Grade Level:  5th Grade
Becca Moyer

Teacher Materials Needed: 
· Teacher’s Guide to the Social Studies Textbook:  United States, Canada, Latin America
· Books for Literature Circles

Student Materials Needed: 
· Social Studies Textbook
· Literature Circle Books
· Paper
· Markers

My Social Studies Goals for this lesson:
· For students to expand their knowledge on slavery/freedom
· For students to expand their vocabulary within Social Studies content (slave code, overseer, spiritual, resist)
· Have students discuss how slaves resisted slavery
· Have students discuss what slaves did in order to get freedom
· Compare and contrast the difference between freedom in the past and freedom today.
· Discuss the different roles of people (slaves, overseers)
· Talk about books from Literature Circles and have the students talk about the roles of people in their books (share with class)

Related North Carolina Standard Course of Study for Social Studies for 5th Grade:
Competency Goal 1.3:  Assess the role and status of individuals and groups in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.
Competency Goal 2.2:  Evaluate the influence of beliefs, individuals, and practices associated with major religion in U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

Launch:
Today we are going to read pages 395-399 in your textbook.  While you are reading, I want you to focus on the vocabulary words:  slave codes, overseers, spirituals, resist, and Underground Railroad.  Think about how slaves resisted slavery.  I also want you to think about how the textbook deals with your story from your Literature Circles (this Social Studies lesson will be given during the middle of Lit. Circles).

Explore:
Now I want each of you to draw a picture showing how a slave might have resisted slavery.  Your picture can include ideas such as breaking slave codes, treatment from the overseers, and so on.  When you are finished, you are going to explain your picture to the class.  When all of your pictures are finished, we are going to create a bulletin board under the heading:  “Slaves resisting slavery”.

Summarize:
· Ask students questions about their picture (What is happening?  Who is in the picture?).
· Discuss how slaves resisted slavery.
· Ask students what the different vocabulary words mean and how they are used in their Lit. Circle books.
· Discuss things that helped slaves through the hard times (communities, “spirituals”).
· Talk about the roles of slaves and overseers. What were the roles like in the Lit. Circle books?
· Tie in this lesson with the present (In what ways do people today protest if they are denied freedom?).
· Discuss how freedom today is different than the freedom the slaves had in the past.

Assessment/Evidence of Learning:
· The students’ pictures and explanations will give me an idea of how well the students understand the content.
· I will listen to thoughts and ideas during the class discussion to make sure students understand.

Ticket out the door:  Before students leave the classroom, I will ask them to use a vocabulary word (from the text) in a sentence that deals with the slavery they are learning about it their Lit. Circle books.

*This Social Studies lesson plan idea can be used when learning about slavery from any source.  It does not have to be this particular textbook or the Lit. Circle books.

Resources:
Social Studies Textbook for 5th Grade:
Boehm, Dr. Richard G. etal. United States, Canada, and Latin America. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997