Reconstruction

Lesson 5

In this lesson, students learn about the developments that brought Reconstruction to an end, including the Amnesty Act and the Compromise of 1877.  They will also explore how the progress made during Reconstruction was reversed by Jim Crow laws, voting restrictions, and Plessy v. Ferguson.

• Walking Tour:  Students will visit exhibits around the classroom. Each exhibit will give information about an event that brought Reconstruction to an end or a new law passed after Reconstruction ended. Sites on the walking tour will include: the Amnesty Act, the Compromise of 1877, Jim Crow, Plessy v. Ferguson, and voting restrictions.  Each chart will have pictures and written information about the event. As students visit each section of the walking tour, they will answer these questions:
• What was the event/item?
• How did it change life for African Americans?
•  How did it contribute to the end of Reconstruction?
• Wrap Up: Display several images from the Civil Rights movement, such as the March on Washington, the bus boycott, school desegregation, and sit-ins. Ask students to consider why the Civil Rights movement was necessary, even though the 14th and 15th Amendments guaranteeing equality and the right to vote had been passed 100 years before.

Materials

• Walking Tour exhibits: Print out materials related to walking tour topics and attach to poster paper. Sample sets of materials included:
  Jim Crow, Plessy  v. Ferguson
• Questions to answer during Walking Tour
• Images for wrap-up activity:
  • Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In
    http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/09/0909001r.jpg
  • March on Washington
    http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/odyssey/archive/09/0913001r.jpg
  • School Desegregation, Little Rock
    http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/images/br0130bs.jpg

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Differentiation

One way differentiation of instruction is achieved through this unit is through the wide variety of learning strategies and presentation modes used to reach students with different learning styles. Information is presented through visual images, audiovisual clips, and written materials. Students will work independently, with partners, and in small groups. Students will process information and create products using numerous methods: writing from historical perspectives, completing graphic organizers, illustrating their knowledge through drawings, and discussing issues orally. The needs of kinesthetic learners are also addressed through activities such as Carousel Brainstorming, Corners, and a Walking Tour.

In addition to learning styles, this unit is also differentiated for ability levels, interest, and readiness. In Lesson 5, students complete a Walking Tour in which they gather information by looking at displays. The questions for this are differentiated, starting with simple fact-gathering questions, and moving up the taxonomy to interpreting information and making connections with other ideas.

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