Spring Arbor University School of Education Lesson Plan Guide: Direct Instruction Title: Dred Scott V. Sandford Teacher Candidate: Brandy Werner Subject: Social Studies Grade Level: 8 th Time Allotted: 47 minutes Materials Required: sealed envelopes with cards that say northerner and southerner inside; sticky notes; large bar graph for testing students comfort level with the material; Daily Warm-Up PowerPoint; Dred Scott case information sheet; alternative assessment sheet; Roger B. Taney video Michigan Curriculum framework: Benchmark and/or GLCE/HSCE/EGLCE (write out) 8 U5.1.4 Describe how the following increased sectional tensions the Missouri Compromise (1820) the Wilmot Proviso (1846) the Compromise of 1850 including the Fugitive Slave Act the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) and subsequent conflict in Kansas the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision (1857) changes in the party system (e.g., the death of the Whig party, rise of the Republican party and division of the Democratic party) (C2; C3) (National Geography Standard 13, p. 169) Objective(s): A portion of a GLCE or HSCE stated in terms of Bloom s taxonomy (level/verb) The learner will describe how the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision increased tensions between the northerners and southerners with 80% accuracy on the Ticket Out the Door. (Bloom s level: Knowledge) The learner will apply what he/she knows about sectional divisions before the Civil War to decide how both the north and the south would perceive the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. Mastery will be achieved when the learner can successfully articulate these perceptions on the worksheet or in the debate. (Bloom s level: Application) The learner will argue for or against the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision from a northerner or southerner point of view. Mastery will be achieved when the learner contributes meaningfully in the debate or successfully articulates his/her arguments on the worksheet. (Bloom s level: Evaluation) Purpose: The students will learn how the Dred Scott v. Sandford case increased sectional tensions between the north and the south before the Civil War. Instructional Procedure: What information do students need to accomplish the objective? 1. Anticipatory Set: (6 minutes) When the students come in, have them take a sealed envelope with either a Northerner or Southerner card inside. Also, hand them a sticky note to place on the bar graph (after they write their names on it) prompting the question: How comfortable are you with the Dred Scott V. Sandford Supreme Court case? 1-I have never heard of it. 2-I have heard of it, but I couldn t tell you what it s about. 3-I know a little bit about it.
4-I know quite a bit about it. 5-I m an expert I could teach YOU about it. Take a picture of this chart to assess their perceived abilities. Display the Daily Warm-Up on the projector: How did a Northerner s viewpoint differ from a Southerner s on the issue of slavery in the United States? (This is review). Have the students write down their individual answers and then pair share. Talk about this with students once everyone has had a chance to think about it. Tell the students that during the lesson, you expect them to behave like young adults. Tell them that we are going to have a small debate, and that they NEED to respect each other. They will not have homework if the debate runs smoothly. However, if they are disrespectful, they will have to stop and write a paper for their homework. Show them the alternative assessment sheet. Also tell them to listen carefully and try their best. 2. State Purpose and Objective of Lesson: ( ½ minute) Today we are going to learn about an important court case that was very influential toward igniting the spark that started the Civil War. This is important to know because it is an important piece of our history the Civil War totally changed our country. 3. Differentiation Considerations: If a student chooses, he or she may write his or her arguments for the debate rather than arguing them out loud. See Alternative Assessment sheet. Similarly, if a student wishes, he or she may verbally say the Ticket Out The Door rather than writing it down. The teacher can still assess it the same way, either by recording it for later assessment or grading it then and there. 4. Instructional Input: (30 minutes) Show the students the Roger B. Taney video, detailing the specifics of the Dred Scott case. (See information sheet for that information). To assess whether or not the students understood the details of the Dred Scott case, have them hold up a thumbs-up for I understand, a thumbs-sideways for I kind of understand, and a thumbs-down for I have no clue. Address any remediations that are necessary by explaining the details of the case again if students indicate that they need it. Have them work in partners to come up with a decision on whether Dred Scott should be free or not. Each group must come to a consensus. Then come back together as a whole class and discuss people s opinions. Take a class vote to see which side won the vote. Read the students the outcome of the Dred Scott case: The official decision, stated by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, was this: because Scott was black, he was not a citizen. Therefore, he did not have a right to sue in United States courts. But that wasn t the only decision they made. Remember the Missouri Compromise? What was it? (Take a few students answers to what the Missouri Compromise was: a declaration that said that slavery was unconstitutional in the Louisiana Territory and above the 36 th parallel). In the Dred Scott case, the Supreme Court ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional, meaning that the government could not restrict the spread of slavery. Now have the students open their Northerner and Southerner cards. Have them get in groups of 4 with others who have the same card as them. Put all of the Northerners on one side of the room and all the Southerners on the other. Have the groups work through the worksheet together. Bring the class together again. Have the Northerners face their desks toward the Southerners. Tell the students that we are going to have a debate. Tell them that both sides may argue in a semi-structured way. There will be no interrupting each other, and we will be respectful of each other. Give them the prompt: Was the decision right or wrong and why. Have
