Introduction || Timelines || Primary Sources || Featured Organizations || Featured Teachers || Sample Lessons || Research Questions and Biographical Notes || Curriculum Resources || Website Links || Curriculum Frameworks

 

Lesson Plan

Title: African-American Students in 19^th Century Massachusetts

By: Cynthia Webb

Subject: African-American History, U. S. History

Grade Level: 11-12

Time Involved: Units will take place over a three month period

Materials: Computer, notebook, research books, articles, blank diskettes or CDs, Microsoft Office Software, digital camera, scanner, printer, LCD Projector (optional - videotape, video camera)

 

Objective: Students will learn how African-American students living in Boston and Nantucket, Massachusetts during the 19^th century were educated.

They will be able to:

• Discuss how students in the 19th century received their education.
• Research information in library books, articles, and the Internet.
• Design a group project using the collective data from research.
• Take a fieldtrip to the Museum of Afro-American History Museum and the African Meeting House in Boston.
• Take a fieldtrip to the African-American sites in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
• Develop key questions.

 

Unit One:

Open Discussion - Have students imagine what education was like for African-American students in the 19th century Massachusetts.

Materials needed: notebook.

1. How did students dress?
2. What did the school look like? Was it big or large? Were there separate classrooms for grade levels or was it one big classroom? What were the age levels?
3. Did the school have more than one teacher in the school?
4. What kinds of materials were used in the classroom? Did the classroom have
   a chalkboard or did students use individual slate boards?
5. What type of books did the students have?
6. What type of classroom furniture was used? Did the students have their own desks or chairs or were there benches in the classroom?
7. How was the school heated in the wintertime?
8. How would you compare the school where the African-American school with the white school?

 

Unit Two:

Group Project (Optional)

1. Divide students into groups to work on the research project.

 

Unit Three:

Research Information &emdash; What are we looking for? Use some of the answers from Unit One. Develop key questions for the students.

 

Sampler Key Questions

1. African-American students were attending segregated schools. What kind of difficulties did the students and their families run into?

2. Compare the differences of the white schools compared to the black schools. What type of advantages did the white students have?

*Names and events used for research: Elisha Sylvester, Primus Hall, George Middleton, Abiel Smith, Prince Hall, William C. Nell, Robert Morris, Charles Sumner, Justice Lemuel Shaw, William Pindall, William Minot, Cyrus Vassall, Prince Saunders, Peter Tracy, James Waldock, John Russwurin, Abner Forbes, Reverend Dr. Bigelow, Jacob Perry, Eunice Ross, Anna Gardner, Nathaniel Barney, Edward Pompey, (New Guinea, Nantucket), Smith School, Boston School Committee Minutes (August 29,1849), Boston School Committee Minutes (September 11, 1855)

 

Materials needed: notebook, computer, blank CDs or diskettes.

1. *Use the Boston Public Library (Main Branch) &emdash; Research books and periodicals. Retrieve hard copies of periodicals.
2. *Use the Internet at the library or in the school computer lab. Bookmark and download data.
3. *Visit the African Meeting House. Bring digital camera and/or video equipment to take pictures of the premises.
4. *Visit the Afro-American History Museum.
5. *Visit the African-American sites in Nantucket. Bring digital camera and/or video equipment to take pictures of the premises.

 

Unit Four:

Students will start gathering their data together.

Materials needed: notebook, computer, CDs or diskettes, Microsoft Office, scanner, printer.

1. Organize the data.
2. Use Word to write the report and to answer key questions.
3. Use the scanner to scan copies of important documents.
4. Use Excel to input important dates.
5. Use PowerPoint for the presentation. Paste data from Word and Excel into PowerPoint. Input pictures from the digital camera into PowerPoint.

 

Unit Five:

Students will make the presentation.

Materials needed: computer, saved data on CD or diskette, LCD Projector

 

Assessment:

Teachers will use the History and Social Science Rubric to assess students' work. (click here)