Materials and Preparation: Study materials presenting the Constitution o Could be in the form of a textbook or other school media

a center resources Classroom set of laptops o One laptop necessary per group (4 students) Student handout to guide the creation of a presentation Day 1: Collaboration with partner & Research Introduction (30 minutes) o Think about: While hiking with friends, you discover a hidden trail covered with bushes and briars, and tree limbs. Cautiously continuing the unfamiliar trail, you come to a large tree with a large hole at the base. You lean into the damp, inky blackness of the hole. You fall into the hole and see nothing, until a flicker of light appears in the distance. You follow the light and suddenly find yourself in the plantation South in what appears to be the mid-1800s. As you wander around the grounds, you discover that you have become the son/daughter of the plantation owners. Witnessing several slaves being mistreated, you soon realize that your parents own and mistreat their slaves. What can you do to make an end to slavery? You need a plan to free the slaves without destroying the South. How can you present a means to an end to your parents? o Students will presented with a brief study of Constitution using a textbook or other media center resources All Men are Created Equal! Students will read textbook or other resources and take notes with any questions or comments they may have while reading Students will be asked to specifically focus on ideas of tolerance/intolerance o Class-wide discussion will be conducted on intolerance and discrimination within our society Discussion will be student-centered and only guiding questions will be asked by the teacher Introduction to Assignment (7 minutes) o Class will be given the task to divide themselves into groups of four Research & Collection of Accounts(45 minutes) o Students will begin researching o Students will take notes from historical accounts to help create their presentation thinking about: Where did slavery start? What was the purpose of slavery? What jobs did slaves do? Who tried to help slaves? What plan would you propose to end slavery? Debrief of day (8 minutes) o The class will clean up all materials and supplies used for the day o Class will come together to discuss any questions they may have about the assignment Briefly discuss any interesting finds

Day 2: Creation of a Presentation Brief discussion about prior day (5 minutes) o Students will be asked to discuss with partner about planning for the day ahead o Students can decide to continue researching if they deem necessary If they feel they have obtained enough information, they can continue to the next part of the lesson Creation of Presentation(55 minutes) o Using the notes created from the groups research, students will begin creating their presentation in a format of their choice Students will need to take into account: How slaves were used in the 1800s Summary of a slave narrative Details about why slavery should end Providing several possible alternatives for ending slavery Choosing the best idea and drawing a conclusion Including information on what impact slavery will have on the future of the nation Including works cited Discussion & Wrap Up (30 minutes) o Students will be given time to share their newsletters with the rest of the class o If there is time at the end of the presentations, there will be discussion: What did you find that was interesting? Did you come across anything that surprised you? Did you face any challenges during this assignment? Assessment Informal: o Class-wide discussion (Day 1) Are students participating? Are students sharing appropriate insight and information? o Engagement during research Are students conducting appropriate research? Are students taking relevant notes that will help with presentations? Did the students work well collaborating? o Class-wide discussion (Day 2) Are students engaged and paying attention? Was work split evenly amongst group members? Formal o Newsletters and editorial Is the information included accurate? Were the guiding questions answered during the presentation? Were the alternative ideas created thoughtfully? Classroom Arrangement The students will have the opportunity to choose their own partners Groups will have the opportunity to place themselves about the room in such a manner that they have their own space

Laptops and the newsletter formatting guide will be provided by the teacher Management: o Because the students can pick their partners, it will be particularly important for the students to cooperate with one another If groups are having difficulty working together, the teacher will intervene and split them up immediately It will be presented that if groups need to regroup, they will be behind the rest of the class and will miss out on valuable time for research o Students will be asked to manage the volume at which they speak to their partners

Accommodations As this is an individual group assignment, the teacher will have the ability to travel around the room and meet with each group If students are struggling, the teacher will provide individual assistance o The teacher will have suggestions for research-based websites that students can use Anticipating Student Responses: If students believe they are done early o What other information can you put in your presentation?