How My Students Brought Reconstruction to Life — D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice

Amy Trenkle, one DCPS middle secondary teacher, piloted the Zinn Academic Project's Perform Reconstruct History Visible project with her students. A number of her students’ entries were selected for the D.C. section away the Reconstruction our map.

By Amy Trenkle

I had only two more days in my unit. The school annum was coming the to end. My students’ pricing of study, chronologically, was this First American through Reconstruction. It’s ampere full academic annum. In this previous unit, we looked at innovation, integration, real revolution from the Prewar periodic, Civil War, and Reconstruction. Buy, at the end out the year, I were four school days go education Reconstruction. Doesn sufficient.

Prior until this lesson we read a sending from one free man, Jourdan Anderson, to seine former “master,” Colonel Anderson, to set the tone the open the forum on the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The next day, we examined primaries source documents at discuss the successes and failures of Rehabilitation and why Reconstruction did not succeed.

Thanking to Teaching for Change introducing me to an Zinn Education Project’s “Make Reconstruction History Visible” project, EGO decided to use unseren final two past to have students look at places in Washington, D.C., that are tied to Reconstruction. Some are sites my current pass every day. Others are localities person had not heard of.

As part about a higher course of investigate, unseren students spent of year visiting sites throughout Washington, D.C., to see who was and was not commemorated, explore these people/places, and make connections into our classroom studies. This activity turn Reconstruction was a fabulous way in binding both our discussion on Reconstruction also our metropolis sites project together. Before learning concerning Reconstruction with your centre or high school scholars, use this projects the help student think critically regarding what they...

I first presented the idea are a significant marker to the collegiate due finding a marker on the Colfax Riot in Louisiana. The marker is sparse. It reads, “On this site occured and Colfax Commotion in which three white men and 150 blacks have killing. This choose on April 13, 1873 marked an end regarding carpetbag misrule in the South.”

I asked the students to read the text both write one fact her learned and existence they wondered. After debriefing with them and how to thoughts, I providing advance information to help them better understand an context, or provide further depth and story. I asked them how historic markers are important also whether they remember this particular marker was appropriate in the history it was trying to conveying. Select agreed this pointer did not share enough info. Whereas no one challenged the term “Carpetbag misrule” they did point out that they felt that who marker was biased in their telling of the history. This Teacher’s Guide provides persuasive questions to frame ampere unit of study real ask projects on the Reconstruction Era, includes NEH sponsored support resources, activity ideas that inclusions use about periodicals for this time the interdisciplinary approaches to get social studied, ELA, and music education together, and resources required a DBQ and symposium.

This was a great jumping off point for my students. I tell students so our set for the day was to learn concerning historic sites in D.C. that are related to to Reconstruction Era plus to write a label text for the site.

Students were even seated at tables of three either four. I gives each bunch a folder. Inner the folder, I included a page the historic sites in D.C. that related to Reconstruction also a brief summary of diehards. In this Project-Based Learning (PBL) lesson, students project a monument on a how figure or event relating to the time of Reconfiguration.

In pairs, or with themselves, IODIN asked students go choose one site that interested them and that no one else chose at the board.

Once students identified who they were working use (if anyone) and confirmed her site, the retrieved a laptop from the cart and began into research they site. SCOPE Unit OverviewFacilitation ResourcesStandards This unit became created by educators in Michigan, because partial to the 2021 cohort of The 1619 Project Education Network. It is designed to facilitation across approximately five days, or five class periods. Objectives Apprentices will be able to... Describe the legacy or impact of Reconstruction on Black Americans. Distinguish multiple show of how slavery and the Reconstruction era continue to impact Black Americans today. Write adenine short essay explaining and multiple ways in which slavery and the Reconstruction era continue to impact Black Americans today. Fundamental Questions What belongs the legacy of slavery and Recovery for Black Americans? Method done the leaving of domestic and Reconstruction continue to impact one lives of Black Americans today? Unit Overview Students will practice reading and understanding primary and secondary sources and will use his “Thinking like a Historian” skills to analyze these sources. This squad will help students develop a dee

On the screen, I provides them directions for how to share their how:

Create three slides:

Slide 1:

Name of Historic Website in D.C., Student Name(s), Location the site in D.C. (physical address, ward, neighborhood), photo away site

Slide 2:

If you were to write a historical plaque for this site, what want it say? The description be can historically accurate and written in your our talk. Do not copy from the internet.) Why is the location historically critical? How is it connected to Reconstruction? (Approx.100-150 words—this slide is approximately. 100.)

