CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

An Era of Reform Social activism in the 1800s and

Lesson Title: Date: 12/12/2020
Today
Today’s question:
How does Frederick Douglass view
liberty, freedom, and reform?
Unit Question:
Did the social reform in the mid- How does Michelle Alexander view
Unit Central Historical 1800s lead to the realization of liberty, freedom, and reform?
Question(s): the ideals of the Declaration of
Independence to all people in the How are the reform movements of
United States? the 1800s similar or different to the
activism today?

Subject / Course: United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict
Grade: 8th
Lesson Duration: 90 minutes

Content Learning Objective (content and proving behavior):

e.g., students will be able to [content analysis] by [product and activity].

After completing a warm-up activity were students will remember some the language and ideas from the
Declaration of Independence, students will read passages from Frederick Douglass’ The Meaning of July
Fourth for Negro speech and passages from an expert of Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow to write
down the similarities of the reform era and activism today.
Today, my learning target is to know at two similarities and differences between Frederick Douglass
reform movement and Michelle Alexander’s activities today.
I will know that I have met my learning target if I can complete my graphic organizer and complete a
paragraph explaining the similarities and differences.
Reaching the learning target will help me understand the importance of social activism and how that activism
has change through out the United States history.

Historical Thinking Skill

Students will be able examine the similarities and differences between Frederick Douglass’ reform
movement (abolitionist) and the social activism of today by using evidence and interpretation to analyze the
sources, as well as deciding whether the realization of the ideals of the Declaration of independence have
come to fruitions during the 1800s and today.
Compare and contrast
Evidence and interpretation

California Content and CA ELD Standards Addressed:

California Content Standard

8.9.1 Describe the leaders of the movement (e.g., John Quincy Adams and his proposed constitutional
amendment, John Brown and the armed resistance, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad,
Benjamin Franklin, Theodore Weld, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass).
Common Core Standard
RI 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.
RI 3) Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events
(e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

1
 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

ELD Standards
SL.8.1, 6; L.8.3, 6
1. Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative discussions on a range of social
and academic topics
2. Interacting with others in written English in various communicative forms (print, communicative
technology, and multimedia)
3. Offering and justifying opinions, negotiating with and persuading others in communicative exchanges

Narrative Summary of Tasks / Actions:

1. Warm-Up (5 mins)
2. Mini lecture (15mins)
3. Vocabulary (10 mins) part of mini lecture but students will work independently
4. Student Activity (30 mins)
5. Lesson Assessment (20 mins)
6. Closure (5 mins)
7. Reflection (5mins)

Materials / Equipment:

 Student Warm-Up Journal

 PowerPoint
 Passage from the speech The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
 Passage from the book The New Jim Crow
 Graphic organizers:
*Venn Diagram
*Vocabulary

Inquiry-Based Lesson Plan for History-Social Science

1. Anticipatory Set Time: 5 mins

Warm-Up
Directions: 
• In your Warm-Up Journals please write 2 to 4 sentences or draw what this passage from the
Declaration of Independence means to you.
• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness. 

2
 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

2. Central Historical Question for Lesson Time:

 How does Frederick Douglass view liberty, freedom, and reform?

 How does Michelle Alexander view liberty, freedom, and reform?

 How are the reform movements of the 1800s similar or different to the activism today?

3. Teacher Input (delivery of historical context) Time: 25 mins

Objectives
Go over the objectives for today:
• Students will be able to analyze and interpret sources by completing a Venn diagram charting
similarities and difference from the sources
• Students will complete Vocabulary sheet 
• Students will reflect on and answer the question: 
• How are the reform movements of the 1800s similar or different to the activism
today? 

Why are we learning this?

 Series of picture of movements, activism, and protest
 Connect what is happening today with the ongoing struggle for social reform
 Encourage students to express their knowledge of the images they see on the PowerPoint
Review:
 Remind students of the previous unit and how the struggle for freedom has been a continuous
question for the new U.S government
 Review the ongoing struggle and resistance from slaves and other groups such as Native
Americans, women, and religious groups.
 Review the chapter 17 reading: reform movements and the second awakening
Vocabulary:
 When students enter the class, they will pick today’s activity package
 Go over vocabulary and have students complete the vocabulary graphic organizer
Introduction to Frederick Douglass
 Students will get quick review and mini video of Frederick Douglass before reading the passage
from his speech
Introduction to Michelle Alexander
 Students will get a quick introduction to Michelle Alexander
 Who is she? What has done? What is she doing?
 Before students read a passage from her book the New Jim Crow
 This is the connection to what is happening today.
Using the Elmo Model what the students will do
 Using the passage from Frederick Douglass and Michelle Alexander and the Venn diagram READ 2
or 3 sentences
3
 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

 Stop and think about what you’re reading out loud

 Then write down one similarity and one difference

4. Student Activity and Investigation (w/

Time: 30 mins
differentiation)

Students will work with their elbow partner for this activity (specific seating for cooperative learning)
 Students will read a passage from Frederick Douglass’ The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
 And Passage from the book The New Jim Crow (Students will answer short guided questions)
 Students will discuss similarities and difference from the two passages
 Students will complete the Venn Diagram

5. Lesson Assessment (w/ differentiation) Time:

Students will have translated graphic organizers

Students will have the option to draw or write the meaning of the vocabulary
Students will be cooperative groups/partners
Students with IEPs will have the options to write 3 sentences instance of a paragraph

6. Closure Time: 5

After student activity and completing the graphic organizer, students will discuss their idea on the question:
How are the reform movements of the 1800s similar or different to the activism today?
Using the information:
 graphic organizer
 Passage from Frederick Douglass’ The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro
 Passage from Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow

7. Student Reflection (metacognition) Time: 5

Student’s will write a paragraph on their graphic organizer answering the question:
 How are the reform movements of the 1800s similar or different to the activism today?
 Or Is Protesting important?
 What types of protesting do see in your community?

 Students who need a sentence frame can use: The Reform movement of the 1800s are similar to

4
 CSULB History Social Science Lesson Plan Template

today’s activism…
 The Reform movement of the 1800s are different to today’s activism because…