Lesson Plan

You Are Invited!

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

4

Overview

Students will analyze a primary document that details items purchased to celebrate the Marquis de Lafayette's tour of Alabama in April 1825. Students will create an invitation to the celebration, including the What, Where, When, Why, What to Bring, and R.S.V.P. Students will include details from the secondary source, as well as the primary document, to include on the invitation. The event will be explained utilizing the format of the invitation.

This lesson is part of the SSC3 A+ College Ready training.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 4

SS10.4.6

Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.4.6

Vocabulary

  • plantation
  • Yeoman
  • townspeople
  • inequity
  • agriculture
  • fertile

Knowledge

Students know:
  • During this time, most families in Alabama did not own slaves; most slaves were owned by Plantation Owners.
  • Most of Alabama's families made a living through agriculture.
  • The Black Belt and fertile river valleys were major areas of agricultural production.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Compare and contrast cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.
  • Describe major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • There were cultural, political, and economic inequities in Alabama in the early 19th Century between slaves, Yeoman farmers, and Plantation owners.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.22

Analyze events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.4.22

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Events
  • Procedures
  • Ideas
  • Concepts
  • Informational texts

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Informational text often describes events, procedures, ideas, or concepts.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Use specific information in informational text to describe events, procedures, ideas, or concepts.
  • Explain the causes and effects of the events described in text.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • They can use information from the text to examine and interpret events, procedures, ideas, or concepts from informational texts.
  • Some informational text will explain the causes and effects of certain events.

Primary Learning Objectives

Students will analyze a primary document detailing some of the items that were used to celebrate the Marquis de Lafayette's Grand Tour through Alabama in April, 1825. They will discuss the items that were purchased and infer the importance of the items, their purposes, and if they were vital to the success of the event. The students will create an invitation to the celebration by utilizing the items on the primary documents and the information from a secondary source that describes the tour.

Additional Learning Objective(s)

Students will apply information from the primary document (items purchased for the event) and the secondary source (article from the Encyclopedia of Alabama) as they create the body and illustrations for the invitation to the historical LaFayette celebration.

Procedures/Activities

Before:

  • The teacher should review Lafayette's role in the fight for independence.
  • The teacher should review President Monroe's invitation to commemorate America's 50th birthday.
  • Assign the students into pairs or small groups.

During:

  • Display the primary document on the document camera.
  • Distribute copies of the Encyclopedia of Alabama article and receipt to each group.
  • Discuss the items, prices, and amounts on the receipt, such as the "pickled" food, salt, meats, wine, and alcohol.
  • Discuss who might be able to attend the event (landowners, business owners, slaves).  Would state and local political leaders be invited? What would one be expected to wear or bring? Should families with children attend? 
  • Distribute copy paper to every student.
  • Explain the guidelines for the invitation.
    The invitation must include:
    • What: what historical event is being celebrated
    • Where: a description of the location of the event
    • When: the date of the event and the context (circumstances surrounding the event)
    • Why: why should people come to this event
    • What to bring: what should a person bring to it in order to participate (more food, supplies, banners)
    • R.S.V.P.: who should you contact in order to tell them you are attending and how would such contact happen in the time period
  • Illustrate the invitation appropriately.

After:

  • Share the information on the invitations as the students are working in order to encourage creative ideas.
  • Ask students which document provided specific information.
  • As students share their invitations, compare details to invitations they might receive today. How would they be alike and different?  
  • Share selected invitations under the document camera.
  • Display invitations.

Assessment Strategies

Formative:

  • Students should be able to discuss the tour of the Marquis and the planned celebration.
  • Students should be able to cite which document (primary or secondary) provided specific information.
  • Students should be able to discuss the items purchased for the celebration and their purposes and importance.

Summative:

  • Completed invitation should include information and details from the primary and secondary sources.
  • Invitations should include details that explain the role of Marquis de Lafayette in the American Revolution.
  • Invitations should include details that are appropriate for early 19th century (clothing, food, transportation, possible entertainment that might occur, who would be invited).

Acceleration

Students may research celebrations that took place in other sites, such as battlefields and reunions with Revolutionary dignitaries. They may design invitations to those events.

For additional information:

See the bibliography for additional reading for acceleration

Intervention

Students may work in pairs to complete the reading and the invitation.

Students may be given the important information and be allowed to copy the information on the invitation.

Students may be allowed to create the invitation on a laptop/computer using an appropriate publishing program.

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

31 to 60 Minutes

Background and Preparation

Background/Preparation

The teacher should review the importance of Lafayette to America's fight for independence.

If the students are not familiar with the Grand Tour that took place for the 50th birthday of the U.S., they should review the Encyclopedia of Alabama's  article about the Alabama visit. http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-2152

See the bibliography for more information about Lafayette's involvement in the U.S.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

A copy of Lafayette's Visit Receipt for each set of partners.

A copy of Lafayette's Visit to Alabama (Encyclopedia of Alabama) for each set of partners.

A sheet of copy paper for each student

Rulers

Pencils

Colored Pencils

Technology Resources Needed

Document camera to display primary source, if available

Laptops to research items on the receipt and locate appropriate images for invitation, if available

Approved Date

2017-05-18
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