The following outline serves as a perspective guide to the sequencing of activities to be incorporated into this unit.
WEEK 1
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Preparing the class for the Unit
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-Explore the value of journal keeping with the class. Examples such as
The
Diary of Anne Frank
or
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
may prove valuable. I have had great success when I’ve shared entries from journals I kept as a youngster. Time should be set aside each day for journal writing. Explain to students that they will be required to maintain a journal for the purpose of this unit. Although they should not have to share their personal responses, I recommend that some writings be assigned with the intent of sharing them in class. This should prove very enlightening and validating of the students’ feelings.
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-Introduce the first group of vocabulary words using a variety of techniques that provide students with an opportunity to experience the words and concepts in a variety of ways. These activities might include: semantic webbing, thematic mobiles, tableaus, collages, posters, exemplary skits, and poetry.
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-Discuss students’ attitudes about issues such as diversity, stereotypes, and prejudice. Contact, Project Directors,
A World of Difference
at the nearest
Anti-Defamation League
for a wealth of information regarding teacher training and curriculum resources.
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-Create a class chart that indicates the cultural, religious, geographical, ethnic, and social backgrounds of students in the class in an effort to note similarities and differences. Students might enjoy selecting the categories for this activity.
-Present and conduct activities with related vocabulary.
WEEK 2
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Introduce film as a tool for gathering information and communicating story.
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-Show the film,
Brother Future
, to provide a collective frame of reference and to introduce the period of slavery. Segments from the television series,
Roots
may also be used for this purpose.
-Discuss with students the origins of slavery in this country; how it developed, its social, political, and historical implications, and its impact on attitudes towards race in our society.
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-Present and conduct activities with related vocabulary.
WEEK 3
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Acquire a more extensive and accurate understanding of how chattel slavery. impacted individuals and institutions in this country through the reading of folktales, biographical accounts and personal narratives
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-Discuss the function of folktales and stories within a given community.
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-Select class readings from William Faulkner’s
In the Days When the Animals
Talked
, Belinda Hurmence’s
Before Freedom
, and Virginia Hamilton’s
The People Could Fly
and
Many Thousand Gone
. In these stories one finds accounts of life during slavery told from the perspective of the slave. Many of these stories are testimony to the power of hope, humanity, and determination to sustain the human spirit, even in the face of despair.
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-Present and compare the African story, “Talk” and the African American story, “The Talkin’ Cooter”. (Both stories are summarized in the Sample Lesson Plan.)
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-Present and conduct activities with related vocabulary.
WEEK 4
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Select films will be used to illustrate how stereotyped and distorted images of certain groups can affect not only how they are viewed and treated by others, but also how they view themselves.
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-Students will view the film,
Just Remember This
. As students discuss the film, you may want to consider some of the following questions suggested by Public Media Video in their informational pamphlet about the film.
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Why does Ella open the trunk? Do you think she is doing the right thing?
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When Uncle Buddy sees the trunk, he doesn’t even want to have where he can see it, so it is stashed away in the garage. Why?
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Why do you think Uncle Buddy doesn’t tell anyone about his past experience as a film maker?
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Why does Uncle Buddy give up his career in the entertainment industry?
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How would you feel if what happened to Uncle Buddy and Ella DuChamps happened to you?
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Why does Ella have a problem with passing the ball to Cindy? What makes her decide to change her ways?
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-To give students clear examples of common stereotypes of African Americans during the slave era, show clippings from the following films. Students will find some of these scenes quite interesting since they also appear in
Just Remember This
. The films are:
That’s Black Entertainment
,
Jezebel
,
The Little Colonel
,
The Littlest Rebel
and
The Birth of a Nation
. Perhaps students could list and categorize the various stereotypes that appear in these movies.
WEEK 5
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Experience the significance of telling the story that is your own.
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-This final week of the unit should be devoted to collecting, sharing, and recording of personal and family stories, including tales told within the family setting. Ella, through opening her Uncle Buddy’s chest, discovered a treasure of stories and film images. Explain to students that very likely, if they search, they will also find a treasure of stories within their own families. Some will be painful while others will be inspiring, funny, and healing. All are treasures.
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-Show clippings from the films,
Hollywood Shuffle
and
Daughters of the Dust
to give students an example of films made be independent Black film makers. Discuss how people of color are portrayed in these movies. Ask students to describe how the scenes make them feel about the characters. How does the film maker seem to feel about the characters? It might be interesting to show clippings first, without informing your students that they were both made by independent Black film makers, and then to show them again after students understand the perspective from which they were created.—I recommend that there be a culminating activity upon completing this unit.
As you can see, students will explore many issues presented in the readings and films. There will be many opportunities to write and record poems, personal narratives and responses, stories, skits and the like can be organized and compiled into a final presentation. If activities in the visual arts emerge from this unit, they should also be displayed.