Introduction
In this lesson, students will explore the evolving push for DC statehood over the past century. They will compare and contrast arguments for statehood from 1942 and today, assess the use of persuasive language, and create their own persuasive project.
Subject: Social Studies or ELA
Grade Level: 9-12
Duration: 2 55-Minute Class Periods
Resources Needed:
Day One:
Day Two:
Essential Questions:
Learning Objectives:
DC Standards:
Common Core Standards:
Vocabulary:
Lesson Procedure: Day One (55 Minutes)
Preparation:
Before class, set up 3 learning stations, one for each of the following sources:
Each learning station should have enough copies of a given source for one third of the class. Depending on the size of your class, it may be helpful to create 6 stations so that students are in smaller groups.
Opening Activity (15 Minutes)
Ask students what they know about the movement for DC statehood, and have them discuss in pairs before soliciting volunteers to respond. As a class, create definitions for Home Rule and Statehood before reviewing the provided definitions.
Have students stand. Designate one side of the classroom as “No” and one side of the classroom as “Yes.” Explain to students that you are going to ask questions about DC based on a flier dating from around 1973 (“‘Home Rule’ Offers Less”). Once you have asked the question, students will go to the side of the room they think best answers the question under Home Rule. The questions are as follows:
After each question, have students discuss among themselves and then volunteer answers as to why they are standing on the side they are on. Once you have taken a few answers, read the corresponding answers on the “Home Rule” side of the “‘Home Rule’ Offers Less” sheet. Then, ask students how the answers to these questions would be different under statehood. Give students a few minutes to discuss in groups before opening up to class discussion and reading the corresponding answers on the “Statehood” side of the sheet.
Once you have discussed all of the questions, have students take their seats. Ask students how they think the movement for statehood has evolved over time. Is it a 21st century movement? Discuss briefly as a class.
Comparing Statehood Platforms (40 Minutes)
Explain to students that they are going to compare and contrast two promotional materials about statehood from 1942 with the current DC Statehood platform. Give each student a copy of the “Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizer” and break students into groups for each station. Have students spend 10 minutes at each learning station before rotating to the next. Once students have cycled through all three stations, have them reflect and answer the concluding questions either individually or with a partner. Instruct students to bring their ”Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizer” tomorrow.
Lesson Procedure: Day Two (55 Minutes)
Preparation:
Before class, prepare a gallery wall by printing the following sources and taping them around your classroom:
Opening Activity (10 Minutes)
Begin class by having students revisit their “Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizer” from yesterday. Using the "DC Voting Rights Timeline 1942-2022" as a guide, remind students that between 1942 and 2022, a lot of changes happened in DC: the 23rd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, the Home Rule Act was passed, the required number of states failed to ratify the DC Voting Rights Amendment, the 2016 vote for statehood, H.R. 51 passed the House of Representatives, etc. Despite these events, how do the arguments for statehood from 1942 and 2022 look similar? Discuss as a class.
In small groups and then as a class, have students share the parts of each platform they found most compelling and why. Make sure that your class is familiar with the definition of persuasion. How did each group use language to persuade their audience? What are additional ways that groups might persuade others to support DC statehood?
Gallery Walk: Persuasive Strategies (15 Minutes)
Explain to students that in addition to organizational arguments for statehood, individuals have many ways of persuading others. Have students stand and take 10 minutes to complete a gallery walk of the different images posted around the room by spending 30-60 at each image observing it. Once students have had a chance to view all of the images, have them stand by the one that spoke to them the most. Have students discuss their thoughts with the people who also chose their image and then report out to the class. How do these images compare to the arguments students explored yesterday? Are there common themes in the images? Discuss as a class.
Persuasion in Practice (30 Minutes)
Explain to students that they have gotten to see a variety of ways to persuade others about DC statehood. Now, it is their turn to practice persuasion. Have students revisit their “Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizer” and select the argument that they found the most compelling. Instruct students to create something based on this argument that could be used to persuade others, whether it is a poster, a cartoon, a social media post, etc.
Explain to students that their projects should incorporate persuasive language to convince their audience to agree with them. Additionally, their projects should be accompanied by a 2-3 paragraph reflection that explains how the sources from their “Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizer” influenced their choices, why they chose to use the language that they used, and how they hope their creative choices persuade others.
Give students the rest of the class period to work on their Persuasion in Practice projects and then collect the projects, reflections, and “Arguments for Statehood Graphic Organizers” the following day or at a later point of your choosing. Assess the projects using the "Persuasion in Practice Rubric."
Assessments:
Optional Additional Activities:
Introduction
In this lesson, students will explore the Boston Tea Party and how its memory has been incorporated into the push for DC Statehood. They will explore different images and objects featuring “Taxation Without Representation,” create their own slogan about DC Statehood, and gain a deeper understanding of how students their age can help work for change.
