Date: December 16, 2003

Grade Level: 5, 6, 7, 8

Subject(s):

• Language arts
• Social studies

Duration: Approximately 10 class periods

Description: In the years between 1940 and 1946, during World War II, units of African Americans served in the United States Air Corps. They served as pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and support personal, but were required to serve in segregated flying units. They faced the same racial tensions and discriminations of the era, but were determined to serve and protect their country in spite of the jaunts and jeers. Using a variety of graphic organizers and activities selected for the academic level of students, students will be able to research and share information about this somewhat unknown group of heroes.

Goals: Standards: (Standards for the English Language Arts)

1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic, and contemporary works.
2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the man dimensions of human experience.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features.
4. Students their use of spoken, written, and visual language to communicate Effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and us different Writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources to gather And synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

Objectives:

1. Students will acquire informational data of the Tuskegee Airmen.
2. Students will use the Internet to research for information.
Students will use graphic organizers to collect and categorize data.
3. Students will select an activity that will show the knowledge gained.
4. Students will use correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar in their activities.
5. Students will present their activities in an oral format to classmates.

Teacher Materials: Introduction, Vocabulary, Thinking Question, Tuskegee Airmen Tasks, Cube Pattern, Poetry Patterns, Similes and Metaphors, Story Tree, Graphic Organizer for Collecting Data, (Form 1 & 2) Rubrics for Projects (All materials required for this lesson are available in the linked handout. Scroll down to view.)

Student Materials: Materials for chosen project

Vocabulary: See Vocabulary Handout

Procedure:

Preparation:

• If monies are available for books, purchase these several weeks before the unit begins.
• Run off copies of the Introduction, Vocabulary, Tasks, Rubric, Web Links and Graphic Organizers for each student. Put materials in a folder of some kind.
• After students have selected their task, run off copies of the needed forms.
• Become familiar with the Web Links.
• Have materials for drawing and boxes, if required.
• Decide which students will need more time to complete the task and make plans for directing their activities. Only Form 1 should be used. Activities 1, 2, 4, 8, and 10 require less writing for students and allow them to use other skills. Activities 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 require a more in-depth research and the ability to use higher level thinking skills. Again, students can be directed to these.
• Designate on the Task Sheet which tasks you want individual students to select from. You could do this with a check or by highlighting the tasks. When the sheets are handed out, explain that whatever is marked is what you would like them to consider.

Instruction and Activities:

Day 1: The first day will be used to introduce the lesson and to discover what knowledge students already have about the Tuskegee Airmen. Start with a discussion of WWII. Ask students what they know about our fighting men. As students begin to share, lead the discussion to the Air Force, or Army Air Corps at it was known then. Let everyone share. Because most students will not have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, unless they have seen something on television, hand out the Introduction. Read it together or let students share in small groups. Ask them to find 10 words in the Introduction that they think are most important. Have them write these down for further discussion. When the group or individuals have made their lists, come back together to talk about the meanings of the words. Next hand out the Vocabulary page. Many of the words students will have found in the Introduction will be on the Vocabulary page. Since the Vocabulary page does not ask for definition, but rather how the words “look” and “feel”, ask them to work in small groups to fill in the page. Again, when the work is completed, bring the students back together to discuss what they have decided. After the discussion, tell students that tomorrow they will begin a study of the Tuskegee Airmen using the Web Links and/or books that you will provide.

Day 2: Hand out the Web Links page and the Graphic Organizers. For students who need a bit more time to complete work, Form 1 will be enough. For the majority of students, hand out both Form 1 and Form 2 of the Graphic Organizers. Go over both forms together. You can privately tell those students that you have selected that they will only be responsible for the first form. Remind students that as they read from the Internet, they are to record their data on the organizers. All of this information will be used later as they complete a project showing what they have learned. (If computers are limited, students could work in twos and threes, reading together and completing the work.) All students will be responsible for turning in the completed organizers even if some of the material found is the same. Before letting students start on the research, hand out the Rubric so that they will know exactly what will be expected of them. Do not hand out the list of activities until students have completed their research. Stress the importance of cooperation and focus on the assignment. If time permits, allow students to start the research.

Days 3 – 5: This is an approximate time, but if more is needed and students are diligently working, give them another day or two to collect data. Students should work on their research and completing the graphic organizers. If various students complete this data collecting early, the Task sheet can be handed to them.

Days 6 – 9: Hand out the Tuskegee Airmen Task page. If you have individualized assignments, these should be noted on the task sheet. Give students time to think about their choices. Some projects will need materials. Students should have their graphic organizers ready to use as a data source. Sharing among students during this time is acceptable. Remind students to review the rubric to know what is expected for the projects. Tell that the next day will be the time for sharing and to prepare an oral report. Emphasize looking at the audience, speaking in a voice that can be heard by all, and explaining, not reading the project. Day 10 Today is sharing day. Each student will be expected to present the project, explain why they chosen the project, and tell how they enjoyed collecting data and making the project. Extensions: Share presentations by putting them on display in a local library or bank.

Assessment: The scoring rubric , teacher observation, student conferences and interviews