Lesson Plans for Multi-Cultural Unit

Sample lesson plans for Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963.

Lesson Plan, Day #2

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The purpose for this unit is to engage eighth grade students in focused explorations of the working class experience in America during the 1960s by seeing life through the eyes of the Watsons--a family who moved north to find work, but with work find the problems that commonly confronted blacks in northern cities as the civil rights movement began to heat up.

(These students are on a block schedule: Roughly, 2 periods of 50 minutes with a 10 minute break)

The Goals for Day #2 of the Watsons Unit are

1) Building knowledge through reviews and discussion (Elicit Prior Knowledge).

2) Fusing what students know with new material. (Directed Reading Activity#1)

3) Building motivation through anticipating and forecasting. (DRA #2)

4) Reinforcing learning through performing language arts (discussing, writing, and follow-up activities)

Time analysis:

15 min "quiet" review of notes, with partner

15 min discussion

10 min writing response (respond to some facet of the discussion)

10 min break

15 min DRA to elicit prior knowledge

10 min silent reading

15 min DRA

10 min follow-up activity of choice

Instructional Detail: Elicit Prior Knowledge

(about 15 minutes of quiet review/15 minutes of discussion) Students refer to their notes from yesterday, construct a review of the introduction to the unit (brief recap of black writers, post-civil war labor history, urbanization, and protest movement). Following the review, which may go long depending on how the teacher chooses to enrich class discussion, (recordings, films, visual art, etc), students write for ten minutes, then take a ten minute break. (Make those students who want to write through break time take at least five minutes.)

DRA #1:

Selected theme is "Political and historical events occur because of the actions of everyday people."

1. Discuss this theme for 15 minutes, using the categorized questions below as a way to direct discussion.

2. Have students read a few pages of the novel for about ten minutes.

BACKGROUND EVENTS WHAT PEOPLE DO
PERSONAL CONNECTIONS DESIRES AND SPECULATIONS
1a. What historical events have you witnessed during your lifetime? 2a. Who was involved in these events? What did they do?
3a. Have you ever been affected personally by history? 4a.Have you ever wanted to take part in an act of civil disobedience or a social movement?

Instructional Detail: Building and Fusing Old and New

Students apply history and personal experience as they explore the introduction to the characters and setting of the novel. Then the class will forecast, or predict, what might happen next. Students can wind up the period by continuing to read, write, or select some other follow-up activity.

DRA#2:

1. After silent reading, spend 15-20 minutes discussing what was read, follow the directed questions below.

2. After discussing, if time is available, have students continue reading silently, or give them a selection of activities as a follow up to today's reading.

3. Leave time to review homework (post: for tomorrow, finish reading first two chapters and write three discussion questions); forecast the next day's activities (students will begin major group project: mural, blues song, historical web site, or play).


BACKGROUND EVENTS WHAT PEOPLE DO
PERSONAL CONNECTIONS DESIRES AND SPECULATIONS
1a. What do you learn about the "Weird Watsons?" 2a. How can you tell this family is black?
3a. What expectations do they have for one another. What are their concerns? 4a. Do you think the brothers' relationship will be important in the novel? Why or why not?