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Colon-Merced

Grade Level: 5th Grade Lesson Title/Focus: Louis Armstrong

Circle one: Morning Meeting Read aloud

Content area lesson (content: ___________)

Other: _____________________

Social Justice Standard(s) Diversity:

connections: 8. Students will respectfully express curiosity about the
history and lived experiences of others and will exchange
ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.

Justice:
11. Students will recognize stereotypes and relate to people as
individuals rather than representatives of groups.

Materials: Louis Armstrong Poem- page 12 of Freedom Like Sunlight:

Praise Songs for Black Americans by J. Patrick Lewis and
John Thompson

Louis Armstrong Comic- (MyOn) Louis Armstrong: Jazz

Legend by Terry Collins

Comic Pages

Timeline Poster Base

Timeline Templates

Describe what you will do to First, I will express that our classroom is a safe space, that we
create a safe space before/ are there to learn and be respectful to each other no matter the
during this lesson. topic.

Then I will ask students to share what their culture is and

where they are from. I will also share this and have my CT
share as well.

Afterwards, I will introduce Louis Armstrong, his culture and

where he is from.
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Brief Step-by-step:
As needed, include: Key
definitions, expectation
statements, key questions,
how students will be asked to
engage or respond, etc.
1. Safe space talk: “In this classroom, we want to make
sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable. We are
going to be talking about Black History Month and a
specific individual who became very known. We
want to honor his legacy today and have a mature and
respectful discussion. Just like in any other lesson,
we want to be respectful towards each other.”
2. Expectations talk: “You will be expected to raise
your hands before speaking, be silent while someone
is speaking, and to just let us know if the subject is
uncomfortable to you and you’d rather step out for a
bit.”
3. Sharing time: “Before I introduce our subject for
today, I would like to get to know a little more about
you guys and who you are. I am going to start off by
introducing myself, where I come from, and who I
am.” *share* “Now, I would like you guys to share
as well. This is voluntary and will not be forced upon
you because I want you all to feel comfortable in this
conversation.”
4. Introduce Louis Armstrong & black history: “Now
that we know a little more about each other, I want to
introduce Louis Armstrong.” *PowerPoint*
5. Louis Armstrong Comic read aloud: “Now that you
have a glimpse of Louis, I am going to read a comic
book that expresses his life and feeling. It has been
formatted like a journal and will include many
important dates.”
6. Work time: “Now that we have read this comic, we
are going to make a timeline poster to honor Louis
Armstrong. I am going to pass out copies of some of
the pages from the comic. You will work in your
groups to make a portion of the timeline, based on the
pages. You will need to include the year, important
events, and how Louis felt. Afterwards, we will
discuss your parts and how you guys feel about the
events as well.”
7. Discussion time: “Every group will now share what
they made, and we will discuss the events.
Remember to be respectful of those presenting and
listen up.”
8. Louis Armstrong Poem: “Now I want to share a
poem about Louis Armstrong as we continue to
celebrate and learn about poetry.”
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Guiding Questions:
1. What will you do in this lesson/activity to ensure that stereotypes aren’t being formed or
reinforced?
a. I will reiterate the fact that we are all individuals who deserve to be known. It is
important to get to know someone before judging them or assuming things about them.
2. What will you do in this lesson/activity to place this lesson’s focus in historical context and
to ensure Black history is not simplified, narrowed, or implied to revolve primarily around
a single era (e.g. Civil Rights era)?
a. We will be talking about Louis Armstrong and his experience with music. This is focused
on his success, his impact in music, and his experiences overall.
3. How will you bring student voices into this lesson/activity? (Reminder: People of color should never
be asked or assumed to speak as a representative for all people of color. Avoid situations where this may be implied).
a. Student voices will be incorporated through a group/ class project and a conversation to
celebrate each other and who we are.
4. How will you connect to current events in this lesson/activity?
a. I will make sure to mention more recent black musicians that have impacted the world
now. These will include: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Joel Ross, and Elena Pinderhughes.
I did my research to make sure these individuals were respectable artists with appropriate
content for kids.
b. Videos: https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/young-jazz-musicians-shaping-future/
5. What will you do if students have strong reactions (upset, angry, confused, hurt, hurtful,
withdrawn, scared, rude, etc.) or want to talk further during or after this lesson/activity?
a. If students have strong reactions, I will remind everyone that this is a safe space where
we must be respectful with our comments and learn from each other. I will also give
students the option to step away from the conversation/lesson at any time.