“All men are created equal” or are they?

Mr. Michael Downes,

Ditmas I.S. 62 Brooklyn

(towdownes@yahoo.com)

Introduction:

“All men are created equal” or are they? After the Civil War, Jim Crow laws were spreading throughout the South. These laws enforced segregation or separation of the races. “Separate but equal” became the law of the land in 1896 with the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson. The fight for equality became a major issue in the 1950’s. You have been chosen to create a PowerPoint exploring how the social problem of the lack of equal educational opportunity for blacks led to the U.S. Supreme Court developing a new policy to correct this social problem. This policy was articulated by the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. This public policy redefined the terms “equality” and “separation.” Its ramifications are still in headline play today in terms of life changing education opportunity.

Task:

You will create a PowerPoint that uses the American History Public Policy Analyst (AHPPA) to analyze the Court’s decision in Brown, with the focus on issue of school segregation. In your PowerPoint, you will compare and contrast the landmark cases Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education to explain how the Brown case changed American society. You must include at least 5 pictures in your slides.

Process/Resources

In your PowerPoint, you must have 10 slides that do the following:

(Slide 1) title page All Men are Created Equal or are they? (1 picture) (Use all the hyperlinks as your resources.) (You may also use the hyperlinks to find five appropriate pictures for your PowerPoint.)

(Slide 2) (1 picture) Define the problem resource 1

(Use the hyperlinks for other resources that help Define the problem.)

http://ookaboo.com/o/pictures/topic/12379793/Plessy_v_Ferguson

Step 1: Define the problem: Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that” separate but equal” = equal. African Americans were supposedly entitled to separate but equal educational facilities and instruction. In reality, the physical and material resources of their “separate education” facilities were inferior to the physical and material resources of the educational facilities available to white citizens. http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/usppaip1.html

(Slides 3, 4 and 5) (2pictures)

Step 2: Gather Evidence: Gather evidence resource 1 This step requires your group to use the Internet to locate at least three different sources of evidence to support the scope of your problem (“Separate but Equal”) The goal of these activities is to develop problem solving/argument writing and speaking skills through using the Internet to gather evidence about your problem.

(Use the hyperlinks for other resources which help Gather Evidence.)

http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/separate-but-equal.html

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5485/

http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/worksheet2us.doc

(Slides 6, 7 and 8) (1 picture)

Step 3: Identify Cause: If policy makers can identify the causes or factors that contribute to a social problem (“Separate but Equal”), then they can try to develop public policies to eliminate or lessen those causes or factors. In these slides, students will identify the causes that led to the enactment of the law “Separate but Equal”

(Use the hyperlinks for resources that help Identify Cause.)

http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/9401317541/sad-story-how-separate-but-equal-was-born

http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net/000001/000000/000085/html/t85.html

http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/worksheet3us.doc

(Slides 9 and 10) (1picture)

Step 4: Evaluate a Policy: Now, you are ready to begin to analyze the major public policy that was enacted to address your social problem. Students will analyze the Brown v. Board of Education case. They will explore the extent to which it addressed and alleviated the problem of “Separate but Equal”.

(Use the hyperlinks for resources that help Evaluate a Policy.)

http://web.ku.edu/~ojclass/brown/

http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his135/Events/Brown54/Brown54.html

http://www2.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/ppa/worksheet4us.doc

Evaluation

	Beginning	Developing	Accomplished	Exemplary	Score
Content	Minimal single data accurate information is provided from court cases.	Information includes two accurate and comprehensive Steps, but some are lacking sources.	Information is 80% accurate and comprehensive.	Information is completely accurate, comprehensive, and carefully selected to meet the needs of the project, and incorporated Information from given cases.
Organization	Materials poorly organized with, lack clarity, and logical analysis of decision.	Less than half the materials and steps demonstrate organization, clarity and logical case analysis.	80% materials and information demonstrate organization, clarity, and logic of the cases	All materials and information are well organized, clear and logically analyze the cases.
Visual Display for PowerPoint	No use of graphic compelling images, paintings and photographs which vivify the issue.	Little use of color, pictures and other visuals that is motivating to students.	Some use of color, pictures and other visuals that are motivating to students.	Attractive display, using color, pictures and other visuals that are motivating to students.
Punctuality	Presentation is turned in more than three days late.	Presentation is turned in two days late.	Presentation is turned in one day late.	Presentation is turned in by the deadline.

Conclusion:

This web quest helped set off students on an historical, sociological and education center policy issue, which ironically is still very much in headlines and frames ongoing school separation of sexes and classes. Students explored as investigators and as stakeholders, the historic time period specific causes, factors and impact of the decision but also learned how to do a step by step analysis of the issue using multimedia graphics and commentary. Ultimately as they evaluated the decision, they become aware through the sources of how the decision is not a finite one grounded almost 60 years ago in the 20^th century, but is an issue that lingers in terms of separate but equal education/recreation access by sex or economic class or access to parental support/advocacy.

Standards:

This web quest addresses the following standards in Literacy in History/SS

Reading for literacy

Key Ideas and Details

Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources

Determine central ideas or information of primary and secondary sources-provide an accurate summary of those sources

Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process

Craft and structure

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text

Integration of knowledge and ideas

Integrate visual information

Distinguish among fact, opinion and reasoned judgment

Analyze the relationship between a primary and a secondary source on the same topic

Writing Standards for Literacy in History /Social Studies

Text Types and Purposes

Write arguments on discipline specific content

Write informative /explanatory texts

Use precise language and domain specific vocabulary

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone.

Provide a concluding section

Production and distribution of writing

Produce clear and coherent writing in which development, organization and style are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

Use technology to produce and publish writing.

Research to build and present knowledge

Conduct short research projects

Gather relevant material from multiple print and digital sources

Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.