Diversity Lesson Plan

Book: “Freedom’s School” by Lesa Cline-Ransome (2015).

Multicultural Theme: Civil Rights
Grade Level: 5th

Materials:
-The book, Freedom’s School” by Lesa Cline-Ransome
-Pencils
-Paper
-Markers
-Crayons

Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama,
drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

Objectives:
1. Students will be able to understand and refer to the themes of a story
2. Students will be able to take knowledge from a book and use it to compare to
parts of their own lives
3. Students will be able to identify elements of a story in a group discussion
4. Students will be able to summarize and identify the moral of the story through
peer/group discussion with 95% accuracy

Procedure:
Introduce the book title, author and theme. Gather background knowledge from
students on Civil Rights. Have students observe the cover and make predictions on what
they think the book will be about. Have a brief discussion on slavery and when the slaves
were freed.
Read:
Teacher will read aloud to students

Discuss:
Students will be given the questions and time to give their own answers. Students will
then pair up and share answers. After pair sharing activity, discuss as a class and agree
on answers for the following questions:
1. How would you define freedom?
2. What freedoms do you have and how are they protected?
3. How do we exercise freedom in our daily lives?
4. What freedoms do you take for granted?
5. What is the Emancipation Proclamation?

Activity:
1. Working independently, students will make a ven diagram to compare and
contrast the freedoms we have now and the freedoms that African Americans had
after the Emancipation proclamation was signed.

2. After coming up with their own answers, students may pair up and share their
answers to get more ideas and see what their peers answered.

Evaluation:
Teacher will check students work for originality and effort as well as correctness and
overall understanding of the story and its themes.