Name: Scott, Carolyn P.

E-mail: cwill2405@aol.com

Topic: Slave Ship: Carrier of Destiny

Grade: Fifth

Time: 10 days

Ark. Hist. Framework: 1.1.5; 1.1.7; 2.1.4; 3.1.5; 3.1.7; 4.1.9; 6.1.6

Objective: Students will begin to develop an understanding of the horrendous journeys majority of African-Americans, who arrived in Arkansas during the late 1700s and early 1800s, had endured.

Set: A large, laminated view of the slave ship, Brookes, holding as many as 609 slaves on one of its voyage through the Middle Passages will be posted in front of the class.

Key Terms: slave, African-American, slave patrols, labor-dependent crops, agriculture, anti-slavery, indispensable, incarceration, antebellum, valuable commodity, chattels, plight

Key Facts: Slavery was the European solution to the problem of the Native American population being depleted because of disease or run-aways. Along the west coast of Africa, Europeans found  a land teeming with people and  others willing to sell these people in trade. During 1500s and 1600s, colonization expanded in the New World thus the demand for African slaves grew rapidly.

Of the millions of Africans sold in the colonies of the Americas, about 6% were delivered to North America. The journey for those 'snatched' from their homelands was long, tortutous, families separated, and human life disregarded.

Although slavery was present in Arkansas, numbers were lowest in Northwest Arkansas where a general anti-slavery feeling was common.

Activities: 1. Share some of the literature related to slavery and its relationship to the original Arkansas Post.

2. Discuss the concept of slavery and what the term means to us as we interpret  it. Draw a semantic map and chart a K-W-L-H(ow)

3. Distribute copies of Carlson's 1993 Route of The Henrietta Marie map to be used throughout this unit.

4. Students will be subdivided into groups of four which will work on researching selected topics relating to the key terms and the correlation of that term as it relates to their selected research project.

5. Short video clips will be shown throughout this unit of the Alex Haley biography, "Roots". Book will also be available in the classroom library.

6. Websites will be made available for researching information for group projects as well as gathering additonal stories of the journey of slavery.

7. Area museums will provide hands-on opportunities for the students.

8. The Arkansas Arts Council will present cultural experiences.

9. Many books will be available in the classroom through coordination with the local area libraries and other classrooms.

10. Students ill also have an opportunity to work on a special project of their own choosing (optional) as an at-home project.

Closure: Upon completion of this unit, my fifth graders will have a more thorough comprehension of the concept of what it meant to be a slave. They will recognize that Arkansas was not a primary sate in the ownership of slaves, although slavery was present. These students will also be able to make a connection of themselves to the world and to text as they internalize the plight of the destiny of the slave ships' human cargo.

Assessment: Informal assessments will be conducted throughout this unit.

Discussions, research and observations will play a major role in assessing. Also, the group research projects will be a major factor of the formal assessment as the groups share and defend their findings. A rubric will be developed and shared so that the students will know in advance what is expected of them as they complete their group projects.

Resources: website: http://arkansasheritage.com

Baker, T. & Browning, J., "An Arkansas History For Young People," 1997.

Bolton, C., "Arkansas 1800-1860," 1998.

Moneyhon, C., "Arkansas and the New South," 1997.

Sullivan, G., "Slave Ship - The Story of The Henrietta Marie," 1994.

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