Reconstruction Unit

Reconstruction (Approximately 3 weeks)
 

Day 1:

• Review the Civil War.
• Students will need a notebook.
• Have them create a “Title Page” where they write “Reconstruction” in large font and decorate how they please.
• Glue in vocabulary chart. (Provided in Lesson Resources)
• Begin definitions (Provided in Lesson Resources)
  • Teacher: Before the lesson begins, cut each definition into slips (each child gets a slip)
  • You may need multiple copies if you have more students than words/definitions.
  • When the music starts, students write the definition of the slip they have and when they are finished, they stand up and switch with someone else who is finished.
  • They will receive words out of numerical order until they are complete.

Day 2:

• Watch Flocabulary video on Reconstruction.
• Watch BrainPop on Reconstruction.
• Finish definitions.

Day 3

• Watch Flocabulary on Reconstruction.
• Review life for slaves during the Civil War.
• Freedman’s Bureau
• Have students read the information in their social studies book about the Freedman’s Bureau. Explain/discuss with students what this meant for the newly freed slaves.
• Pass out a colored piece of paper to each partner set.
• Have them create a brochure as if they were handing it to a slave about what the Freedman’s Bureau had to offer them. (free clothes, food, education, and medical care)
• Remind students that slaves were not educated so they couldn’t read so they need to add as little words as possible.

Day 4

• Review Freedman’s Bureau
• Have students read about Lincoln’s plan in their books.
• Create a foldable about the two components to his plan. (view foldable in Lesson Resources).
• Have students read through one section at a time, and then label that part of the foldable. Step by step makes it much easier for them. (I used the example of our class leaving 5th grade and then trying to join again).

Day 5

• Watch BrainPOP on Reconstruction.
• Make foldable with two sides - Cause and Effect
• Talk about Life After War with students.
• Have students read in their Social Studies notebooks about tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and wives/families during Reconstruction.
• Explain to students that life after the war meant the plantation owners still had land that needed to be worked on, but no one to do it. Because of this, they created “slavery” sprinkled with a little glitter. (See foldable in Lesson Resources)

Day 6

• Play Reconstruction Rock
• Have students turn and talk with a partner about what they have learned about Reconstruction thus far.
• Briefly discuss Lincoln’s assassination.
• Explain that President Johnson came into office and had a new plan for Reconstruction.
• Have students read about Johnson’s plan during Reconstruction and construct a Venn Diagram.
• First, have students fill “Lincoln’s Plan” before they read.
• Then, have students fill the rest of the Venn Diagram. Walk them through it if necessary. I had my students do it in groups.

Day 7

• Play Reconstruction rap on Flocabulary.
• Explain to students that during the Reconstruction Era, there were a few very important groups.
• Create a 3-part foldable labeled “Important Groups”
• Have students label the foldable Scalawags, Carpetbaggers, and Radical Republicans.
• Read in social studies books about the three groups and take notes in foldable.
• Then, have students split into three groups
• Together they will create a short skit to act out to the class.
• They will display what life was like for these people.
• Come together to reflect at the end.

Day 8

• Play Jim Crow rap on Flocabulary.
• Split the class in half - and then both halves in half.
• Have them research Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws.
• After about 20 minutes, have them teach the other half of the class.
• Make a two-part foldable to display the new information.
• Then, have students draw a sign that would be displayed during this time. (WHITE WATER FOUNTAIN ONLY)
• When everyone finished, rip the papers up as a whole class and throw them in the trash displaying how horrible this was for African Americans.

Day 9

• Congress’ Plan
• Have students read in the book about Congress’ Plan
• Make a foldable about the different aspects of Congress’ Plan (wanted the Southerners to pay for their actions, extended the Freedman’s bureau, etc.)
• Give quiz on Reconstruction Vocabulary. (found in lesson resources)

Day 10

• See “Amendments during Reconstruction Lesson”

Day 11

• Split the class into 3 groups (African American leaders, Compromise of 1877, Subversive groups)
• Have students read about the group of your choosing while they take notes independently.
• Students get together with their group and create a picture diagram that explains the concept they were chosen to have. Have them label the picture with important ideas.
• Everyone else will “speed date” to each picture and recreate it in their journals.

Day 12

• Read the book “Mississippi Morning”
• Have students put themselves in the perspective of the little boy and write a paragraph about how they think he felt or how they would feel.
• Have them share with a partner, then compare to other members of the class to see how they would feel as well.

Day 13

• Introduce Music Video and Rubric
• With their table groups, they will pick a song of their choice to recreate lyrics.
• It is best if you find the Kidz Bop version of the songs to ensure appropriateness.
• This takes students a while.
• Introduce rubric to them (found in lesson resources)

Day 14

• Students work on recreating lyrics.

Day 15

• Students work on recreating lyrics

Day 16

• Finish lyrics

Day 17

• Record themselves singing on the app SeeSaw (or really any kind of app where music can be used) their new lyrics to the songs.

Day 18

• Present songs