In their own words: The Slave Narratives
Define the task |
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Make a PowerPoint Presentation consisting of 3 or 4 slides. 1. Title: includes name of the slave, your names, and where in the narratives you got your information (example: WPA Slave Narrative Project, Texas Narratives, Volume 16, Part 1). You will find that on the Bibliographic Page under Source. 2. A picture of your slave. 3. A summary of the information found in the narrative. Remember the slides that we looked at in class and the information they contained. The web we made together will help you. 4. If you can find a good quotation , put it on the 4th slide. |
Where I will find the information |
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ALL YOUR INFORMATION WILL COME FROM THE LINKS BELOW. DO NOT GO ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE INTERNET. The slaves are listed in alphabetical order by first name. The names with stars have pictures in the Library of Congress database. |
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Locate and access |
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The links above will take you directly to the Bibliographic Page of your slave. The third line from the top say "View page images." On the Library of Congress page, it is underlined and a different color; that should be your clue that it is a hyperlink and will take you to the rest of the pages. If you want to know how many pages there are, look farther down the page under "Notes" and it will tell you. At the bottom of the page, there is a hyperlink that says "Next Page" and "Prev. Page". Use these to see all the pages of your slave narrative. This is the material that you will need to write your SUMMARY. It is the TEXT portion of the slave narrative. The PICTURE sometimes has a
hyperlink off the Bibliographic Page, but usually you have to get there
another way. There are at least 4 different ways. From the Bibliographic Page
that you found above, the second line says Born in Slavery: Slave
Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 this will
take you to the Front Page of the Slave Narratives where you can do a search.
You notice I just put in a hyperlink to that same page. In the chart above,
at the very top, is another link to that page. After the slave names, there
is a link as well (that's the 4th). When you get to that Front Page, look
under the picture where it says "Browse Photographs by Subject".
Click on Subject. Now you will see a table with names. The slaves are
listed alphabetically by last name, but because the list would be so long, the
list is divided into 5 parts. The first section has all the last names
from |
Use the information |
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Read the slave narrative with your partner. If you can read it online and take notes on another piece of paper, do that. If you find it easier to read from a print copy, do that. You can print the page directly by right-clicking. However, you can make it bigger so that it is easier to read, if you right-click and copy it. Then go to Word or Publisher and paste it. It is a scanned page so even though it looks like text, it is really a picture file. Drag the corners to make it bigger just like a picture. Now you can underline the important parts as you read. |
Synthesis |
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When you make your
PowerPoint, your formatting should match your subject. Remember how the Unchained
Memories slides looked -- with lots of browns and black. Slavery is a
serious, dark subject. DO NOT USE A |
Evaluation |
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In their own words: the Slave Narratives
In this unit, students learn about slavery through the actual words of former slaves. Using the slave narratives from the Library of Congress, students learn the structure of, and how to negotiate, an LOC database. They learn to identify, use, and evaluate primary sources. From the rambling, dialect-written text, they find important details and summarize the events of the narrator’s life. The culminating project is a short PowerPoint presentation that includes a title slide, a picture of the slave, and a slide of summarizing text that the student reads. If appropriate, students also include a slide with direct quotations from the narrator. The unit gives a human face and voice to this period of our history and, to a lesser extent, the 1930s when the narratives were collected.
Websites:
Teacher:
http://time.com/time/classroom/unchained/resources.html - Background
http://time.com/time/classroom/unchained/pdfs/teacher.pdf - Preparation for documentary
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/psources/analyze.html - Review of Primary Source evaluation
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.html
- Home of the Slave Narratives
Student:
http://time.com/time/classroom/unchained/pdfs/student.pdf
Day 1 Unchained Memories
Objectives:
Materials:
A copy of HBO’s Unchained
Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
A VCR or DVD player
Laptops or printed copies of HBO’s Student Guide to Unchained Memories
Procedure:
The class begins by asking students what they know about slavery and a review of primary sources. I then gives a brief overview of the unit. Next I explain the structure of Unchained Memories (a one- or two-sentence explanation of how the narratives were collected and that actors/actresses will be reading the words of the slave interviews).
To better understand the documentary, students open the Student Guide. We have 15 laptops; students share a computer. Together, we read page 3, which explains in greater depth the Federal Writers’ Project, and spend more time with the article dealing with the language of the narratives. I then give students time to look at the rest of the article and ask questions, make comments, and/or read some of the direct quotations.
