Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Lesson Plan

The Songs of Black Folk

Kind of Activity:

Group Discussion

Objective:

To understand the emotions expressed in African-American spirituals.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.7

Structure:

The teacher should begin the activity by inviting students to discuss their reactions to the slave song scene in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. The teacher should also ask whether any of the students had ever heard an African-American spiritual, or if anyone had looked them up after reading. It's definitely possible that a few students will have already heard an African-American spiritual, and fairly likely that a few of them looked up more...