Last updated: March 8, 2019
Lesson Plan
Douglass
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 90 Minutes
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts.
Essential Question
Who was Frederick Douglass?
Objective
The instructor will lead students in a discussion about Frederick Douglass, his accomplishments, and his contributions to American society. Students will be asked about the visual imagery in the poem, and will brainstorm ideas for showing these images in a picture.
Background
A discussion about Frederick Douglass and reflections of his legacy in modern times.
Preparation
See Procedure section.
Materials
Procedure
The instructor will ask one student to read the following stanzas of the Paul Laurence Dunbar poem, "Frederick Douglass." (Next step).
Through good and ill report he cleaved his way.
Right onward, with his face set toward the heights,
Nor feared to face the foeman's dread array,--
The lash of scorn, the sting of petty spites.
He dared the lightning in the lightning's track,
And answered thunder with his thunder back.
No miser in the good he held was he,--
His kindness followed his horizon's rim.
His heart, his talents, and his hands were free
To all who truly needed aught of him.
Where poverty and ignorance were rife,
He gave his bounty as he gave his life.
The place and cause that first aroused his might
Still proved its power until his latest day.
In Freedom's lists and for the aid of Right
Still in the foremost rank he waged the fray;
Wrong lived;his occupation was not gone.
He died in action with his armor on!
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The instructor will then ask students to reflect on modern heroes, and what kinds of contributions they make to society. Students will discuss these ideas as a group. The instructor will ask students to select their own hero, and try to draw an image that reflects the qualities that they have decided upon.
Assessment Materials
The success of this project can be ascertained through the quality of the artwork. The instructor can also ask a series of questions regarding the objectives of the lesson to determine how well students have comprehended the material.
Alternatively, the rubric below can be used to rate each child's performance during the working period.
Art Rubric
| Category | Possible Points | Points Earned |
| Craftsmanship | 20 | |
| Time on Task | 20 | |
| Following Assignment Guidelines | 20 | |
| Use of Materials | 20 | |
| Clean Up | 20 |
Additional Resources
Frederick Douglass: From Slavery to Statesman, by Henry Elliott
Frederick Douglass: A Noble Life, by David Adler