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Artifact 1
Lesson: The Trail of Tears: Examining Historical Perspectives
Section A
Rationale
United States history has been significantly shaped by relations between Native American peoples and European settlers. From the first permanent contact with Native people in the 17th Century, European settlers had constantly and increasingly been encroaching on lands once inhabited by America’s Native American tribes. The demand for land to settle and develop intensified as the Euro-American population rapidly expanded. Consequently, the desire to remove Native American tribes from their ancestral lands intensified as well. As a result of the policies of Westward Expansion and eventually, what would come to be known as “Manifest Destiny,” thousands of Native Americans were forced to abandon their lands and migrate to the West. In exchange for their land, Native American tribes were given “reservations” to live on. Typically, reservations had resources which were substantially inferior in comparison to the lands they had previously inhabited. Though often portrayed as voluntary concessions, most American Indians deeply objected to their removal from ancestral lands and relocated only because they had no other choice.
The forced removal of the Cherokee tribe from their ancestral homes in the American South to a reservation wasteland in the West is one of the most important and compelling examples of the relations between Native people and Euro-American settlers. Understanding the difference in perspectives between the two groups is critical to understanding the event as a whole. By examining primary source documents from the period, students will learn about the event through the eyes of both the policy makers who were eager to acquire new lands for White settlement and Cherokee tribes-people who felt their rights and way of life was being unjustly taken from them.
Description of Learners
In order to accommodate various learning styles and teach diverse students effectively, I will begin the lesson with a brief informational lecture and use maps and other relevant illustrations (perhaps found in the course text) to support my lecture. I will then explain to the students that we will be using the PBS website to learn more about the topic, primarily through the exploration of primary source documents. I will then ask students to respond in writing to questions based on information gleaned from the documents. Finally, I will lead a discussion in which students must share their opinions about what happened based on the documents they read- was the removal unfair? Was it an essentially racist decision, or an economic one justified by views of racial and cultural superiority? Why has our country’s attitude towards Native Americans changed over time? I will encourage students to challenge one another’s views and pose new questions to the class as well.
Throughout the process, I will assist students in their research and wherever else they may have questions or challenges. We will navigate the relevant PBS website together to make the research process less confusing or overwhelming for those who are uncomfortable with the computer-based research process. I will also ask students who are comfortable using technology and doing research to assist those who are having difficulties.
Outcomes/Objectives
From this activity, students will learn:
- How to use computer-based educational databases/archives to access primary sources of historical significance
- How to critically read primary source documents
- How to interpret differing perspectives and make intelligent inferences based on both available and omitted information
- How to organize information and ideas into cogent, articulate written responses
- How to verbalize informed opinions and respectfully debate the opinions of others
Standards Addressed
History
Historical Comprehension
A. Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative and assess its credibility.
B. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
C. Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses.
D. Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.
E. Read historical narratives imaginatively.
F. Appreciate historical perspectives.
Historical Analysis and Interpretation
A. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas.
B. Consider multiple perspectives.
C. Analyze cause-and-effect relationships and multiple causation, including the importance of the individual, the influence of ideas.
D. Draw comparisons across eras and regions in order to define enduring issues.
E. Distinguish between unsupported expressions of opinion and informed hypotheses grounded in historical evidence.
F. Compare competing historical narratives.
G. Challenge arguments of historical inevitability.
H. Hold interpretations of history as tentative.
I. Evaluate major debates among historians.
J. Hypothesize the influence of the past.
Historical Research Capabilities
A. Formulate historical questions.
B. Obtain historical data from a variety of sources.
C. Interrogate historical data.
D. Identify the gaps in the available records, marshal contextual knowledge and perspectives of the time and place.
E. Support interpretations with historical evidence.
Technology
Technology research tools:
- Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Technology productivity tools:
-Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Basic operations and concepts:
-Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
Resources Needed
Students will need texts for the beginning of the lesson (lecture) and to use throughout the lesson process as they need them for additional information. I will need a whiteboard/chalkboard to outline a few key names, dates, concepts, etc., a map to show the students the geographic areas effected by this historic event, and any other relevant visual aids which may pertain to the lesson. Students will need access to computers which we will use as a class to navigate the PBS website and explore the primary source documents online. Students can then print off these documents, if necessary, and use them to respond to questions I will pose to them. Responses can be typed or handwritten. The following day, students will bring their written responses to class and be prepared to engage in discussion/debate pertaining to the topic.
Section B
Purpose
The purpose of the lesson will be to teach students about an important event in U.S. history. The lesson’s structure will reinforce the idea that there are “two sides to every story.” By comparing different, and in this case, conflicting perspectives on the event, students will gain/utilize important critical thinking skills. They will learn how to examine divergent views and formulate informed opinions on the basis of evidence/information presented to them by people who actually lived during and were affected by a given historical event. The will also learn how to articulate, support and defend their own evaluations of a historical event both verbally and in written form.
