Last updated: July 29, 2019
Lesson Plan
LESSON 2 - REMEMBERING SAN MALÓ
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 90 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 6-8.RH.1, 6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.3, 6-8.RH.4, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 11-12.RH.1, 11-12.RH.2, 8.RI.1, 8.RI.2, 9-10.RI.1, 9-10.RI.2, 9-10.RI.3
- Additional Standards:
- US.1.5, C. Historical and Cultural Perspective., World Geography
Standard 4 – Place
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE SOCIAL STUDIES - Ia, Ib, Ic, IIa, IIc - Thinking Skills:
- Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts.
Essential Question
What is the importance of remembering heroes?
Who decides who is a hero and who is a villain?
What criteria are used in reaching a conclusion as to who is a hero and who is a villain?
How might centers of power destroy the community’s memory of a hero?
Objective
Continue to explore the historical figure of Juan San Maló.
Continue exploration of the following concepts: MAROON SOCIETIES, CREOLITO, CREOLIZATION, KRÉYOL LANGUAGE, RESISTANCE TO OPPRESSION, ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF SEEING AND KNOWING, LANGUAGE AS POWER.
Analyze a short historical piece on the historic figure of Juan San Maló.
Background
In the previous lesson students were introduced to the concept of Creolization, to the historical figure of San Maló as presented in the song, and to Creole/Zydeco music.
In this lesson students will focus on gaining greater historical knowledge of Juan San Maló. This will be done through a deep reading of an adapted version of a thesis paper on San Maló by Erin Elizabeth Voisin.
Preparation
Delivery of the previous lesson (lesson 1) will prepare the teacher and learner for this lesson.
Materials
Edited version of the master's thesis of Erin Elizabeth Voisin.
Version of same reading with numbered sections to be assigned to students for familiarization before oral whole class reading.
Download STUDENT READING-Struggling Learners- San Maló Remembered
Graphic organizer to assist students in analysis of reading
Download ORGANIZER-SAN MALÓ REMEMBERED
These are numbered questions that students answer to fill in the ORGANIZER
Download QUESTION SHEET for ORGANIZER San Maló Remembered
This is a copy of the reading with sections highlighted that students should choose as answers and place in boxes on the ORGANIZER.
Download TEACHER KEY- San Maló Remembered
Lesson Hook/Preview
Students should have a basic understanding of purpose of this lesson based on Lesson 1. Tell them that in this lesson they will learn the historical facts of the forgotten hero of resistance against slavery, San Maló. Step #1 below could act as a more extensive LESSON PREVIEW.
Procedure
1. INTRODUCTION TO LESSON AND ACTIVATION OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE -
TIME REQUIRED: 5 TO 10 MINUTES.
- Ask students to summarize what they know about San Maló. This could be done orally through class discussion. The student’s understandings of the words below should be checked in the discussion. Students will need to be given these definitions to copy.
- Maroon (Wild. Also in the context of this lesson-(noun): A legally enslaved person who escapes to a semi-permanent life of freedom lived in an isolated region within slave territory. Maroons do not escape to free territory, but instead establish a free society within an enslaved area.
- Creole (Something with Old World roots that is created in the New World. A culture created in America from Old World African and European, and New World Indigenous people and cultures.)
- Creolité, Creolization. The creation in the New World of a new culture from the clash of European, Indigenous, and African cultures.
- Power. (Ability to direct or influence the behavior of others.)
- Oppression. (Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control.)
- Resistance. (Refusal to comply or obey.)
A more structured method is to use a “QUICK WRITE”. Give these instructions:
Think back to yesterday’s lesson. Write five sentences or more summarizing the story of San Maló. In your sentences you must use the following words in a way that shows you understand their meanings and communicate the story of San Maló.
- MAROON
- CREOLE
- OPPRESSION
- RESISTANCE
- POWER
GRADING QUICK WRITE:
Grade each sentence separately until you reach a maximum score of 100. Students should cover the following facts.
- San Malo was an escaped slave.
- He and others established villages consisting of groups of escaped slaves.
- He was hunted by the Spanish and was eventually captured and executed.
Check that the five words above were used. Subtract five points for each of those words not used correctly.
