ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency.

Through this lesson, students will explore primary sources related to the buying and selling of human beings for the purpose of slavery. Students will analyze receipts from stores and discuss what they demonstrate about modern society. Students will then analyze the language and iconography used in bills of sale pertaining to the buying and selling of slaves in the 19th century. The students will write a paragraph to compare and contrast the items from both eras.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (4) 35 :

35. Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical plot, transitional words and phrases, sensory details, and dialogue, and providing a sense of closure.

[ELA2021] (4) 42 :

42. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes, and speaking clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing, and clear pronunciation.

a. Articulate ideas, claims, and perspectives in a logical sequence, presenting information, findings, and credible evidence from multiple sources and modalities to enhance listeners' understanding.

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[DLIT] (4) 6 :

R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (4) 18 :

12) Use basic features of digital tools to communicate key ideas and details in a way that informs and/or persuades.

[DLIT] (4) 19 :

13) Synthesize complex information from multiple sources in different ways to make it more useful and/or relevant.

Students will explore two NCSS Notable Trade Books and a newspaper advertisement to develop an understanding of what life was like for slaves in the nineteenth century.  Students will use their understanding to write a narrative story about being a slave in the nineteenth century. Students will use the website MyStorybook to create and publish their stories.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 20 :

20. Use details and examples from a text to indicate what the text explicitly states.

a. Interpret facts from an informational article, using details and examples from the text to explain the interpretation.

b. List the main questions answered by an informational article.

c. Categorize statements in an article or other informational text as fact or opinion and give reasons for each choice.

d. Explain the differences between primary and secondary sources, giving examples from texts.

[ELA2021] (4) 21 :

21. Explain how relevant details support the implied or explicit main idea of a text.

a. Determine the central idea or theme of a text.

b. Explain the difference between implied and explicit details.

c. Summarize the key supporting details by citing evidence from a text.

Students will explore an article about education in the early nineteenth century and a newspaper article from 1818 to determine what education was like in the early nineteenth century. Students will investigate the documents and find text evidence to find out what schools were like in the early nineteenth century. Students will use their findings to write a story.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 33 :

33. Use research to produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

a. Introduce a research topic clearly and group related ideas.

b. Integrate and cite evidence to present research findings in written form.

c. Paraphrase portions of texts or information presented in diverse media and formats.

In this lesson, students will explore the invention of the steamboat and the role it played in the economy, transportation, and culture of the lifestyles of plantation owners, yeoman farmers, slaves, and townspeople of early nineteenth-century Alabama.  Students will compare and contrast steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches as different modes of transportation for goods as well as people.  Students will create a steamboat advertisement to illustrate the importance of the invention of the steamboat in Alabama. 

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 21 :

21. Explain how relevant details support the implied or explicit main idea of a text.

a. Determine the central idea or theme of a text.

b. Explain the difference between implied and explicit details.

c. Summarize the key supporting details by citing evidence from a text.

[ELA2021] (4) 22 :

22. Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

a. Cite evidence to explain the author's perspective toward a topic in an informational text.

Students will analyze a primary document and read a secondary source about the Marquis de Lafayette's Grand Tour of the United States in 1825. The Marquis and his entourage toured lower Alabama for a few days in April.

Students will create an annotated timeline detailing his days and the events that occurred in Alabama as the country prepared to celebrate America's 50th birthday. The timeline will include dates and descriptions of the people, places, and events in informative summaries as well as appropriate illustrations.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (4) 20 :

20. Use details and examples from a text to indicate what the text explicitly states.

a. Interpret facts from an informational article, using details and examples from the text to explain the interpretation.

b. List the main questions answered by an informational article.

c. Categorize statements in an article or other informational text as fact or opinion and give reasons for each choice.

d. Explain the differences between primary and secondary sources, giving examples from texts.

[ELA2021] (4) 22 :

22. Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

a. Cite evidence to explain the author's perspective toward a topic in an informational text.

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this lesson, students will be able to describe cultural aspects of early nineteenth century townspeople by reading a newspaper article describing the opening of a new school. Students will also be able to discuss, infer, and write from a variety of perspectives when explaining the roles of various people mentioned in the article.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 20 :

20. Use details and examples from a text to indicate what the text explicitly states.

a. Interpret facts from an informational article, using details and examples from the text to explain the interpretation.

b. List the main questions answered by an informational article.

c. Categorize statements in an article or other informational text as fact or opinion and give reasons for each choice.

d. Explain the differences between primary and secondary sources, giving examples from texts.

[ELA2021] (4) 22 :

22. Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

a. Cite evidence to explain the author's perspective toward a topic in an informational text.

[ELA2021] (4) 24 :

24. Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points and claims in an informational text or argument.

a. Make text-based inferences to determine possible reasons for an author's stance.

This lesson will provide students with two primary documents, a drawing of a postal stagecoach and a newspaper article outlining the difficulties of mail delivery. Students will complete a graphic organizer to provide evidence that details a specific perspective described in the documents.

