History eNews from Emerging America - March 11
Published on Wed, 03/11/2020
Civic Engagement Projects by ALL: How Will Your District Support Students with Disabilities?
Complete a short survey of interest, and share questions and resources.
Accessible English Learner Lesson Plan - Esperanza Rising & the Great Depression
Published on Tue, 10/01/2019
The novel Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, offers an immigrant story that can engage all students in themes of loss of home, fairness to workers, and struggle in new situations. It is available in Spanish (print and audio versions) as Esperanza renace. Set in the Great Depression, it is an entry point to historical inquiry, and the following lesson has been written with access for English Learners in mind.
Bricks and Mortar Vocabulary for History lessons
Published on Mon, 06/03/2019
“As of last year, I started working with ELL students and have become far more cognizant of vocabulary. I’ve always taken for granted that students know certain vocabulary words, but now I find myself going over many words and to my surprise, it’s not just ELL kids who benefit from it!”
-Kevin, Spring 2019 Online Accessing Inquiry course participant
Teachers Making Lessons Accessible
Published on Sun, 05/05/2019
“I’ve found that if I pick the right primary sources…[I can make the lesson more accessible]. For example, I just gave some students an evacuation poster (after Order 9066 [–forcing Japanese relocation to camps]) that was selected for its minimal text which was heavy on vocabulary they would know or be able to figure out such as dates and places. I gave other students letters to the editor about the Japanese American “evacuation” and internment, and also used political cartoons.
Historical Fiction: Setting Study through Primary Sources of the Novel Esperanza Rising
This two-day lesson is based on students acquiring a better understanding of the effects the Great Depression had on migrant workers and their children as portrayed in the novel: Esperanza Rising. The use of photographs, as primary sources, will support understanding of this time period, as well as provoking oral discussion among English Language Learner students. As a summative assessment, students are asked to write a paragraph explaining their increased understanding of the time period through the use of primary source documents.
Civic Engagement Through Service Learning – Student Examples
Slides created for the Windows on History graduate course for teachers, supported by the Library of Congress TPS Program at CES. Find more resources on how to organize local history civic engagement and service-learning projects at http://emergingamerica.orgprograms/windows-on-history/.
Injuries and Disability in 19th Century Industry
In this lesson students will learn that incurring a disability at work was a common occurrence of the Industrial Revolution. This lesson integrates disability history content within a larger 14-day unit on the Industrial Revolution. The lesson plan provides a series of activities that highlight the importance of children and adults with disabilities in 19th century workplaces, and the ways primary source photographs provide information and inspire critical questions.
10 Lesson Plans that Address New Mass. History Standards on People with Disabilities
Published on Sun, 12/16/2018
Engaging ALL students in history and social studies education means not only using inclusive practices, but not overlooking the impact of historical changes and events on people with disabilities, and the impact people with disabilities have had on history.
New Accessible Lesson Plan: In or Out: Race and Disability as Legal Barriers to Immigration
Published on Sat, 06/16/2018
Who gets accepted as a citizen or as an immigrant? Who is considered a desirable immigrant? This lesson plan examines the arrival of newcomers and the history of the entry process. Students use primary source images and texts to investigate the answer to this question for Ellis Island in the 1900s and then present evidence with supported claims.
New Accessible Lesson Plan: The Great Depression, Dust Bowl, Disability: Background for “Of Mice and Men”
Published on Sun, 05/06/2018
This lesson guides students in exploring the Great Depression of 1920-1940 with a focus on the Dust Bowl, Migrant Workers, and the status of people with disabilities during this time period. The lesson is conceived as a research project in preparation for reading John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men”, and could also be an interdisciplinary unit linking American History, English Literature, and Disability History. It can be co-taught by the subject teacher and the Special Education Teacher.