Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Lesson 13
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ELA

Unit 6

4th Grade

Lesson 13 of 25

Objective


Defend how Reconstruction was supported by segregationist beliefs.

Readings and Materials


  • Book: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson  pp. 39 – 45

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Target Task


Writing Prompt

Reconstruction was supported by segregationist beliefs. Defend using details from the text and illustrations. 

Sample Response

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Key Questions


Key Questions

  • Read the first paragraph from page 39. Why was it hard for the freed slaves to "find a way to make it on their own"?

  • Read the sentence from page 43. "Sharecropping was a sneaky way of keeping Black folks in the fields without having to pay them. Wasn't much different than slavery." What reasons and evidence does the author include to support this point?

  • What "big steps" happened during Reconstruction? On page 43, Why does the author say that the "progress" didn't come without a price?

  • What was the Ku Klux Klan? What did they believe? How did their beliefs influence the way they treated Black people?

  • How do the illustrations help the reader better understand life for Black people during Reconstruction?

Exit Ticket

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Vocabulary


deserted

adj.

(p. 43)

describing a place in which everyone has left

cultivate

v.

(p. 43)

to grow and care for plants

contradict

v.

(p. 43)

to say the opposite of something that someone else has said

superior

adj.

(p. 45)

better than 

reconstruction

n.

(p. 43)

the period of time when the southern states joined the northern states again after the American Civil War and the government made plans to rebuild the South

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Common Core Standards


  • RI.4.3 — Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
  • RI.4.7 — Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
  • RI.4.8 — Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.
  • SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Supporting Standards

L.4.4
L.4.4.b
L.4.6
RF.4.3
RF.4.4
RI.4.1
RI.4.4
RI.4.10
W.4.10

Next

Explain what life was like on the frontier for Buffalo Soldiers and freed Black people.

Lesson 14
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