Connections to Prior Learning
Connections to prior learning will be made through attaching new knowledge and concepts to knowledge and concepts which should at least be vaguely familiar to high school students. In early elementary school, children usually learn about Native American culture and beliefs, but stories about their relationships with Euro-American settlers are usually drawn from the unfortunately rare, positive examples of cross-cultural contact (like “the Pilgrims and the Indians”). At the intermediate level, students likely become acquainted with the idea that historically speaking, some cultures’ belief systems were not always valued and respected, thus the idea of cross-cultural conflict is brought to their attention. They also begin to understand that many perspectives may exist about one single topic, and that every perspective which can be supported by evidence is worth examining. At the secondary level, teachers can begin to illustrate the intricacy of these relationships and perspectives by teaching students about specific events which highlight cross-cultural conflict, etc.
Motivation
Students will be motivated to engage in the lesson because they will be able to explore documents online in a way which is perhaps new to them and potentially quite interesting. Students will also be able to examine multiple perspectives on an issue rather than simply being presented one perspective which they would take at face-value. Students will be encouraged to develop their own opinions based on what they learn and then share those opinions in an interactive, stimulating discussion/debate forum. By asking students to learn in a number of ways- though listening, reading, exploring, examining, writing, and speaking, the lesson will be made more exciting, challenging, and well-balanced.
Section C
Lesson Procedure
Day One
Overview of topic (lecture) - instructor (10 minutes)
Computer lab (research on PBS website) - all students use computers, navigate to appropriate site together (30-40 minutes)
Written responses to primary source documents - students do as homework, independently
Day 2
Written responses submitted at beginning of class period
Teacher-facilitated discussion/debate regarding primary source perspectives
Section D
Lesson Closure
The lesson will be brought to close through the students’ discussion/debate of the topic. I will act as a facilitator of the discussion and provide additional information as necessary. I will try to reconcile the dialectics present in discussion/debate so that students can understand the topic holistically and see the nuances of the topic as well.
Independent Requirements
Independent work will involve students reading the assigned material before the beginning of the lesson so they have appropriate background information. They will also be independently responsible for responding in writing to questions (about 3-5) that I pose regarding the primary source documents they will find at the PBS website.
Assessment
Students will complete one of the two following assignments to assess their understanding of the Trail of Tears activity:
Students will develop a journal in which they will imagine that they are a Cherokee forced to relocate from the American South to a reservation in the West. They must develop a multi-dimensional character- are they young or old? Do they have children or loved ones accompanying them? Do they desire to fight their relocation or have they accepted their sad fate? So they feel angry? Hopeless? How will they hold onto their heritage, etc? The journal must contain at least 4 different entries chronicling their character’s feelings before the removal, along the Trail, and after they have arrived on the reservation in the West. Journals can be handwritten or typed, and all entries should be thorough and detailed. What would a Cherokee person witness as they marched Westward? Would they see people fall ill? Would they lose a loved one? Would they have enough food to eat? What would the terrain look like as they moved West? How would they feel about Whites they encountered along the way? Finally, each student will write a letter to President Jackson as the Cherokee character they have developed in their journals. In this letter, they will contradict the claims made by Jackson about the fairness of his relocation plan, and explain why they believe the decision was unjust.
OR
Students will participate in a 3-day online discussion, moderated by the instructor, in which they will discuss and debate various points relating to the topic, and will respond to questions posted by the instructor as well. Each day, they must respond to the instructors question, as well as to 2 other comments/questions posted by their classmates. Questions will require students to think critically and creatively about concepts and information presented in the lesson. For example, students will respond to questions such as “Why does Jackson’s public statement about the Cherokee removal differ so much in its tone from the accounts of Cherokee Indians themselves?... Do you think Jackson truly believed the decision was fair?... And if Jackson knew his decision was unjust, why did he try to paint a prettier picture of the situation than was realistic or accurate?” Students will respectfully agree with, disagree with, and elaborate on the comments made by their classmates over the 3-day period. Finally, students will post a final statement on what they have learned from the online debate/discussion forum experience and what conclusions they have drawn about the Trail of Tears as a result of this exercise.
Rubric:
8-10 5-7 0-4
Journal/Discussion Journal entries/ Journal entries/ Journal entries/
Content discussions demonstrate discussions are discussions
thoughtfulness, creativity, somewhat thoughtful, demonstrate little
and exceptional effort. moderately creative thought, creativity,
and demonstrate some or effort.
effort.
Journal/Discussion 4+ journal entries 3 journal entries Fewer than 3 journal
Participation OR OR entries
3 responses to 2 responses to OR
online questions and online questions and fewer than 2
6 responses to peers. 4 responses to peers. responses to peers.
Letter/Final Demonstrates ability to Demonstrates some ability Does not demonstrate
Statement comprehend and convey to comprehend and convey ability to comprehend
perspectives presented in perspectives presented in and convey perspect-
lesson accurately and lesson accurately and ives presented in
articulately. articulately. lesson accurately and
articulately.
Grammatical Written work is clear, Written work isgenerally Written work lacks
Proficiency/ concise and free from clear, concise, and free clarity, coherence,
Coherence grammatical errors. significant grammatical and contains many
errors. grammatical errors.
Mastery of Student demonstrates Student demonstrates Student does not
Concepts significant understanding some understanding of demonstrate sufficient
and of major concepts and major concepts and understanding of
Information information presented in information presented in major concepts and
the lesson. the lesson. information presented
in the lesson.
(50 pts. possible)
n16
