Putting Together History – The Life of Robert Smalls

• The teacher will introduce the lesson using textbook material, and the SC Hall of Fame video.  Additional resources from the PBS series Many Rivers to Cross may also be provided to students. Resource links to the SC Hall of Fame video, the PBS series, as well as additional resources are listed.
• Students will be placed in groups. Each group will be assigned a specific time period, with the title giving the group an indication of the time period they should research.  Students/groups will research their time period, recording facts they feel are pertinent, and recording the web sites that provide the most relevant information.  Students can share information within their group, and with their teacher, and other groups, using Google Keep. Google Keep is an application that is part of the Google suite of programs in Google Drive. This is a free application that is an extension of Google Docs and allows students to work collaboratively. It can be accessed through Google Drive, or by going to https://keep.google.com/u/0/.

• The teacher will provide the students/groups a list of facts that may or may not pertain to their particular time period.  The teacher will also give each group the specific number of facts that go with their particular time period, based on the facts the teacher has already determined.
• Using the research each group has completed, the groups will first determine which facts match their time period and attempt to place the events in the correct chronological order. The teacher has two choices on how to complete this step. The teacher can provide groups mixed up facts from the combined three sections, or the mixed up facts from the historical period they are assigned. The second choice will expedite the teaching of the lesson in the classroom. Groups can either send their first attempts to the teacher using Google Keep, or send a hard copy to the teacher.
• This is how the process resembles the game, Mastermind. To assist in the influx of information, the teacher may pull students from groups and assign them the task of checking facts from the groups.
• The teacher and/or assigned group fact-checking members will send the information to the groups. This is when the assigned task members will be checking from a correct master fact list, which the teacher will provide. To resemble a Mastermind game, the teacher may create colored squares that can be written on and erased. For example:  Green = correct facts – Yellow = correct chronological order (any colors can be used). So if the groups get a green card with the number 8 and a yellow card with the number 7, groups can conclude they have 8 correct facts, with 7 of their correct facts in their correct chronological order. Since groups know in advance how many facts their time period should have, and they have all the facts from each time period, the groups will use their research and what they learned from the videos to add to and correct their fact list. They will send their corrected list to be checked, and receive feedback, until the groups have the correct facts, in the correct chronological order.
  • Correct facts
  • If groups have correct facts, how many facts are correct without indicating what facts are correct (just the number correct)
  • The number of facts listed, which are chronologically correct
• Once groups have a correct fact list, in the correct chronological order, they can begin to find a photograph to represent Robert Smalls and the particular time period the group was assigned.
• Groups will use Thinglink or other appropriate application to create an interactive photograph, infusing their facts into the picture they have selected.
• Lastly, the groups will write a reflection response to the work they’ve done in class. The response should be three paragraphs in length and answer the following queries:
  • Why should Robert Smalls be admired?
  • How does the chosen picture represent Robert Smalls and the time period your group researched?
  • What can we learn from Robert Smalls that can be applied today?

This lesson crosses curriculum, allowing the student to experience the history of Robert Smalls in both a social studies and language arts classroom.  The rubric can be a self-check for students, a peer checking devise, or used by you, the teacher, to quickly grade the short reflection paper and group participation. It may be time saver to only reorder the facts for one particular time period when giving students mixed up facts. This can expedite the lesson, making better use of limited classroom time. The social studies aspect of the lesson can be further enhanced by having students challenge the order of the facts. Students can reorder the facts, but should explain their process using evidence that is historically accurate and logical to explain the new order.  The designing of the headstone could also be incorporated in an art setting or simply as a method to reach different modalities of learning.