Individual Lesson View
How Free were
Former Slaves
During Reconstruction?
From: Stanford History Education Group (SHEG)
Grade Level: MS, HS
Remote Ready: With Modifications
Time: 1 Class Period
Length of Reading: Pages
Reconstruction SAC (Structured Academic Controversy)
Fave! According to SHEG, "In this structured academic controversy, students examine constitutional amendments, a Black Code, a personal account of a former slave, and other documents to answer the question: 'Were African Americans free during Reconstruction?"
Students work in groups of 4. Everybody reads 5 very short docs. Teams of 4 are divided in half with 2 students making the case that African Americans were free during Reconstruction and the other 2 arguing the opposite. Each pair explains their arguments to the other pair. Then students try to reach consensus. Questions and graphic organizers provided.
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Grade Level: MS, HS
- MS=Middle School
- HS=High School
Remote Ready: With Modifications
- Links to the reading assignments can easily be emailed or posted for students
- Group work (pairs) might be difficult, though questions could be answered individually
- Paraphrase questions into your LMS so you can grade student’s written answers more easily
- Discussion can be had via typing on your LMS or over video conferencing
Primary Source Icon
This means that this activity utilizes primary sources
Debate Icon
This activity involves a student debate
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