Introduction
The Lincoln’s Legacy teaching module will take place over the course of thirteen sessions, taught in eight 60-minute and five 90-minute lessons. Through this module, students will explore Lincoln and his assassination, participate in a small-group nonfiction book study, analyze primary sources related to the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, and use their findings to produce a coherent 5-paragraph essay determining Lincoln’s legacy both in his time and in the present. The module is designed to teach kids to use appropriate reference sources to interpret meaning and then construct a research paper supporting their assessment of Lincoln’s legacy. Throughout this teaching module, there are many suggestions about ways to differentiate this unit to make it accessible yet challenging for each student regardless of their ability level. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to participate in discussions with their peers and practice both speaking and listening skills.
Since this is an extensive unit, it has been designed to address a variety of standards from multiple subject areas so as to make it more useful and relevant in a fifth-grade classroom. For settings where students change classes, the timing can still be adjusted to make it work in a social studies, reading, or writing class; teachers from different subjects can also collaborate and teach the unit across classes.
Guiding Questions
- What impact did President Lincoln and his assassination have on the United States?
- How can primary sources be used for research?
- How can research be presented in an essay/ oral presentation?
Objectives
- Students will collect information about Lincoln’s life and legacy through a small-group book study.
- Students will analyze and interpret primary sources to draw conclusions about people’s assessment of Lincoln’s character.
- Students will create a five-paragraph research paper, including an introduction, conclusion, and analysis of three reference sources.
- Students will communicate Lincoln’s legacy through firsthand accounts of reactions to his assassination.
- Students will discuss Abraham Lincoln’s achievements and contributions to society both then and now.
- Students will understand and express Lincoln’s legacy and the impact he has had in the aftermath of his assassination.
- Students will see the importance of having access to primary sources of information.
- Students will develop an understanding of the components of a research paper.
Lesson Activity One: Exploring Lincoln/Unit Activating Strategy:
Determine students’ understanding of Lincoln’s Assassination:
- Students should independently create a K-W-L chat demonstrating what they already Know and what they Want to know about Abraham Lincoln. (Students will record what they Learn about Lincoln at the end of the lesson).
- Students share their current knowledge and desired learning with a partner
- Allow a few students to share something form their charts for the class.
Begin by explaining to students they will begin an in-depth study of the life of Abraham Lincoln, with special emphasis on his legacy in the aftermath of his assassination
As a whole group, explore the information on the Ford’s Theatre website under the “Explore Lincoln” tab. Allow students to drive the session, calling on various students or taking votes to pursue topics capturing students’ interest. However, be sure to examine the following aspects of the website in order to establish background knowledge of Lincoln’s legacy:
- Within the “Museum Collection” tab, view Lincoln’s clothing and Booth’s deringer pistol. Also view the “Lincoln Memorial” video. Follow the video with a short group discussion addressing the following questions:
- Why do we still have artifacts like the deringer today?
- Why do we keep such artifacts in a museum?
- What do you think the monument represents for our nations?
- Why do you think there are so many protests, vigils, and other important civic events held at Lincoln’s memorial?
- Within the “Lincoln Book Tower” tab, watch the “Time Lapse of Book Tower” video and view the pictures in the slideshow:
- Students can turn and talk to a partner about why they think so many books are written about Abraham Lincoln
- Within the “Honoring Lincoln” tab, choose a few “Leaders on Lincoln” videos to watch:
- Be sure to assert the importance of the fact that some of our country’s most influential members still look up to Lincoln and try to follow his example of leadership
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Since this portion is done as a whole group, little support is needed. However, consider the students you call on when answering the embedded questions. Ask more advanced students questions involving critical thinking, while less advanced students can answer more explicit questions
- To support students with lower reading ability, read all written quotes and information aloud. To challenge gifted students, require them to directly reference the videos to support their opinions (ask as follow-up questions).
Students should fill in the Learn column of their K-W-L charts. These can be collected for assessment of knowledge
(OPTIONAL): Students can use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Lincoln with another personal or public figure
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Struggling students can be pulled into a small group to complete this activity. Provide them with a commonly known figure and discuss as a group
- Additional challenge can be added by having students create a triple Venn diagram, comparing Lincoln to two other figures
Lesson Activity Two: Book Study
Students write all letters of the alphabet down the left side of a piece of paper. Some letters can be removed at the teacher’s discretion.
For each letter, students try to list as many words or phrases beginning with that letter which describe or relate to Lincoln’s life. This will be an on-going activity, so students do not need to fill in the entire brainstorm every day or in one sitting.
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Struggling students can work on this with a partner or in a teacher-led small group. Additionally, the teacher can choose to focus on only a few letters rather than the entire alphabet
- To add challenge, students can think of multiple concepts for each letter.
Students should be put into groups of 4-5, each group having a designated supervisor to keep book circles on task
Students should read 3 sections of Who Was Abraham Lincoln? daily, taking turns reading aloud.
After each section, they should pause to discuss their learning and take notes on at least three facts per section, including the citation information (page and paragraph number). This should be student-directed; the teacher only assists and contributes as necessary, ensuring students stay focused and on-task
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Dependent on class makeup, there are two good options for grouping:
- Option 1: Students can be mixed together with gifted, average, and struggling students evenly dispersed throughout the groups, while the teacher circulates through the room, assisting as necessary. Gifted students can serve as group supervisors and strugglers benefit from the assistance of their higher-performing peers. This will work best if strugglers are comfortable (or capable of) either reading aloud or allowing other students to read to them.