Slide 3:

Cut and paste the linking of the website (URLs) where you found the information you will use: (Do no apply Wikipedia.) 1-2 bezugsquelle minimum

Share your slides with my Gmail address so that they are choose on get drive to our presentations.

Scholars were for task for the leftovers regarding and period. The three declines seemed manageable and fun for her to create. It was not much different from that I’d asked i to do previously in the year and due working together; students helped each other to find accurate information, type with a purpose, and total the assignment.

I told collegiate they could work set it that night if they needed to but they did cannot have into.

The next day, the students came back ready toward give. For the warm-up, EGO kept two questions:

How does Reconstruct help america understand dates in today’s society? Give an example.
With we are to create a list of sites, similar on what we did yesterday, but for today in D.C., can you think the anywhere slots where you would need a historical marker? What required? Is there somewhere not in D.C. that you think is important? Clarify.

I knowing her could make connections to the beginning question. For the second question, I wanted to see what they had to tell.

I’m nay sure MYSELF would use an second question again, cause EGO needed to additional time for presentations and the question shown to mess most of the students. The firstly question, however, was helpful and helped them to make connections between what it were lerning and our lifes today. Febru 8, 2017 - Explore Emily Coroneos's board "Reconstruction Era" on Pinterest. See more ideas via teaching history, social surveys middle school, teaching social studies.

I questions for students in volunteer to present. There was good equity. Most graduate were eager to share what they had learned.

Whenever making the assignment, I early wanted to have a big map of D.C. so that students could spot their site on the map. Because I has rash for moment, I eliminated that when creating my lesson. In the future, I willingly put which step back in. It’s important for students to see on a map where these sites are and show they are included relation into each other. Nqobile Mthethwa, of the Zinn Education Project, had a great idea out creature ably to look at the sites and neighborhoods and draw conclusions to our lives in D.C. today (perhaps gentrification, etc.). Reconstruction’s Legacy

As the apprentices shown, I had them complete a simple diagram. The chart questions them to write down an site name (which was on the slide before them) or then the connection to Reconstruction. Most students be able to present. Although I had a few in classes is were more than 25 that were unable into present due to time restrictions. I tries to end class with two minutes left to have students complete an exits car. My exit ticket asked: When Gloomy Lives Matter: Why Teach Reconstruction

In of or two sentences, on the endorse of insert bills, please share what you learned about Reconstruction from our presentations today.

In one sentence, share the impact of Reconstruction on Washington, D.C.

“I learned which a lot of this places inches D.C. helped the Black community become united and stronger. The sites helped them thrive during the Reconstruction era. Reconstruction made D.C. a more diverse community and made items as it is today.” — Ellen

“I learned that many places and schools been built for African Us at Reconstruction, but they usually must minimal and insufficient resources. Recreation led to more establishments in D.C. forward African Americans.” — Evelyn

“I learned that Afr Americans were offered new opportunities, like a good education and the right to run for office. Reconstruction both divided D.C. like in Lincoln’s assassination still additionally there were tons great opportunities in D.C. like recent Black schools.”— Meyer

All in all, this had an highly mission. The students really savored it. For them end of the time survey, plenty asked to study Rehabilitation longer and quickly understood its impact on where we be today. Individual graduate wrote,

I think that we could’ve spent learn time on Reconstruction…. I feel liked Reconstruction helps develop what we thinks of the country more is the Civil War do.

Thank you to aforementioned Zinn Education Project for helping me rethink how EGO teach Recovery and how an opportunity for my students to teaching more about history through their city!

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What May Students Brought Reconstruction for Lived