Subject: Social Studies or ELA
Grade Level: 3-5
Duration: 2 45-Minute Class Periods
Resources Needed:
Day One:
Day Two:
Essential Questions:
Learning Objectives:
DC Standards:
Common Core Standards:
Vocabulary:
Lesson Procedure: Day One (45 Minutes)
Opening Activity: See, Think, Wonder (15 Minutes)
Begin class by projecting “Members of Self Determination for D.C. dump tea crates into the Potomac River” for students to see. Have students silently observe the photograph for 30-60 seconds. Then, complete the “See, Think, Wonder” thinking routine from Project Zero. Scaffold the following questions and take several volunteer responses for each:
If students are struggling to generate responses, prompt them to search for things in the photograph that help them think or wonder about things using “Who, What, When, Where, Why, or How” as sentence starters.
Once students have generated several observations, provide background information on the photograph. DC Public Library notes that this 1973 photograph depicts Self Determination for D.C. staging “a mock Tea Party for the 200th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Men, women, and children throw crates marked 'Tea' into the Potomac River to demonstrate for voting rights. A sign in the background reads 'Taxation without representation is tyranny'.”
Vocabulary (10 Minutes)
Explain to students that to better understand this photograph, they need to know more about the Boston Tea Party. However, to understand this event, there is some vocabulary they need to understand. Give each student a copy of the “Boston Tea Party Vocabulary Handout.” Write definitions of the following vocabulary words on the board and have students copy the definitions onto their handout:
Historical Background (5 Minutes)
Ask students what a tea party is and take volunteer responses. Then, provide some brief background information on the Boston Tea Party. Be careful to incorporate vocabulary words into your explanation. This information can include, but is not limited to:
“Taxation Without Representation” and DC Statehood (15 Minutes)
Explain to students that “Taxation Without Representation” is still used today, especially in DC. Because DC isn’t a state, people who live in DC pay taxes but don’t have voting rights in Congress like the 50 states do. Without voting rights, DC residents aren’t treated like equal members of the United States, because they don’t have representatives who help choose judges or make laws, and they don’t have direct control over how money is spent in the District. Therefore, people often use “Taxation Without Representation” and the Boston Tea Party to explain why we should have DC Statehood.
Inform students that they will examine how people who want DC Statehood use “Taxation Without Representation” and the Boston Tea Party to convince others to agree with them. Depending on your class, give each student or pair/small group of students one of the following sources and a "Taxation Without Representation Handout:"
Have students analyze their source and complete their "Taxation Without Representation Handouts."Then, either have students jigsaw their source with other students who analyzed different sources, or reconvene as a large class and have groups report their findings. Emphasize the difference between types of sources, which include a tea bag, a license plate, a cartoon, and a photograph of protest signs. Despite their differences, they all use “Taxation Without Representation” to convince others. Collect their "Taxation Without Representation Handouts." Explain to students that they will learn more about powerful words and phrases like “Taxation Without Representation” tomorrow.
Lesson Procedure: Day Two (45 Minutes)
Opening Activity: See, Think, Me, We (10 Minutes)
Begin class by projecting “Man and child in Free D.C. march” for students to see. Have students silently observe the photograph for 30-60 seconds. Then, complete the following thinking routine, based on “See, Think, Me, We” from Project Zero. Scaffold the following questions and take several volunteer responses for each:
Once students have generated several observations, provide background information on the “Man and child in Free D.C. march” photograph. DC Public Library notes that in this 1966 photograph, “a man and child march on H Street NE to support the Free D.C. movement. The man is holding a flyer that reads 'A victory march for a free D.C.' with the date and details of the demonstration. He is also wearing a political button on his coat lapel. The child is holding a sign that reads 'My mom and dad want to vote!' In the background a sticker in the window is visible that reads 'This business supports Free D.C. right to vote!'.”
Vocabulary (5 Minutes)
In the opening activity, students may have found “We” to be the most difficult of the prompts to answer. Reteach yesterday’s vocab word Representation as needed, and remind students that people who live in states vote for representation in Congress. However, because DC isn’t a state, they don’t have a voting member of Congress like states do. To illustrate this lack of representation, pose a hypothetical situation in which some students get to vote on the book the class will read together or what snack they will have. Have students discuss how it would feel if only certain students got to vote on the book/snack. Do they feel that this method is fair? Why or why not?
Remind students of yesterday’s lesson, and explain that phrases like “Taxation Without Representation” or “My mom and dad want to vote!” are effective slogans to help convince other people about the importance of representation and DC Statehood. Make sure that students are familiar with the definitions of Vote and Slogan:
Slogans for Statehood (30 Minutes)
Remind students that in the “Man and child in Free D.C. march” photograph, someone their age was actively helping make a change. Often, we think that only adults can create change, but here was an example of a student engaging in protest.
