Lesson Plan

Lesson 6 - RESEARCHING CONTEMPORARY SLAVERY

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park

CD box containing music. Picture from Stephen Marc’s book Passage on the Underground Railroad.

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.7, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.7, 9-10.RH.9, 9-10.W.1, 9-10.W.1.d, 9-10.W.2
Additional Standards:: National Council for the Social Studies
VI. Power, Authority, & Governance
IX. Global Connections
X. Civic Ideals & Practices
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. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.

Essential Question

To what extent has the institution of slavery survived in the modern world?
What social and economic forces allow for the survival and expansion of slavery?
What steps can be taken to eliminate modern slavery?
To what extent do I as an individual participate in or profit from modern slavery.

Objective

Research the institution of modern slavery.
Consider the ethical questions surrounding bondage.
Recognize the student’s role in modern slavery.
Explore methods of social change.

Background

This is the final set of lessons in a multi lesson unit.

Lessons are based on the two-cd set Freedom Is Coming: Songs of Freedom, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad, available from the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, 916 North Peters Street, New Orleans, La, 70116. www.nps.gov/jazz

The Unit uses freely available documents that are in the public domain, as well as musical selections from Freedom Is Coming: Songs of Freedom, Resistance, and the Underground Railroad.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

For this final lesson/enrichment activity, students will need access to the internet.
They will use vetted internet sites to research the issue of modern slavery.

Preparation

Students will need a basic understanding of the history of slavery. They will have that understanding if they have completed the earlier lessons in the unit. Otherwise, they will need some preparation.
They will then be led through some basic research on modern slavery in order to familiarize them with the subject and with web sites.
Students will then engage in more in depth research, discussion, and a short writing assignment/assessment.

Materials

List of vetted websites for use by students. All sites are US Government, United Nations, or posted as links on those sites. In addition, we have examined the websites ourselves for suitability.

Download WEB SITE-LESSON 6

A student handout and exercise in which students will learn the basic facts of modern slavery. They will also visit each of the vetted websites to build familiarity with their resources.

Download HANDOUT-MODERN SLAVERY- THE BASICS

Key to the student exercise.

Download KEY-MODERN SLAVERY-THE BASICS

A list of questions to ask the students to guide initial class discussion related to the handout MODERN SLAVERY-THE BASICS.

Download INITIAL DISCUSSION HINTS: MODERN SLAVERY

Handout for students to lead them through additional research on modern slavery. This is not an extensive research project, though certainly a teacher could alter it to be one.

Download HANDOUT-RESEARCHING MODERN SLAVERY

A list of questions and suggestions to facilitate discussion after students have completed their additional research.

Download FINAL DISCUSSION HINTS

Lesson Hook/Preview

If previous lessons were done students should have an extensive understanding of slavery at this point. But few students are aware that slavery still exists. They tend to think of it as an old institution that disappeared 150 years ago.
DISCUSSION: Ask students what they would have done about slavery if they had been alive in ante-bellum times. Would they have resisted slavery? Would they have taken action to assist enslaved persons.
Ask them if they are aware of the existence of slavery today. How involved are they with modern slavery?
Show one of the videos below. The first video is more suitable for middle school. The second video is suitable for high school. Both mention sex trafficking, but the first video deals with it more briefly.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/specials/freedom-project/
https://www.freetheslaves.net/global-advocacy/videos/

Procedure

Conduct discussion as shown under “HOOK” above.

Explain to students that they are going to engage in basic research on the issue of MODERN SLAVERY.

They will be given a list of websites to use as resources.
They will first complete a basic outline sheet to give them background on the issue of modern slavery.
See MATERIALS section for handout.

Distribute the handout MODERN SLAVERY: THE BASICS.

Explain to students that they are to use the web sites on the handout to answer the questions.
Filling in the sheet will give them a basic understanding of modern slavery and expose them to several websites that they will use in step 5 below.

Discussion:

The discussion could be conducted before the students have turned in their worksheets for grading, or after.

See INITIAL DISCUSSION HINTS under materials section for ideas to facilitate the class discussion.

