ALEX Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read and critically examine a letter from an Alabama farm owner to a U.S. Senator from Alabama regarding exemption status for the 1917 Selective Service Act on behalf of one of her workers. This primary source document will allow the students to practice evaluating a complex text. The students will answer active reading questions to participate in a "Philosophical Chairs" class debate regarding the merit of the farm owner's request. The Philosophical Chairs activity will allow the students to verbally articulate an argumentative position while specifically using textual evidence to be able to defend their position.

*Note: A bibliography of resources used can be found at the end of the "Lesson Procedures Section" of this lesson.

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

Students will need:

1. Access to a personal electronic device, laptop, iPad, Smartphone, etc., that can access Google Docs. The App is free to download as a part of the Google Technology Suite. (If Google Docs is not accessible to all, those students who cannot access it will be able to complete the lesson with complete hard copy access to all materials.)

2. A hard copy of the Letters Between Juney Thompson in Siluria, Alabama, and Senator John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C. (1 copy per student):

http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3806 

and the Secondary Source Information from the Encyclopedia of Alabama (1 copy per student):

World War I and Alabama    http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1545

John Hollis Bankhead http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1495  (this document from the Encyclopedia of Alabama is useful in understanding the content of these letters.)

3. Hard Copy of comprehension questions in response to the primary source: Link to questions 
(1 copy per student)

4. Teacher instructions for "Philosophical Chairs" Summative Assessment Debate

(1 copy per student.  The students as well as the teacher can benefit from having these instructions.)

1. Teacher access to the internet

2. Student access to personal electronic devices

3. Student access to Google Docs

Before the lesson, the teacher should explain to the students that a "primary source" is a document directly from the time period being studied.  The teacher should explain to the students that a "secondary source" is a document written about the time period being studied.  

The teacher should research the Selective Service Act of 1917 and what the Act entailed.  The teacher should provide a brief explanation of the Selective Service Act of 1917 to the students before the lesson. A good source for the teacher to use to be able to help prepare the students if needed can be found at the following link from the Encyclopedia of Alabama:  World War I and Alabama    http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1545

BEFORE:

Before the lesson begins, the teacher should begin with a written "bell-ringer" or starter activity which is a question written on the board. Students should write down an answer to this question and find a partner next to them ("elbow partner") to compare answers.  The teacher should allow wait time for partners to discuss the answer to the bell-ringer question. This wait time should be followed by selecting several groups of partners to share their answers to the bell ringer question.  

Bell-Ringer Question:  "As historians, what information can we gain from reading primary sources that we might not be able to gain through reading secondary sources?  How could we use this information effectively when studying a particular period in history?"

DURING LESSON:

In this lesson, students will read and critically examine a letter from an Alabama farm owner to a U.S. Senator from Alabama regarding exemption status for the 1917 Selective Service Act on behalf of one of her workers. This primary source document will allow the students to practice evaluating a complex text.

1. Have the students read the Letters Between Juney Thompson in Siluria, Alabama, and Senator John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C, then complete the comprehension questions individually.
• Allow an appropriate time limit for the students to work independently on the reading comprehension assignment. These questions are another form of formative assessment within this lesson to measure reading comprehension of the primary source.
2. Once all students have completed the questions, they should find an "elbow partner" to discuss their answers.  Have the students review each other’s writing, adding more and/or asking questions, in writing. 
• The teacher should provide feedback on this exercise formally through Google Docs or written remarks on a hard copy of the document.
3. The students will participate in a "Philosophical Chairs" class debate regarding the merit of the farm owner's request. The Philosophical Chairs activity will allow the students to verbally articulate an argumentative position while specifically using textual evidence to be able to defend their position.
• The teacher should refer to the procedures of the Philosophical Chairs activity. The teacher should iterate ground rules for respect and attention to anyone who is speaking. This activity will be the final formative assessment for this lesson.
4. The teacher will place students into either “agree” or “disagree” groups based on her discretion. Essentially, the groups will be explaining why they agree or why they do not agree with a statement.  No one will begin the debate in the “undecided section.”

AFTER:

Students should complete a summative assessment for this lesson by articulating, through writing, one point or idea from their classmates during the Philosophical Chairs activity that resonated the most with them and why they chose that particular idea or point. They should submit these exit slips to the teacher before leaving the class for the day.

The Teacher should use the following checklist to assess the student's exit slip:

1. Did the student choose an idea that was specified during the Philosophical Chairs activity?  In other words, was the idea that the student chose expressed during the debate?

2. Did the student explain why he or she chose the point that he or she did in the exit slip?

Bibliography

Alabama Department of Archives and History. (2010, December 7). Letters Between Juney Thompson in Siluria, Alabama to Senator John H. Bankhead in Washington, D.C.:  Retrieved June 28, 2017, from http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/3806 

Cooley, A. J. (2008, March 27). John Hollis Bankhead. Retrieved July 6, 2017, from http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1495

Olliff, M. T. (2008, May 22). World War I and Alabama. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1545

Seales, B. J. (n.d.). Siluria Cotton Mill Company. Retrieved July 6, 2017, from www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alshelby/SiluriaMills.html

Formative Assessments include:

1. Reading Comprehension Questions that students will answer and ultimately submit to the teacher.

2. "Elbow Partners": Once students have completed the reading comprehension questions, students will collaborate with a person close to them regarding their answers. At this time, they can make any changes they feel they should make to their answers before they submit them to the teacher for a final evaluation of the answers.

3. Philosophical Chairs Activity: This activity requires students to utilize the data they collected from the formative assessments to process and articulate responses to relative statements regarding the primary sources used in the lesson.

 Summative Assessment

1. Exit Slip:  This should be a prompt that asks students to articulate, promptly, one aspect of the debate/discussion during the lesson that resonated with them and why. There must be a direct connection established by the student between the group debate and the primary source reading and or comprehension questions. This will be submitted to the teacher before leaving the classroom for the day.

"Get to Know Senator Bankhead"

Visit the following link from the Encyclopedia of Alabama and get to know a little bit about Senator Bankhead's life and career. Find two aspects of his life that may be relevant to Ms. Thompson's request of him. For example, she is asking him to consider her farm's employees and the protection of her crop during 1917. Would this request familiarly strike Senator Bankhead based on the information you have gathered from this article?

Reading List for Students to Pursue Further Information Regarding This Lesson:

Encyclopedia of Alabama:  John Hollis Bankhead

Article Written by Bobby Joe Seals Regarding the History of Siluria, Alabama

This particular lesson can work well in an inclusion-based class with or without a Teacher's Assistant present.  If there is a TA present in class, it is beneficial for students who may struggle with reading and comprehending more complex texts to be able to gather with the TA in a small group to chunk the text and answer one category of questions (Before, During, or After).  

Also, for students who may experience challenges concerning staying on task or any other behavioral concerns, strategic placement of these students during Philosophical Chairs may be beneficial in that they could be placed with peers who may challenge them on a level that counteracts any behavioral concerns they might exhibit.  

*Note: Make sure to be aware ahead of time of any specific accommodations that a student with an IEP may require in order to be successful.