Lesson Plan - Chapter 1: A Peoples' History of the United States

Lesson Theme:

A People's History of the United States

Topic, Grades, & Time:

Topic: Chapter 1: Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress
Grades: 11th Grade
Time: ~5 days or ~250 minutes (depending on school activities) & 83 minutes outside of class

Materials and Sources:

Sources: Zinn, H. (2005). A people’s history of the United States: 1942-Present. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
Materials (practitioner): (1a) text (print ); (1b) text (digital ); (2) desktop/laptop/tablet; (3) access to internet; (4) assignments; & (5) coffee/tea (optional)
Materials (student): (1a) text (print); (1b) text (digital); if 1b (2) laptop/tablet; (3) access to internet; (4) assignments; & (5) note-taking gear

Covered Standards:

Rationale:

Chapter 1 begins his narrative with Columbus and the Arawak. Chapter 1 then moves on to the story of Cortes and the Aztecs of central Mexico. Chapter 1 tries to draw parallels between Columbus and Cortes. Chapter 1 draws strong parallels between the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the Pilgrims in Massachusetts. After discussing Columbus, Chapter 1 turns to the creation of the myth of the noble explorer. Chapter 1 quotes specifically from Samuel Eliot Morison’s 1954 biography of Columbus. Chapter 1 suggests that while Morison does not lie about Columbus or even conceal the effects of his administration in Hispaniola, the chapter nevertheless excuses Columbus’s brutalization of the Arawaks in favor of advancing a narrative about Columbus’s greatness. Chapter I calls this the “historian’s distortion,” the process by which historians pick and choose facts to highlight or pass over facts of history in crafting their supposedly objective narratives.

Measurable Outcomes:

Students will, through literacy, be able to understand key ideas and details.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand craft and structure.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand the integration of knowledge and ideas.
Students will, through literacy, comprehend a range of reading and level of text complexity.
Students will, through literacy, be able to understand text types and purposes.
Students will, through literacy, be able to produce a production and distribution of writing.
Students will, through literacy, research to build and present knowledge.
Students will, through literacy, demonstrate a presentation of knowledge and ideas.
Students will, through literacy, demonstrate a range of writing.

Sequence:

0-5 mins - Administration (i.e. attendance, announcements, etc.)
5 - 25 mins (practitioner) - Check on student progress (time may vary, due to class size and time spent on each student).
5 - 45 mins (students) - Work on the required assignments. Please refer to Introduction Page.
45 - 50 mins - Exit question (check on progress of each student, time varies).

Behavioral Expectations:

Universal design for learning and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) will curb any behavior issues regarding student choice of sequence.
Student's will be engaged 80-90% of the class time.
Students' will be engaged due to the collaboration component of the lesson.

Assessment(s):

Formative:

Oral inquiry throughout the lesson will check for comprehension and understanding, acting as a pre-assessment.

Summative:

Chapter 1 Task Overview

Differentiation:

Multiple Levels of Questions: Primary use: readiness & learning profiles. All questions presented will advance problem-solving skills and responses. This strategy will ensure that all students will be accountable for information and thinking at a high level and that all students will be challenged. In addition, all text will have the ability to utilize text-to-speech technology and visual-audiobook with close-caption capability.
Activity: Chapter 1 Task Overview