Explain to students that today they have a chance to be changemakers. They will create their own protest signs about DC Statehood. Their poster should feature a slogan of their own creation. In addition to their signs, students will submit a paragraph reflection. In their paragraph, they must correctly use one of the vocabulary words from this lesson and explain why they chose the slogan they used on their sign.
Give students craft supplies and the rest of the class period to work on their Slogans for Statehood signs. Collect the signs and reflections the following day or at a later point of your choosing. Assess the signs using the "Slogans for Statehood Signs Rubric."
Assessments:
Optional Additional Activities:
Introduction
In this lesson plan, Milestones, Changes, and Strategies, students will learn about how voting rights for DC residents have changed over time by completing a timeline scramble activity. Students will learn about the various ways activists have fought to secure voting rights in DC by reading a Washington Journal article on Statehood. Students will take a stance on the political future of Washington, DC through a writing assignment using evidence from the article and timeline to support their argument.
This lesson has been created to align with DCPS' 12th grade DC History and Government-The Founder's Intentions cornerstone.
Subject: Social Studies
Grade: 12th
Duration: 60 minutes
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify major milestones and changes in voting rights in the District.
Students will be able to identify three distinct strategies to gain full voting rights for DC residents, and will select and propose arguments in support of one of these self-representation strategies.
DCPS Standard:
Essential Question:
Resources Needed:
Download the complete lesson plan and resource package HERE.
Procedure:
TIMELINE SCRAMBLE
Display the DC Voting Rights Timeline Scramble Jamboard using a Smartboard or projector. After reading the directions to the class, have students breakout into pairs or groups. Provide each group with the printed timeline scramble cards to match the timeline descriptions (green) to the historical event (blue).
Once each group has completed the timeline, invite one group to come up to the Jamboard to share their timeline. If the group matches the timeline incorrectly, invite another group up to try. Continue until the correct order is recorded.
Review the correct order and record any questions your students have on the questions slide.
EVIDENCE BASED ARGUMENTATION
Distribute the Washington History article, Statehood is Far More Difficult': The Struggle for D.C. Self-Determination, 1980-2017 by George Derek Musgrove, DC Voting Rights timeline, and evidence based argumentation worksheet to students.
Explain to the class that they will be forming their argument for a particular strategy for the political future of Washington, D.C., specifically the retrocession of DC to Maryland, DC Statehood, or DC voting representation in Congress. After reading the Washington History article and reviewing the DC Voting Rights Timeline, students will complete the evidence based argumentation worksheet as an assessment tool.
Introduction
In this lesson plan, DC Activists, students will research a local DC activist using reliable sources and write a mock Wikipedia article lead section about their activist. This lesson has been created to align with DCPS' 8th grade English Language Arts-Unheard Voices cornerstone.
Subject: English Language Arts
Grade: 8th
Objective:
Students will research key figures and organizations critical to the fight for DC Statehood in order to create their own mock Wikipedia article’s lead section that highlights a local activist whose story is missing from Wikipedia.
Standard:
W.8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
Essential Question:
What is activism and who can be an activist?
What local public figures stories and narratives are waiting to be told?
Resources Needed:
Computers/laptops/tablets
DC Activist presentation
DC Statehood Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon page
Wikimedia DC’s Preparing to Edit: Wikipedia Basics Guide
Procedure:
Ask students to define the terms “activism” and “activist” in their own words. Capture their comments on chart paper or the board. Project the DC Activist presentation using a smartboard and review the terms with students.
After the review of the terms, ask the class if they can name an activist and their cause. Many students may mention names of famous activists. Begin the conversation about local activists and activism: “Do you know of anyone in your community or neighborhood who is an activist?”, or “Do you know of any local causes people in DC are fighting for?” Mention that there are people throughout history who have stood and fought for a cause, but we may never know their names. It is often up to people who know them to try to share their stories. Share the slides on the DC Statehood Party and Josephine Butler.
Review Wikimedia DC's Preparing to Edit: Wikipedia Basics Guide. For the assignment, students will research a local DC activist and create a Wikipedia lead section about them. Students may choose to research an activist from the DC Statehood Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon Specific Sources list or they may choose to write about another notable DC activist of their choosing that does not already have a Wikipedia page.
Extension Activity
Ask students to reflect on the research process and think about the causes they are passionate about. Invite students to brainstorm ways they can take action on a daily basis to create positive change.
Additional Resources
Researching DC Statehood libguide: This DC History Center guide was created with a general audience in mind, providing primary and secondary resources relating to DC statehood. The guide also includes a section dedicated to an actual DC Statehood editathon, with resources relating to specific local activists who either do not have a wikipedia page and/or whose page could use support relating to their DC statehood activism.
DC Declaration of Learning libguide: This DC History Center guide was created to support teachers exploring object-based learning in the classroom. Several examples of local activists and activism are included.