the students raise their hands when they want to answer. Have both sides argue back and forth, according to their affiliation to the North or to the South. (I.e. the Northerners fight for antislavery causes and the Southerners fight for pro-slavery causes). Encourage both groups to defend their positions. Ask the students how the Dred Scott case may have broken up the north and the south even more. Accept answers. Tell them that the Dred Scott case was like a wedge between the north and the south. It overturned the Missouri Compromise, which made the northerners mad because they were against slavery and wanted it banned from new territories. The southerners were happy because it made it possible for slavery to spread. Basically, it made it illegal for the government to stop slavery. It turned into a big driving force behind the south s succession from the north and the eventual Civil War. 5. Assessment: As a Ticket Out the Door, have the students answer the following question: How did the Dred Scott V. Sandford case increase tensions between the north and the south? Have them write at least 2 sentences to answer. (Answer: It made the northerners mad because outlawed outlawing slavery. It made it so that slavery was allowed everywhere, and the northerners were anti-slavery. The southerners, on the other hand, were happy about it because they wanted slavery to spread. This made the northern and southern United States angrier at each other and was a big contributor to the succession of the south and the start of the Civil War.) The teacher can also assess the students by looking over their pre-debate worksheet. Though this is only used to springboard their whole group discussion, valuable information about student understanding can be gleaned from it. Informally assess it for understanding. Also, have the students move their post-its on the bar graph to a new spot (if necessary). Use this to assess how well the students thought they learned. Additionally, assess throughout the lesson. Keep a checklist of all the students and record whether or not they are contributing meaningfully to the discussions. 6. Closure: (6-9 minutes) Review what we talked about. Ask the students what the Dred Scott case was, and then ask them how it drove the north and the south apart. Give the students the Ticket Out the Door assignment, and tell them to come up in rows and place their sticky note back on the chart based on how well they feel like they know the Dred Scott case. Take a picture of this new chart. Make sure they turn in their TOD before they leave.
Dred Scott Case Information Sheet Welcome to the United States Supreme Court. You are now Supreme Court Justices. You have just been presented with a brand new case, making it all the way from the Missouri Supreme Court. Here are the details: Dred Scott, the plaintiff and a slave, is suing John Sandford for his freedom. Scott was born into slavery in 1800 and changed hands between slaveholders a couple times. He was moved from state to state, and he lived in Illinois, a free state, for a period of two and a half years. He also lived in the Wisconsin Territory, where slavery was forbidden, for another three years. Scott is claiming that his extended stays in two areas of the United States where slavery was outlawed was enough to make him free. So what do YOU think? Do you think that Dred Scott should be legally freed? Or do you think that staying in a free part of the country does not make you free? Why do you feel this way?
Ticket Out the Door How did the Dred Scott V. Sandford case increase tensions between the north and the south? Please write a minimum of 2 quality sentences answering the question above. The more accurate details and supporting information you give, the better! Ticket Out the Door How did the Dred Scott V. Sandford case increase tensions between the north and the south? Please write a minimum of 2 quality sentences answering the question above. The more accurate details and supporting information you give, the better!
Dred Scott V. Sandford 1. Circle One. I am a Northerner. I am a Southerner. 2. Here is what I believe about slavery: 3. The Dred Scott case decision makes me feel because 4. Circle either good or bad. The Dred Scott decision was: Good Bad Here are some reasons why: 1) 2) 3) 5. The opposing side may argue this: But here is my response to them:
Alternative Assessment: Dred Scott V. Sanford Essay Writing Prompt: Tell how the Dred Scott case increased tension between the northerners and southerners before the Civil War. The essay must include: 3 arguments that a northerner would make for/against the outcome of the Dred Scott case (at least 1 paragraph) 3 arguments that a southerner would make for/against the outcome of the Dred Scott case (at least 1 paragraph) A clear explanation as to why the outcome of the Dred Scott case was so controversial in the northern and southern United States, stating at least 2 specific reasons (at least 1 paragraph) An introductory paragraph A conclusion paragraph A clearly stated thesis (one sentence that sums up the entire paper) The paper should be at least 1 typed page long. Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font. Double space your work.