​rethink.

Lesson 1: Fact vs. Fiction

 

 

Lesson overview: We want to prove to our students that stereotypes and misconceptions about what they’ve learned exist by giving them the opportunity to showcase their prior knowledge of the Underground Railroad and slavery.  The teacher will provide evidence that contradicts some of the ideas that they have been learning.  She will also share some of the most well-known stereotypes and where they came from.   By providing images that exemplify stereotypical views, students will develop a better understanding of the topic.

 

 

 

Materials:

• Chart paper

• Student’s prior knowledge about slavery and the Underground Railroad

• Images of Nat Turner

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• Myths about the Underground Railroad

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/myths.htm

• “Why Won’t You Just Tell Us the Answer?” Book

 

 

Instruction:

1. The teacher will introduce the topic of slavery and the Underground Railroad and will have students individually draw, paint, or write what they think they know about the topics.

2. The teacher will lead a group discussion inviting the students to share what their previous knowledge on the topic consists of while recording their responses on chart paper

3. The teacher will begin to challenge their previous knowledge by presenting information that contradicts it.

• Scholastic website: Myths about the Underground Railroad

• http://diverseeducation.com/article/7469/# - Myths about Black History

• http://www.lewrockwell.com/2005/11/laurence-m-vance/myths-of-slavery/ - Myths about Slavery

  • All slave masters were brutal

  • Blacks never owned slaves

  • Civil war fought entirely over slavery

  • Abraham Lincoln was the Negroes friend

4. After presenting some of the misconceptions, the teacher will explain to the students that not everything they learn in history might always be accurate.

• Can use the book “Why Won’t You Just Tell Us the Answer?” (Chapter 2) to gain a better understanding of how all historians portray history differently.

5. The teacher will present different images of Nat Turner (a famous slave who led a rebellion) to the students, without telling them who it is. After discussing the various images, the teacher will tell the students that they are all of the same person, which helps to further show the way one person can be portrayed many different ways. By showing these, it also helps to prove how black people were depicted, with many of their features exaggerated.

6. The teacher will wrap up the discussion by highlighting some of the main points and giving a preview of the lessons to come. The teacher will emphasize to the students that they should keep in mind what they just learned as they look into the stereotypes and myths about slavery and the underground railroad.

 

Standards:

Standards: 

8.1.4.B: Distinguish between fact and opinion from multiple points of view, and primary sources as related to historical events.