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Description
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will analyze and record information about a variety of primary source newspaper articles to identify the main idea and author’s point of view, and provide textual evidence to support their analysis.
LESSON TIME
This lesson will take approximately 45 - 60 minutes
Exact times may vary based on the specific needs of individual classes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- What were some of the main arguments surrounding sectional issues like secession and abolition at the end of the Early Statehood era?
Teacher Tools
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Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Primary Sources Used
Downloadable/editable versions of this lesson plan, including a step-by-step guide through the lesson. When applicable, a list of primary sources used in the lesson is also included.
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This ready-to-use classroom slideshow contains the warm-up exercise, the daily objective, the “We will / I will” statements, and the essential question for the lesson.
It guides the class through the assignment providing larger versions of images, visual representations of the directions, and supports for reading and answering questions including sentence stems for in-class responses. It concludes with the exit ticket.
Student Activities
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Warm-up and Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will observe a map of the political boundaries of the United States in 1854 showing the sectional divisions between the North and South, and make inferences about the United States during this era based on the information provided in the map.
In this exit ticket, students will complete a paragraph by selecting one topic addressed in the day’s lesson and providing two opposing viewpoints on the topic based on the primary source materials they examined.
The Warm-up and Exit Ticket document includes two warm-ups on the front of the page and two exit tickets on the back of the page. This formatting reduces the number of copies needed, as teachers will cut each printed page in half. Each student will receive a half-page with the warm-up on the front and the exit on the back.
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This printable material includes ten primary source excerpts from Texas newspapers of the era presenting different viewpoints on a variety of sectional topics including secession, the union, states’ rights, abolition, and slavery.
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Grade Level Work
In this printable assignment, students will analyze 6 of the 10 primary source materials, choosing the topic(s) addressed in each from a list of options, identifying if the author’s point of view supports, opposes, or is neutral toward the topic, and providing key words or phrases in the material that support their claim.
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In this printable assignment, students will analyze 4 of the 10 primary source materials, choosing the topic(s) addressed in each from a list of options, completing a sentence stem to identify the author’s point of view on the topic, and providing 2 to 4 key words from the excerpt that support their claim.
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In this printable assignment, students will analyze 6 of the 10 primary source materials, formulating short, constructed responses to record information about the main ideas presented in the source and the author’s point of view on the topic, providing textual evidence to support their claim.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
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Texas State Gazette. (Austin, Tex.) November 16, 1850
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The Northern Standard. (Clarksville, Tex.) May 31, 1851
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The San Antonio Ledger and Texan. (San Antonio, Tex.) February 2, 1861
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The Texian Advocate. (Victoria, Tex.) June 18, 1853
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The Texas State Times (Austin, Tex.) January 19, 1856
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The Texian Advocate. (Victoria, Tex.) October 24, 1850
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The Weekly Telegraph (Houston, Tex.) January 8, 1861
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The Colorado Citizen (Columbus, Tex.) September 22, 1860
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The Navarro Express (Corsicana, Tex.) April 3, 1861
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The Weekly Telegraph (Houston, Tex.) December 18, 1860
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