- Option 2: High and average students can be grouped together and work more independently, while strugglers can work in a group with the teacher. This will work best with students with especially low reading and comprehension levels. For accountability, students in the independent groups should show their notes for each day’s work.
At the end of each lesson, students should write on a Post-it note the most impressive or important thing they learned about Lincoln and what character trait they feel it demonstrates
Share a few ideas if time allows
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Students can write in complete sentences or short phrases, as appropriate for their ability level
- High-achievers can challenge themselves to complete as many Post-it notes as possible in the time allotted.
(OPTIONAL): Extend Thinking
Students can choose a character trait Lincoln exhibits and construct support for chosen traits using examples from the text.
Adjustments, Differentiation
Struggling students should do this in a teacher-led small group setting
Lesson Activity Three: Analysis of Primary Sources
Define “source” as a whole group
Students talk with their tablemates about the meaning of the word “primary” and create a group definition of a primary source
Each group shares their definition. Use student definitions to create a class definition
Adjustments, Differentiation
- To ensure every group can come up with a relevant definition, make sure each group has at least one student with critical thinking capacity
- Be prepared to tweak student definitions in order to ensure the class definition is accurate
Distribute copies of primary sources for students to reference throughout the lesson. Remind students that a primary source offers firsthand knowledge of an event, recorded by someone alive during that particular time period. This can include newspaper articles, journal entries, creative works, photographs, etc.
As a whole group, discuss the 10 primary sources and examine each to determine the impression Lincoln made on people within that time period. Analyze the meaning of each piece, as well as the implications for people’s view of Lincoln and his presidency
Students should take notes on each piece on a separate sheet of paper
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Students with writing difficulties should be provided an incomplete set of notes that already include the title and author of each piece to shorten the amount of writing required
- Rather than approaching this as a whole group, high-achievers can be allowed to work in a small group to analyze sources, while other students work with the teacher
Students should write a short paragraph describing how primary sources enhance our knowledge of history
Adjustments, Differentiation
- For students with writing difficulties, the paragraph can be shortened or done in a small-group setting
- Advanced students should include specific examples from the lesson, as well as outside examples of primary sources and their utility
Lesson Activity Four: Research Paper
Students will use an index card to write a 3-2-1 summary, including 3 elements a research paper should have, 2 places to get information, and 1 question they have about writing a research paper.
Adjustments, Differentiation
- This can alternatively be done in a small-group setting. Also, prompts can be used in order to get students thinking about number and content of paragraphs, citing evidence, etc…
Describe research paper requirements to students:
- 5-6 paragraphs
- Introductory paragraph (at least 3 – 5 sentences) should contain a hook sentence to grab the reader’s attention, support it with students’ opinions of Lincoln’s important contributions to our country, and contain a thesis sentence outlining the rest of the research paper
- Body paragraphs 1 and 2 (at least 5 – 7 sentences) should begin with a description of the reference source. Then analyze the meaning of a primary source and describe what the author reveals about Lincoln’s character through their depiction of the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination. Cite reference sources.
- Body paragraph 4 (at least 6 – 8 sentences) should begin with a description of the reference source. Then describe some of Lincoln’s major contributions during his life as well as through his death, using Who Was Abraham Lincoln? as a reference. As in the other body paragraphs, students should describe what these events illuminate about Lincoln’s character and cite their reference source
- Conclusion paragraph (at least 3 – 5 sentences) should be a paraphrased reversal of the introductory paragraph, iterating the thesis, stating an opinion of Lincoln and his legacy, and ending with a theme to summarize what one can learn from our nation’s sixteenth president
In lesson 8, begin by having students create reference source cards on index cards, including quotations and summaries of information gleaned from each source. For each detail sentence, students should have a reference card with citation information, thus providing a blueprint for writing the actual essay
In lesson 9, students should use their reference cards and sources to write the introductory and first body paragraph, followed by peer editing
In lesson 10, students will compose the second body paragraph, followed by peer editing
Students will finish their essays and peer editing in Lesson 11
Lesson 12 will consist of one-to-one teacher-student final editing sessions before students complete a final draft
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Students who struggle with reading can choose visual representations for their sources, while advanced students can choose more complex sources
- Rather than approaching this as a whole group, high achievers can be allowed to work in a small group to analyze sources, while other students work with the teacher
- Students with strong writing can analyze an additional source in another paragraph
- Paragraphs may also be eliminated as necessary to accommodate strugglers and facilitate success. These students may also work in a small group with more intense teacher assistance
- Students also have an extra-credit opportunity if they create some sort of visual representation of Lincoln’s legacy (e.g. a painting or drawing, sculpture, PowerPoint, collage, etc…)
Students will produce “exit slips” by showing daily progress
Lesson Activity Five: Presentation
Students should make a list of tips to remember while giving a presentation
- Have students each share a tip and create a class list of 5 – 10 important tips and remind students to follow these guidelines as they give presentations
- Be sure to remind students to project their voice, face the audience, and make eye contact while presenting paragraphs. Also, remind them that audience members should be facing the speaker and giving them full attention
Give students a few moments to choose the paragraph they feel most clearly highlights Lincoln’s most defining traits. Students will only read aloud on paragraph each
- Use the projector to let students project their paragraphs as they are read aloud by the author
Adjustments, Differentiation
- Students with writing difficulties should have their paragraph checked by a teacher before presentation
- Students with reading difficulties may have teacher support
After reading a paragraph, allow the speaker to call on three audience members: two to give compliments (Two Stars) and one to give a suggestions for improvement (a Wish)
