Title – Inspiration to Map Slavery

By – Sean Smith

Primary Subject – Social Studies

Secondary Subjects – Computers / Internet

Grade Level – 11-12

Unit Contents:

• 
  Lesson 1: “On the Backs of Slaves” PowerPoint Lecture
  
  
• 
  Lesson 2: “Underground Railroad” WebQuest
  
  
• 
  Lesson 3: “Path of a Slave” PowerPoint Presentations
  
  
• 
  Lesson 4: “Inspiration to Map Slavery” Charts
  
  (below)
  

Benchmarks:

Explain the ideology of the institution of slavery, its policies, and
consequences.

Learning Resources and Materials:

• Computer with internet access
• Inspiration software
• textbook

Development of Lesson:

Introduction:
We have been talking and learning about the Underground Railroad in class recently. This assignment is going to teach students the different aspects of slavery and its processes. This is a more advanced software, so it will take more time.

Methods/Procedures:

Students will be paired with a partner. I will pick this partner. After this, the student groups will assemble in my classroom for a pre-project lecture and explanation of directions.

Bring your notebooks and textbooks with you to the computer lab. Your assignment is to complete a chart in “Inspiration” about process of slavery. I have provided an example on the board of what I expect. It should include, “Triangle Trade Route”, “Regions of Slavery”, “Money”, “Reasons”, “Policies”, and “Consequences” as part of the chart. You will branch off of these topics with at least two subtopics. When they assignment is done, it is saved to your hard drive and I will look at it. This assignment is whatever you would like it to look like in “Inspiration.” This software is very free flowing, so all of the assignments will look different. Don’t panic if you presentation looks funny.

Accommodations/Adaptations:
Adaptations will be made for my two deaf students and two wheelchair students. For the deaf children, a support teacher proficient in sign language will be present. For the wheelchair students, I will provide them with a laptop to place on their lap trays.

Assessment/Evaluation:

Evaluation will be given once the assignment is done. I will ask students to come to my desk and show me their presentations. I will ask them questions about certain aspects of slavery and ask them to draw linkages between topics. If the assignment is completed, they will get nearly full credit. If they can answer my questions, I will give them full credit.

Closure:

This assignment is very tricky. I will only do it with my juniors and seniors. “Inspiration” is hard to learn. I like the software because you can draw linkages and explain them on screen. I don’t like this software because it can often get frustrating for students. I have to constantly walk around the computer lab answering questions. It is a reward for a lot of the students to get out of the classroom and go and use a computer. I wouldn’t recommend this assignment unless you are proficient with the software, “Inspiration.”

E-Mail

Sean Smith

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