memory)

5. Using the documents of the writers listed below students should find at least three examples of each form of writing (step 1).

• Olaudah Equiano

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• William Byrd

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• Alexander Falconbridge

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• Venture Smith

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• Boston King

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• Richard Allen

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• Jarena Lee

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• Rebecca Cox Jackson

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• Fanny Kemble

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• Charles Ball

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• Harriet Jacobs

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• Frances Fearn

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6. What characteristics within each form do the writers have in common? What characteristics are shared across different forms? In what ways do the two or three sets differ? (responses should be written and oral)

7. After the completion of the assignments above, students will begin to compose their own autobiographies, applying the same critical questions from steps 1-3. The students final project must be in one of the following forms:

• an essay with an oral component

• a visual display that combines text and images

• a multimedia document that includes text, sound, and images

8. What options are available now, that was not available prior to the Civil War?

Content Material

Student Directions:

PART 1

• Access the internet

• Select two forms of autobiographical readings

• Compare and contrast sources

• Answer the following questions:

• Discuss the purpose of these forms: are they generally meant to be utilitarian or literary? Public or private? Specific or general?

• What issues related to class, gender, occupation, literacy, access to resources, etc. make it more likely that an individual would choose one form over another?

PART 2

• Choose three documents from selected writers in step 5 (remember you will need at least three examples of the various forms of writings listed in part 1). The various forms of writing that might be considered autobiographical -- for example, logs, journals, diaries, memoirs, reminiscences, and letters.

• Answer the following questions (written and oral):

• What characteristics within each form do the writers have in common? What characteristics are shared across different forms? In what ways do the two or three sets differ?

• Begin to compose your autobiography

PART 3

• Present final projects in written format and orally.

• After the completion of the assignments above, students will begin to compose their own autobiographies, applying the same critical questions from steps 1-3. The students final project must be in one of the following forms:

• an essay with an oral component

• a visual display that combines text and images

• a multimedia document that includes text, sound, and images

9. What options are available now, that was not available prior to the Civil War?

Referenced URLs:

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Duke University Special Collections

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• African American Mosaic (Library of Congress American Memory)

• Library of Congress (American Memory Audio Collection)

• Library of Congress (African-American Exhibits)

• The Learning Page (K-12 Educators)

Assessment

Students will be required:

o To complete steps 1-8

o Present their final project*

*STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE ALL STEPS IN SEQUENCE.

Students will be assessed and receive credit based on the following criteria:

|Assignments |Discussions |Completion of Written|Creativity of the |DUE DATE |Total * |

| |/Participation |Assignments |Final Project | | |

|STEPS 2 and 3 |5 |10 |X |FIRST WEEK |15 |

|STEPS 4 and 5 |5 |10 |X |SECOND WEEK |15 |

|STEPS 6 and 7 |5 |10 |X |THIRD WEEK |15 |

|STEP # 8 |5 |5 |X |FOURTH WEEK |10 |

|PRESENTATIONS |X |20 |25 |FIFTH WEEK |40 |

| | | | | |100 |

| | | | | |POINTS |

*STUDENTS WHO TURN IN LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL LOSE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF POINTS FOR THAT WEEK.

Links to Course Competencies

This RWLO could be applied in the following courses: Women in American History, United States History I and II, American Immigration and Ethnicity and African-American History.

Specifically, this RWLO meets the following course competencies:

• Have a general concept of the chronological events and developments of the American experience;

• Understand the economic, social, political, and cultural movements, and trends that have shaped American history;

• Understand the complexities and important issues in dealing with the concepts of race and race relations over the course of American history;

• Understand the diversity of thought and action that has historically existed within the United States;

• Understand how American history influences the contemporary world;

• Be able to understand the discipline of history and its perspectives;

• Develop basic critical thinking skills and historical knowledge by assessing various historical interpretations, facts and perspective;

• The themes of human experience such as the interrelationships among individuals, institutions, events and ideas; and an understanding of the roles that individuals play in their cultural, social, economic, and political worlds;

• Achieve and retain interest in the above areas which will enable the student to function effectively as a citizen in society and as part of the democratic process;

Supplementary Resources

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Web Resources on Slavery

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Martha Ballard’s Diary, January 1, 1785 to May 12, 1812

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Links to Key Documents in American History

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The History Place: Great Speeches Collection

The supplemental web-based resources are intended to give students a wider breadth of knowledge in the study of American history. The resources will enable students to understand various perspectives and points of view across the historical spectrum.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Integration:

Students must be adequately prepared to research their assignments. It is strongly recommended that the instructor prepare students by:

Encouraging students to create a time- line of the period being researched to understand the historical context;

Encouraging students to find a partner to share ideas and to present their findings in an organized manner;

BACK-UP:

Instructors must be aware that currently the College does not schedule computer time for history courses. Furthermore, the open labs may not be used for class work as a group. Students are thereby urged to work independently and to raise questions or concerns via email (using the history discussion board) or during class time. Periodically, the instructor should make sure that all internet sources remain viable. If the sources are no longer viable, it is the instructor’s responsibility to research new materials and update the RWLO as needed.

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