2. STUDENT READING OF SAN MALÓ REMEMBERED.
This is a higher level reading. For grades 8 and 9 use the reading/handout STUDENT READING-STRUGGLING READERS under HELP FOR STRUGGLING LEARNERS which has the reading numbered into 30 sections of from 2 to 3 sentences each.
TIME REQUIRED: 10 to 30 MINUTES.
- Tell students that the historical story of San Maló had been largely unknown for almost 200 years, with the main knowledge consisting of legends told in the Creole and Black communities.
- Ask students why historically accurate information of San Maló was so lacking.
POSSIBLE ANSWERS:
Governmental authorities and slave owners would not want the story of a slave who revolted against the slave system to be known. They might fear that such a person would come to be seen as a hero. Even though San Maló was executed, he and his followers held onto freedom for years, and some of them managed to elude capture. It would be very dangerous to slave owners for slaves to believe that escape into the swamp country was possible, and that some enslaved persons managed to live lives of freedom in that way.
- Tell students that historians have succeeded in uncovering records about the man who came to be called San Maló. Today they will read a short paper that summarizes the main facts. It is from a paper written by Erin Elizabeth Voisin, a native of Louisiana who did original research while also reviewing the published research of respected historians who have looked at San Maló.
- Hand out the reading SAN MALÓ REMEMBERED.
- The reading was adapted for length from the original paper written by Ms. Voisin. The only changes were the elimination of certain sections that covered information not considered essential for a lesson on this level. The entire paper can be found on line at https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3728&context=gradschool_theses
- Students who seem particularly interested in San Maló could be directed to the link. They could also read the sources that are included in this adapted version of the paper.
- Students read the paper. This could be done individually, in groups, or as a whole class reading.
- Struggling learners or lower grades can be assigned the numbered paper. Assign each student a number and allow them to read the paper on their own, with a focus on becoming familiar with their numbered phrase. Then do the reading as a whole class reading with the teacher assisting.
3. ACTIVITY/CLOSE READING OF SAN MALÓ REMEMBERED.
TIME REQUIRED: 20 to 30 minutes.
- The lesson gives two methods of examining the reading.
The suggested method is use of the ORGANIZER. To fill in the organizer correctly requires deeper thinking than simply answering questions. Additionally, once completed the organizer provides a more visual representation of the material. CLASSES WITH FEWER READING AND ANALYSIS SKILLS SHOULD DO THIS AS A WHOLE CLASS READING ACTIVITY as suggested above with the numbered reading.
- The second method is to have students answer the list of questions. To do this, simply rewrite the questions/prompts used to complete the organizer.
4. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION.
- If time allows, engage in a whole class discussion.
- Project the questions/organizer
- Take student responses. Do not give students the right answers. Tell them they must decide what would be a correct response.
- If you wish, the organizer could be collected and act as an ASSESSMENT. If so, for each missed answer subtract 2.5 points. Since 2.5 x 37 = 92.5, this spots the students 7.5 points.
Vocabulary
CREOLITE/CREOLIZATION: The creation in the New World of a new culture from the clash of European, Indigenous, and African cultures.
KRÉYOL (LANGUAGE): Alternative spelling of CREOLE, specifically referring to the language and culture.
MALO: Bad, Wrong, ILL.
MAROON: (noun): A legally enslaved person who escapes to a semi-permanent life of freedom lived in an isolated region within slave territory. Maroons do not escape to free territory, but instead establish a free society within an enslaved area.
OPPRESSION: The unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power.
POWER: Ability to direct or influence the behavior of others.
RESISTANCE: Refusal to comply or obey.
SAN: Saint
ZYDECO: A folk music of southern Louisiana that combines elements of French, African, and Caribbean music, and the blues, and that features accordion, washboard, and guitar.
Assessment Materials
There is no separate organizer for this lesson, though the lesson elements such as the short write and the organizer can be used as assessments.
Supports for Struggling Learners
- See the handout SSTUDENT HANDOUT-STRUGGLING LEARNERS.
- This is a copy of the same reading, but sections have been numbered. Assign struggling learners a number. Have them familiarize themselves with the numbered section so that they can read it aloud during whole class oral reading.
- For completion of the ORGANIZER, place struggling readers with a partner or in a group.
- When doing the ORGANIZER, a struggling student could be assigned only certain numbered boxes. You may use the key to tell the students which section of the reading to examine.