Students will examine the cultural and economic aspects of the early nineteenth century and will refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences. Students will be able to explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points of view.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 20 :

20. Use details and examples from a text to indicate what the text explicitly states.

a. Interpret facts from an informational article, using details and examples from the text to explain the interpretation.

b. List the main questions answered by an informational article.

c. Categorize statements in an article or other informational text as fact or opinion and give reasons for each choice.

d. Explain the differences between primary and secondary sources, giving examples from texts.

[ELA2021] (4) 22 :

22. Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

a. Cite evidence to explain the author's perspective toward a topic in an informational text.

Students will read from an Alabama newspaper about President James Monroe's surprise visit to Huntsville. The article discusses the purposes of the visit, the locals who welcomed and entertained the President, and his discussion of current (1819) events.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (4) 22 :

22. Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

a. Cite evidence to explain the author's perspective toward a topic in an informational text.

[ELA2021] (4) 18 :

18. Identify the point of view in a narrative and describe how the narrative would be different if told from the perspective of a different character or narrator.

a. Compare and contrast firsthand and secondhand accounts of the same event or topic, describing the differences in focus and the information provided.

b. Compare the perspectives of different characters within a text.

Students will analyze a primary document that details items purchased to celebrate the Marquis de Lafayette's tour of Alabama in April 1825. Students will create an invitation to the celebration, including the What, Where, When, Why, What to Bring, and R.S.V.P. Students will include details from the secondary source, as well as the primary document, to include on the invitation. The event will be explained utilizing the format of the invitation.

This lesson is part of the SSC3 A+ College Ready training.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] VISA (4) 14 :

14) Create works of art that reflect community and/or cultural traditions.

Examples: Create a quilt in the style of the Gee's Bend Quilters.

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[MA2019] (4) 4 :

4. For whole numbers in the range 1 to 100, find all factor pairs, identifying a number as a multiple of each of its factors.

a. Determine whether a whole number in the range 1 to 100 is a multiple of a given one-digit number.

b. Determine whether a whole number in the range 1 to 100 is prime or composite.

Students will watch a video on the history of the quilters of Gee's Bend, Alabama. After watching the video and discussing the lifestyle of the citizens of Gee's Bend, the students will create a classroom quilt that reflects their personalities and lifestyles. The class will have to use factor pairs to decide the best way to assemble the quilt. 

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students analyze images of tools used on rice plantations to determine each tool's purpose.  Students will study these objects to learn about slavery and the lives of the slaves who worked on rice plantations. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this interactive game, students build a sod house by choosing the proper construction of the house. If they choose too many wrong answers, the house will collapse! This game will help students understand the challenges settlers faced while trying to survive on the open prairie.  

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this activity, students learn about life in a sod house by looking at photographs (primary sources) and answering questions.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students analyze newspaper advertisements (primary source) regarding runaway slaves from the Charleston Mercury, a South Carolina newspaper, to learn about the Underground Railroad.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students will use their "senses" to see, smell, and feel what it would have been like to live on a prairie long ago.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT1 (1) 6 :

6 ) Compare ways individuals and groups in the local community and state lived in the past to how they live today. (Alabama)

•  Identifying past and present forms of communication

Examples: past—letter, radio, rotary-dial telephone

present—e-mail, television, cellular telephone

•  Identifying past and present types of apparel

•  Identifying past and present types of technology

Examples: past—record player, typewriter, wood-burning stove

present—compact diskette (CD) and digital video diskette (DVD) players, video cassette recorder (VCR), computer, microwave oven

•  Identifying past and present types of recreation

Examples: past—marbles, hopscotch, jump rope

present—video games, computer games

•  Identifying past and present primary sources

Examples: past—letters, newspapers

present—e-mail, Internet articles

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (1) 23 :

23. Identify and describe the main story elements in a literary text.

a. Describe the characters and settings, using illustrations and textual evidence from a story.

b. Retell the plot or sequence of major events in chronological order.

[ELA2021] (2) 23 :

23. Identify the main story elements in a literary text.

a. Explain the plot of a narrative, using textual evidence to list the major events in sequence.

b. Describe the characters' traits, feelings, and behaviors in a story.

c. Describe the setting of a narrative, using textual evidence.

d. Identify the central message or moral of a story.

e. Identify the theme in myths, fables, and folktales.

[ELA2021] (4) 15 :

15. Analyze in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

a. Identify and explain attitudes and influences of multiple characters within a text.

b. Explain how the main character changes throughout the story, using explicit evidence from the text.

c. Make an inference about a character's behavior, the setting, and/or specific events, using explicit details from the story.

In this learning activity, students read Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner. They look at an object that would have been important to a woman living in a sod house and try to determine what the object is.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT (0) 12 :

12 ) Describe families and communities of the past, including jobs, education, transportation, communication, and recreation.

•  Identifying ways everyday life has both changed and remained the same

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

This is a collection of images of steamboats, artifacts, and articles about transportation and changes in transportation in the early nineteenth century.