What is the Essence
of  the
African American Woman?

African American Women:
Past & Present

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Georgia Performance Standards

SS4H7:  The student will examine the main ideas of the abolitionist and suffrage movements.

1. Discuss biographies of Harriet Tubman and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
2. Explain the significance of Sojourner Truth's address ("Ain't I a Woman?" 1851) to the Ohio Women's Rights Convention.
   

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Rationale

The purpose of this webpage is to give students, parents, teachers, and people in general an opportunity to explore history through the eyes of AFrican American women.  This site includes activities and lots of information that we as one race can benefit from.

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Instructional Topic Web Sites

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
The students in Mrs. Taverna's second grade class at Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, New York have been learning about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.  They have created this website to share what they have learned.
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html

Headbone Zone: Underground Railroad Derby
Take a trip back in time to experience slavery in full effect.  Learn different ways to incorporate this website into the classroom.
http://www.headbone.com/derby/escape/

<>National Geographic: The Underground Railroad
Live life as a slave, on the run from your master.  Try to make it to freedom.  Are you willing to take a journey?!?
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/j1.html

About: African American Women's History
Uncover the history of African American women: the history of black women in America, from slavery through Reconstruction, Harlem Renaissance and civil rights. Biographies, organizations, events and movements.
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/

      C-SPAN American Writers: Sojourner Truth
Need video clips?  This site has the video clips and the questions to go along with it.
          http://www.americanwriters.org/classroom/videolesson/vlp07_truth.asp

ABC Eyewitness News: Rosa Parks
Slide show overview of the woman that helped to change a lot.  Brief slide show with audio and facts about Rosa Parks.
              http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news&id=3571743
                 
AAKulture Zone: Kulture Kidz
Learn about African American Culture on a kids level.  This site has A to Z Black History, timelines, photos, and games.
                   

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Topic Activities

1.  From the Mouth of Harriet Tubman
2.  Students will gather information from an interview and internet sites.  Students will be able to write a fictional story about themselves in realation to Harriet Tubman.
3. Materials:
    *Clothing, wig, etc. to dress up like Harriet Tubman
    *Each student will need paper and pencil
    *Two sheets of construction paper
    *Hole punch
    *String
    *Laminating machine
     *Links:               

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html

http://www.headbone.com/derby/escape/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/j1.html

4. Procedures   

Pre-lesson:
Earlier in the day tell the students that they will be meeting a very important person today.

Lesson:
1)Dress up like Harriet Tubman and tell about her life as a slave and how she escaped from slavery and helped more than 300 slaves escape slavery through the Underground Railroad.
2)Have the students take notes (They will be able to use their notes to complete their stories.)
3)After the interview, allow the students to go to the computers to navigate through the following links: (If there are not enough computers, divide the students into small groups)
4)Once the students have had the opportunity to navigate through the links, have them write a fictional story; If I Were a Slave?

5.  Product:  Class Book, If I Were a Slave?

1)Have the class choose between 3 different internet pictures (previously chosen by teacher) to put on one of the sheets of construction paper (this will be used as the book cover)
2)Write the title, If I Were a Slave?, on the sheet of construction paper and attatch the picture.
3)Pass around the other sheet of construction paper and have all of the students sign it (all on one side)
4)On the other side, put a dedication and the school year.
5)Laminate the two sheets.
6)Put holes on the left side of the sheets and the students papers.
7)Put the cover sheet on top, the students papers in the middle, and the signature sheet on the back,
8)Attatch everything with string through the holes.

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1.  African American Women That We Admire
2. Students will be able to gather information from varius sources to gain knowledge about African American women.
3. Materials
    *Students will each need a piece of paper and a pencil
     *Bulletin board set up with the words "African Americans that we admire"
       *Computers
      *The following internet links:
                    http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html
                    http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/j1.html
                    http://www.americanwriters.org/classroom/videolesson/vlp07_truth.asp
                    http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news&id=3571743
                    http://www.aakulturezone.com/kidz/
                    http://womenshistory.about.com/od/africanamerican/
                   

4. Procedures  

1. Create  three different centers in the classroom.
    *Center 1: Will have all different kinds of books about African Americans women and books written by             African American women authors.
    *Center 2: Will have different newspapers and magazines that highlight African American women of today.
    *Center 3: Will be a computer center that the students can use to look on the Internet to find out more         about African American women.

Pre-lesson
Ask the students if they know why February is an important month (African American month). Ask if they know why they are called African Americans (they were brought from Africa to America).

Lesson
    1) Have students get into groups of three.
    2) Have each student write down three African Americans that they admire (Oprah Winfrey, Harriet             Tubman, etc.)
    3) Have each student tell the other students in their group who they wrote down and why they admire     that person.
    4) Have students write a paragraph completing the following journal entry:  I admire______________         because.....

5.  Product:  Journal Entry Bulletin Board: "African Americans that we admire"

Have the students share their journal entry with the class then attach their journal entry to the bulletin board under the heading "African Americans that we admire:".

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2. PLO:
    1. Students will be able to describe contributions made by Sojourner Truth and identify freedoms they          enjoy because of the efforts of people like her.
    2. Students will be able to state reasons for the decisions they make.
    3. Students will be able to define suffrage and abolition by experiencing it and by hearing an explanation     of the definition.
    4. Students will be able to make a time line of Sojourner Truth's life and the major events of that time.
    5. Students will be able to answer questions about Sojourner Truth's life and character.
    6. Students will be able to identify a problem in their school or community and take action, so they             recognize that they can make a difference     as an individual.

3. Materials

    1)Website link:  http://www.americanwriters.org/classroom/videolesson/vlp07_truth.asp
    2)Each group needs paper and pencil
    3)Copies of Ain't I a Woman?
    4)Quaker attire (grey dress or robe, white material for turban).
    

4. Procedures  
    1)Jigsaw: Divide the class into 3 groups.  Have the students navigate to the above link.  Each group is         assigned a section:Family and Peer Relations/ Anti-Slavery and Feminist Reform/ The Art of Communication.      The students have to use the resources for their section to answer the questions in that section.  After     this is completed, each group will share something interesting about their section and the answers to the      questions with the rest of the class.  

    2)Creative Dramatics/Role playing Day: Ask students to choose one of the following three options: 1)         Dress as Sojourner and deliver one of her speeches after practicing. 2) Be a "Slave for a Day". Somehow         mark their cheek or clothing and have them sit on the floor in the back and do not give them any rights         for the day. 3) Role play a woman without voting rights. Present things to be voted on throughout the     day, and do not allow these people to vote. After these roles have been played have students write their     feelings on paper, then discuss them as a class.

5.  Product:  

    1)Quiz questions
    2)Actively gained information