 |
||
 |
 |
Support
MPT  Tell
a friend about this page |
|
||||||
1. Leading by Example
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies
Over the course of history, many ordinary people have taken the responsibility of leading others in the search for many of the freedoms we enjoy today. We often take for granted the right to free speech, voting, democratic government, and equality among the races and sexes. Without the leadership and sacrifices of people worldwide, these things may not be possible, and have still not been realized in some countries.
View episode one or six of Ken Burns' The Civil War, to reinforce the idea that the role of ordinary people like John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant can have a great impact on history. While they are all viewed as historically significant leaders now, many of their contemporaries would have described them as ordinary and average before the Civil War.
Create a worksheet with three columns: Name, Known For, and Time Period. Fill in the Name column with people who have led others and made a difference. Some people to include might be: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Gandhi, Harry T. Moore, A. Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King, Jr., Medgar Evers, Muhammad Ali, Ralph Bunche, Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, etc. Engage students in a research scavenger hunt using library and/or Internet resources. Using the names on the worksheet, students should find information about what each person was known for and the time period these events took place. When students have finished, go through the worksheet and discuss each person, their cause, and the time period as a way of reviewing and checking student research for accuracy.
Extend the lesson by asking students to identify current local, state, national, and world activists and the causes they represent. Using newspaper and/or Internet resources, the class as a whole might brainstorm possible figures. Be sure all students know the name of the activist and the cause that person advances.
As a final activity, ask students to compose a letter to the editor, a speech, a letter to a government official, or a song; or, to create a sign, poster, t-shirt, button, bumper sticker, or some other item to show their support for a specific cause, either one outlined in the earlier brainstorming activity or one they feel is particularly important to them. Provide students with an opportunity to share their work with others.
2. How Many Makes a Crowd?
Grade Level: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Subject: Math, Social Studies, Language Arts
People gather in crowds for a variety of reasons: concerts, sporting events, political rallies, protests, etc. Does the actual number of people in a crowd make a difference? How can you tell how many people are really there? In this activity, students practice making their own crowd estimates and evaluate the accuracy and importance of such estimates.
Hold up, or pass around, a jar of jellybeans (or other candies) and ask students to guess how many individual jellybeans there are in the jar. Discuss their answers and their reasons for guessing the way they did. Count out the exact number of candies to see who came closest to being correct and what methods actually worked at getting closest estimates.
Next explain how estimates are made by counting the number of individuals in a small area and multiplying that number by how many of the smaller areas would fit in the larger area. Have students practice making estimates of crowd sizes using other items, such a jar of beans or a bowl of buttons; finally, have them make estimates of crowd sizes by looking at pictures of people in crowds.
Ask the students when this kind of estimate would be necessary. Why would it be necessary? Have students explore the story of the Million Man March and the controversy over crowd estimates that occurred during that event. Students should then write an essay on how to estimate the size of a crowd, including information about when and why it might be important to do so accurately.
Online Resources
PBS African American Worldpbs.org/wnet/aaworld/reference/articles/million_man_march.htmlPBS Online Newshour: A Million Men, One Year Later (10/16/1996)
pbs.org/newshour/bb/race_relations/october96/million_man_march_10-16.htmlPrentice Hall Middle Grades Math: Interpreting Data, "Too Many to Count"
http://www.phschool.com/math2/MGM2_1.htmlUSA Today: Million Man March
www.usatoday.com/news/index/nman010.htmUSA Today: Washington's Great Gatherings
www.usatoday.com/news/index/nman006.htmFree Republic Forum: MMM organizers caught lying about crowd size
www.freerepublic.com/forum/a391f959078aa.htm
Civil Warpbs.org/civilwar/A Force More Powerful
pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/Bringing Down a Dictator
pbs.org/weta/dictator/Frontline: The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela
pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandelaAfrican American World
pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/index.htmlRalph Bunche: An American Odyssey
pbs.org/ralphbunche/The Legacy of Harry T. Moore
pbs.org/harrymoore/index.htmlA. Philip Randolph: biography
pbs.org/weta/apr/aprbio.htmlNot For Ourselves Alone
www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/
Don't miss these programs airing in September! Check your local listings for the most accurate air date and time.
THE CIVIL WAR (9 parts)
Web Site: pbs.org/civilwar/
The award-winning documentary from filmmaker Ken Burns returns to PBS 12 years after its premiere. The landmark series, airing in its entirety with no content alteration, is rebroadcast complete with digitally remastered images and audio. In addition, the updated version will include a new introduction by filmmaker Ken Burns, as well as special interviews with Shelby Foote, Stanley Crouch, George Will, musicians Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, among others, and new behind-the-scenes material, including a side-by-side demonstration of the remastered footage. The program premieres on PBS Sunday, September 22, 2002; 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).
September 2002: Civil Disobedience
