Learning Activity

Centers of Slave Trade in the Continental U.S.

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

5

Overview

Students will silently view and read a primary document that shows the U.S. arrival sites of enslaved Africans from the 16th through the 19th century and features accompanying informational text. The teacher will read the text of the document aloud.  Students will break into groups and read the same text orally with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, self-correcting, and rereading as necessary. After reading the document in these three ways, students will write a brief response identifying centers of slave trade in the Continental U.S., specifically noting Alabama as one of those centers, and identifying an important date in the history of the slave trade that they will add to a timeline.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.6

Describe colonial economic life and labor systems in the Americas.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.5.6

Vocabulary

  • economic
  • labor system
  • establishment
  • Triangular Trade Route
  • Hemisphere
  • Americas
  • Latin America
  • North America
  • South America
  • island

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Each colony's economic life and labor system was unique and based on the geographic location of the colony.
  • Most slaves came from a variety of countries in Africa and were brought to the Americas by slave traders using the Triangular Trade Route.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Locate each colony on a physical and political map.
  • Describe and explain the types of labor used in each colony (indentured servitude, slaves, free blacks, merchants, farmers, shipping, fishing/whaling, among others).
  • Trace, examine and evaluate the Triangular Trade Route and its impact on colonial economy and labor systems.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Different labor systems were used to build and grow each of the 13 colonies.
  • Slave labor was brought to the Americas by the Northern colonial shipping industry and purchased and used in the Caribbean islands and Southern colonies.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.6.1

Recognizing centers of slave trade in the Western Hemisphere and the establishment of the Triangular Trade Route
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.6

Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, self-correcting and rereading as necessary.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.6

Vocabulary

  • Accuracy
  • Automaticity
  • Prosody
  • Expression
  • Purpose
  • Understanding
  • Self-correcting
  • Rereading

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Accurately means reading without mistakes, and automatically means knowing the words immediately without sounding them out.
  • Prosody is reading aloud with appropriate changes in voice, pitch, and expression.
  • Reading can occur for different purposes and setting a purpose for reading can improve comprehension.
  • Rereading is a strategy that aids in word recognition and comprehension.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Set a purpose prior to reading aloud.
  • Read aloud accurately, automatically, while using appropriate expression.
  • Self-correct and reread when necessary.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Identifying their purpose for reading prior to beginning to read can improve their comprehension of the text.
  • Fluent readers are accurate, automatic, and use appropriate voice expression.
  • If a word is misread, they need to self-correct and reread.
  • If their comprehension begins to break down, they need to reread to improve their understanding.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The students will:

Read a primary document on the subject of slave trade in the United States orally with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, self-correcting and rereading as necessary.

Identify Alabama and other centers of slave trade in written responses. 

Activity Details

The teacher will

  1. Explain to the class that they will be seeing a primary document that they will read in three different ways:  silently, listening to it as it is read aloud, and then aloud with a small group. 
  2. Distribute the Document Debrief. Go over it together. Explain that you do not want them to answer any of the questions until all three ways of reading are complete, but allow them time to see what information they will be looking and listening for as they read. This will establish a purpose for reading.  
  3. Now, introduce the digital tool https://www.middlepassageproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/timesSeriesBorderBig.jpg and have each student access it on their device or in print.  
  4. Allow the students time to read the document silently.
  5. Read the text of the document aloud to the class.
  6. Break the class up into groups with 5 members each if possible. Assign each group member a paragraph to read aloud to their small group. Allow them time to read around as you monitor them.
  7. Give the students time to answer the questions on the Document Debrief.  Discuss each question as a class allowing students to respond as you see fit.
  8. Collect their Document Debrief responses either digitally or by taking up their print responses. 
Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

During the small group read-aloud time, circulate among the class and observe students as they read to check their oral reading for accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, ensuring each student can self-correct and reread as necessary.

Read students’ written responses to verify that they identified Alabama and other centers of slave trade in the Western Hemisphere using the provided Answer Key.

Acceleration

Allow students to work alone and read aloud the entire document text, record it digitally using their electronic device, and submit it to you for grading.

Give students the opportunity to view and respond in writing to additional resources on the Middle Passage Project website.  

 

Intervention

Provide students with highlighters and print copies of the primary document. As they read or listen to the reading, give them time to highlight the parts of the text that correspond to the questions as they go. You may allow students to turn the highlighted document in instead of writing the responses based on their individual needs.  

Break struggling readers into smaller groups, assign them the shorter passages, and/or call on another staff member to help monitor and provide assistance with oral reading during the small group time.  

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

16 to 30 Minutes

Related Learning Activities

Learning Activity (Before)

Domain-Specific Vocabulary Check - Western Hemisphere

Learning Activity (During)

Centers of Slave Trade in the Continental U.S.

Learning Activity (After)

Mobile: Arrival Site of Enslaved Africans

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

Students will need basic grade-level reading, computer, and writing skills in order to access the digital tools, read silently and orally, and write responses to the debrief questions.  The teacher will need to make a digital copy and share it electronically with students or print copies of Document Debrief: The Importation of Enslaved Africans to the Continental United States by State and Century for each student. Before teaching this activity, the teacher will also need to read and be familiar with the document and decide how students will access it, either individually on their own devices or as a class.  The teacher will need to decide ahead of time how to break students up into groups of five and how to assign oral reading parts. The document text is divided into 5 short sections, and the Lexile level is approximately 1210L-1400L, which is at grade level and slightly above. Consider the reading levels of your students and assign the segments accordingly. It may be necessary to ask additional staff members to assist you in monitoring the read-aloud small group time. 

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Student Materials:


Teacher Materials:

Digital Tools / Resources

The Importation of Enslaved Africans to the Continental United States by State …
https://www.middlepassageproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/timesSeriesBord…
Document Debrief: The Importation of Enslaved Africans to the Continental Unite…
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L8Ud4VgaYhjlepDrnTDY3vuEx14NDDizFKObxM6yDLU…

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

sjordan
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