Student Research leading to further discussion.

Give students the handout RESEARCHING MODERN SLAVERY.
Review the handout together to ensure that students understand their task.
This is designed as a quick research project leading to discussion rather than as a formal research paper, but a teacher could easily use it as a springboard into a formal paper.
Give students 1 day to conduct research.

Final Discussion.

See FINAL DISCUSSION HINTS for suggestions facilitating the discussion.

QUICK WRITE/LETTER ASSESSMENT.

See ASSESSMENT section for details.

Vocabulary

HUMAN TRAFFICING- The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation such as forced labor or practices similar to slavery.
FORCED LABOR- A modern form of slavery in which persons perform work due to the threat of force.
BONDED LABOR- A form of slavery in which people work in order to pay off a loan of themselves or another.
DOMESTIC SERVITUDE- A form of forced labor in which the seemingly normal practice of live-in help that is used as cover for the exploitation and control of someone, usually from another country.
CHILD SOLDIERING- The practice of using children as soldiers.
MIGRATION- The practice of moving from one place to another.

Assessment Materials

TAKING ACTION: LETTERS TO LAW MAKERS

Students will write letters to lawmakers concerning modern slavery. They may write any lawmaker they wish, though by completing earlier work they will have the addresses of their House representative and their two senators.

It is the responsibility of citizens to contact lawmakers about issues of concern.

YOUR TASK is to write a letter to the lawmaker of your choice. You already have the addresses of your two senators and your House member. You may choose another lawmaker if you wish. Remember, a lawmaker cannot be expected to be fully informed on every possible issue. Assume that the person to whom you write is not informed on the issue of modern slavery. The lawmaker may even be under the impression that slavery no longer exists, or that is has been eradicated in the United States.

Your letter must meet the criteria indicated in this rubric. You may earn from 1 pt to the maximum indicated for each section. Your final score will be multiplied by 2 to place it on a 100 pt scale.

5 pts _______The student greeted the lawmaker in a proper manner, introduced the subject of the letter, thanked the lawmaker and signed the letter.

20 pts _______In two paragraphs of at least 10 sentences each, the student gave a sufficient amount of relevant data that would properly inform the lawmaker on the issue.

10 pts _______In an additional paragraph the student gave the lawmaker sources that could be verified by her/his staff, and that could be used by the lawmaker to become more fully informed on the issue.

10 pts _______In an additional paragraph the student made a concrete suggestion for viable action that could be taken by authorities to alleviate the problem, and explained why the action is necessary and reasonable.

5 pts _______ Letter was clear, grammatically correct, well organized, and lacking in misspellings.

SCORE ______ times 2=____________

ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION WITH LAWMAKER

It is the responsibility of citizens to contact lawmakers about issues of concern.

YOUR TASK is to contact the lawmaker of your choice and prepare recorded communication. You already have the addresses of your two senators and your House member. You may choose another lawmaker if you wish. Remember, a lawmaker cannot be expected to be fully informed on every possible issue. Assume that the person with whom you communicate is not informed on the issue of modern slavery. The lawmaker may even be under the impression that slavery no longer exists, or that is has been eradicated in the United States.

Each portion is worth a maximum of 25 points.

____ Introduced self and explained reason for the communication

____ Gave relevant facts about modern slavery

____ Provided concrete suggestion for reasonable action.

____ Spoke clearly and in an understandable manner.

Rubric/Answer Key

5 pts _______The student greeted the lawmaker in a proper manner, introduced the subject of the letter, thanked the lawmaker and signed the letter.

20 pts _______In two paragraphs of at least 10 sentences each, the student gave a sufficient amount of relevant data that would properly inform the lawmaker on the issue.

10 pts _______In an additional paragraph the student gave the lawmaker sources that could be verified by her/his staff, and that could be used by the lawmaker to become more fully informed on the issue.

10 pts _______In an additional paragraph the student made a concrete suggestion for viable action that could be taken by authorities to alleviate the problem, and explained why the action is necessary and reasonable.

5 pts _______ Letter was clear, grammatically correct, well organized, and lacking in misspellings.