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Units February 18, 2022

Reflecting on 1619 Through Research, Podcasts, and Infographics

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Lesson Summary: Students will read and annotate deeply, think critically, learn research skills, and use technology to create a podcast and infographic inspired by in-depth exploration of an essay from The 1619 Project. Downloads: Unit resources
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This unit was created by UBUNTU: High School for Law Advocacy & Community Justice, as part of the 2021 cohort of The 1619 Project Education Network. It is designed for facilitation across approximately two weeks, or eight class periods.

Objectives

Students will be able to...

  • Engage in historical research inspired by close reading of a text from The 1619 Project.
  • Investigate an issue of their choosing and present their findings through audio, visuals, and text.
  • Develop their skills of inquiry and deliberation collaboratively.
  • Connect with family, community members, and/or other stakeholders to answer questions about issues and themes that interest them from The 1619 Project.

Unit Overview

In this unit, students will read, annotate, and outline an essay of their choice from The 1619 Project. They will then identify a theme or issue of interest in the text to research further. Students will interview family, community members, and/or other stakeholders about this issue. The unit culminates in the creation of a mini-podcast with an accompanying infographic containing a short excerpt from the chosen 1619 Project essay, at least two scholarly sources, and at least two interviews.

As part of their studies, students will listen to the 1619 podcast and other example podcasts to analyze their structure and prepare them to emulate elements of other podcasts they enjoy.

The idea guiding this project is to support students in the knowledge that nothing exists in a vacuum and all things are connected. Students will build on their skills of annotation, outlining, inquiry, and deliberation, and will emphasize technology as an essential skill in Social Studies.

Essential Questions

  • How do we use multiple forms of media to deeply understand and communicate information about complex issues? 
  • How do we use a concept map to help organize and brainstorm ideas/paths/concepts?
  • How do we conduct scholarly research to provide strong evidence for our claims?
  • How can we better understand the nature and function of a podcast?
  • How do we make a podcast and an infographic?

Performance Task

Students will create a mini-podcast accompanied by an infographic. The podcast will be anchored in a selected excerpt from their chosen or assigned essay from The 1619 Project. Students will conduct interviews as part of their mini-podcast and explore the impact of their topic on the lives of family, community members, and/or other stakeholders.

This project will require independent and cooperative work. The process will engage a myriad of Social Studies skills and almost all Common Core Standards. Students will annotate, outline, create a concept map, research, interview, and use technology in order to complete their projects.

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