Next we view the documentary. I tell students that after the film I will ask them to identify the primary sources (including film) and to discuss primary sources in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. In my fifth grade classroom, we view only the first twenty minutes and, depending on time, the last five. Teachers will need to preview the film; there are accounts of sexual and physical violence.
After the film, time is given to answer questions, clarify points, etc. I ask students to identify the primary sources. We talk about the strengths (immediacy, detailed accounts of everyday life) and weaknesses (narrator memory, influence of transcriber – possibility of his/her biases, mis-hearing, subject saying what he/she thinks the interviewer wants to hear). Some of these are discussed in the beginning of Unchained Memories.
Day 2 Introduction to the Project
Objectives: After looking at two or three examples of slave narrative summaries, students will be able to find the similarities between slides and identify the information to include in their summary.
Materials: Computer access for each student and/or group of students
Unchained Memories and method for whole-class viewing OR teacher-created narrative summaries
Procedure:
I direct class attention to Step 1 of In Their Own Words: The Slave Narratives and give an overview of the project. First I give each table of students one or two slave narratives that I have printed out. We look at the length and the dialect. Next I show examples of effective summaries. One of the special features of Unchained Memories is Biographies. I give students time to read the slide silently and ask for volunteers to read to the class. Before reading is an excellent time to review elements of effective presentation: volume, expression, ability to pronounce all words, etc. Assure students that this is a quick-reading and thus may not be exemplary but when they do their final presentations, they should be well-rehearsed. Explain to students that as they read and listen to the biographies, they should be thinking about the kinds of information included and what questions were answered. They also look at transitional phrases, beginnings, and endings.
After reading/listening to examples, we identify the similar elements in all the biographies. Most classes are able to find these independently. Others need more direction to pick out the questions needed to guide them in their own summaries. Because I teach this lesson in several classes, I have already prepared in Inspiration the web they will use to guide their reading/writing that I now show students. I also explain that not all information is present in every narrative, especially the date and place of the interview.
At the end of the lesson, students are assigned partners and a slave narrative.
Day 3 Introduction to the Database
Objectives:
Procedure: Using the In Their Own Words: The Slave Narratives page students read along as I demonstrate. We review Step 1 briefly and look closely at Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Students begin work on their presentation.
Day 4 Using the Material
Objectives: See above.
Students will find network drive and save presentations to the Library Folder.
Procedure: I begin by checking for understanding in Steps 1-4. This is also a good time to have students look again at the quotations found in the Student Guide of Unchained Memories and discuss what kinds of things might make good quotations. Next we look at Steps 5 and 6. I explain the importance of matching presentation to content and show the neutral backgrounds I have prepared, explaining to students how these were prepared (scanned papers and fabrics). Students brainstorm ways to make their slides effective using typefaces, lines, boxes, and neutral colors. We discuss ways in which the partners can divide the presentation. We go over the elements of an effective oral presentation.
Students finish slides and practice presentation. The partners decide the roles each will play (working the computer, reading, etc.).
Day 5 In their own words: fifth graders read the
slave narratives
Objectives:
Procedure: I take the student presentations and put them together into one presentation prior to class. I print out a “Program” so that students know the order in which they will present. After the presentations, we discuss what we have learned. I guide discussion so that students see that individual experiences during slavery were different. Emancipation changed the lives of some people for the better but not all. We discuss the experience of using primary sources.
Unit Assessment
Power Point
Presentation |
Pts. |
Your title slide contains the name of your former slave, your names, and the source of the slave narrative. |
3 |
You have a picture of your slave that is in proper proportions and at the best resolution. |
2 |
You have a slide with the summary of your subject’s life.
The summary answers at least three of the questions found on
this page. (a quotation counts for one). |
8 |
All words are spelled correctly and grammar is correct. |
3 |
You used formatting appropriate for the content. |
3 |
Your presentation was given in an easily audible voice, you maintained some eye contact, and you appeared interested in your subject and audience. |
4 |
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Responsibilities as
a Class Member |
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You participated in discussion. |
5 |
You listened while class members presented. |
4 |
You were able to work independently with only occasional teacher guidance. |
3 |
Total |
35 |