Section 4: Reconstruction & Jim Crow

**Subject:** History | **Grade:** 5

## Overview
Visual timeline-based biography collection of Black leaders, legends, and cultural figures from ancient Africa to present day

## Source Text Excerpt
47

“Mama [told us] to ‘jump at de sun’. We might not land
on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground.” Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road (1942) University studies Zora continues her studies at Howard University, Washington, D.C. She
co-establishes The Hilltop, a student newspaper. She also has her first short story, “John Redding Goes to Sea”, published in a literary magazine.
1921 Harlem Renaissance Zora earns a scholarship to study at Barnard College, New York City. She moves to Harlem, a vibrant, mainly African American neighbourhood which is the centre of an explosion of art and ideas called the Harlem Renaissance. She befriends the poet Langston Hughes and other rising stars. They launch a magazine called Fire!!
in 1926. 1925 Southern travels Zora travels through the southern US states recording African American folk tales. She meets formerly enslaved person Cudjo Kazoola Lewis, the last survivor of the final slave ship to cross from Africa to the US. She writes
a book based on
their conversations. Writing Zora adapts her folk tale research into a play, The Great Day, which features folk songs, dance, and pantomime. Two years later, her first novel, Jonah’s
Gourd Vine, is published.
Her work is well received, but does not give her mainstream success. 1932 1927 Travels to
the Caribbean Zora is given an award to research the rituals of voodoo (a West African religion) in Haiti, and obeah (spiritual healing) in Jamaica. She documents her findings in the book Tell My Horse. Literary classic Her second novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is published. It becomes her most influential book, and many people today see it as a classic of the
Harlem Renaissance. 1937 1936 Autobiography Zora’s autobiography,
Dust Tracks on a Road,
is published. She gains praise for the quality of
her writing. She wins the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for the book’s contribution to the unde

## Learning Objectives
- Master the concepts in this section
- Apply skills through hands-on activities
- Demonstrate understanding through projects

## Activities


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*Source: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History*

👩‍🏫 Teacher’s Guide — Section 4: Reconstruction & Jim Crow

Lesson Plan at a Glance

• Topic: Section 4: Reconstruction & Jim Crow
• Grade: 5 | Subject: History | State: OK
• Reading: Textbook: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History, Section 4
• Suggested Pacing: 4 sessions × 45 min (Read → Narrate → Activity → Notebook)

Teaching Sequence

1. Read Aloud the assigned text; have student narrate back in their own words.
2. Big Idea to Land: Core concept of this lesson.
3. Cover These Sections: (see student content for section headings)
4. Do a Hands-On Activity from the list — concrete experience before abstract.
5. Notebook: Student completes journal entry recording observations.
6. Review: Ask discussion questions orally; finish with review questions.

Discussion Questions (with what to listen for)

• Q: Whose perspective is missing from this account? (Listen for awareness of multiple perspectives.)
• Q: What caused this event? What were the effects? (Listen for cause-and-effect chains.)
• Q: How is this similar to/different from today? (Listen for historical connections.)

Vocabulary to Define Together

Materials to Gather

• Notebook/journal
• Writing utensils
• Textbook: Leaders, Legends, Legacies: Timelines from Black History
• Map/globe (for history/geography)
• Basic lab supplies (for science)

Standards Covered

Watch For (Common Misconceptions)

• Confusing mass with weight — use the Moon example consistently.
• Skipping narration — oral retelling is where retention happens; don’t skip it.
• Activity without notebook — the journal entry IS the assessment; don’t separate them.
• Lecturing instead of questioning — aim for 80% student talk, 20% teacher talk.

Differentiation

• Struggling: Provide sentence frames for narration; allow oral responses.
• Advanced: Add extension question: “How would this change if…?”
• ELL: Pre-teach key vocabulary; use visual aids and sentence frames.

Assessment Look-Fors

• Accurate narration with key vocabulary
• Notebook entry shows observation + reflection
• Map/timeline entry accurate
• Discussion participation with evidence
• Project completion with explanation