Summary
As students read Tulsa Burning by Anna Meyers, these activities accompany the contextual understanding of people, places, and power in the Tulsa Race Massacre.
Essential Question(s)
What roles do people, places, and power play in historical events?
Snapshot
Engage
Students will engage in a 3-2-1 activity establishing a foundation for the “flashpoints” or origins of change in major historical events.
Explore
Students will explore primary source photographs and use the “Frame It” strategy make inferences about the images. Students explore a virtual field trip of Black Wall Street creating a context for the book, Tulsa Burning by Anna Meyers.
Explain
Students will create a Character Map identifying how the main character, Noble, changes over time. Using the Author’s Note, students identify the aspects of the historical fiction genre that are historically correct after exploring the primary source data and event resources.
Extend
Students will create a single point perspective art piece that integrates a parallel plot activity.
Students will engage in a Card Sort identifying characteristics of protests, riots, and massacres to determine why the Tulsa Historical Society changed the event from Tulsa Race Riot to Tulsa Race Massacre.
Evaluate
Students will revisit the characterization map, create a Claims, Evidence, Reasoning chart to determine if Noble lives up to his name.
Materials
Tulsa Burning by Anna Meyers
Flashpoints Teacher Slides attached
Primary Source BWS Historical Photos attached
Virtual Field Trip Black Wall Street link attached
Primary Source Resources for accurate depiction of event attached
Card Sort Activity attached
Character Map example and Digital Platform (ie Milanote) for Character Map
Notebook Paper
Engage
45 Minute(s)
Part 1
Using Slide 2 of the Teacher Slides, introduce the concept of a “flashpoint” as a rapid change. A flashpoint is a rapid rise in the intensity of a fire.
Have students identify what might make a fire change in intensity aloud in a group setting.
Next, have the students complete the 3-2-1 strategy on notebook paper individually.
3-2-1 examples of how these 3 Ps may make a rapid change?
*3 ways/reasons PEOPLE may make a rapid change
*2 ways/reasons PLACES may make a rapid change
*1 way/reason POWER may make a rapid change
After giving ample time to complete the activity, have students share out some of their examples and reflect on the different perspectives being offered by the students.
Part 2
Using Slide 3 of the Teacher Slides, introduce the second definition of “flashpoint” as a critical situation or area having the potential of erupting in sudden violence.
Can you think of any event in history or recent history that involves all 3 Ps that had a sudden “eruption of violence”?
People
Places
Power
As students identify events, help them to determine how each of the Ps played a role in the event. This can be done aloud in whole groups, in small groups, or even individually before sharing with the class. Some ideas to discuss would be Civil Rights Movement, Indian Removal, Boston Massacre, or recent/local events.
Introduce the essential question (Slide 4): What roles do people, places, and power play in historical events?
Students start reading the book.
Explore
1 Minute(s)
Understanding Setting: These activities provide students with a foundation of both the time and place for the setting of the book.
Part 1
Students take a Virtual Field Trip to Black Wall Street. Link: This “field trip” can be taken on individual devices or as a whole class (on a large screen).
As students observe and experience the time travel, use the I Notice, I Wonder strategy, keeping a record of things they notice and questions that arise because of those observations.
Part 2
Using the Primary Source Historical Photos, students will conduct a Picture Deconstruction, teacher should select a few ahead of time that best depict the context. The image can be projected but it works best if every student has a copy (can be a digital copy).
Ask students to identify clues of people, places, or power found in the images.
Digital Version of Activity: Students can annotate a rectangle frame on top of the image individually and then discuss their findings and observations within the frame with a group.
Paper Version of Activity: Students take 2 “L shaped” strips of paper to create a rectangle “frame” around a portion of the image individually and then discuss their findings and observations within the frame.
An extension of this activity is to give a title or caption to the image based on the frame portion.
As students are exploring the pictures they can infer and interpret what they saw with evidence from the picture to support their inferences. For example, they may infer that a photo was from the past by the dress of the people or that it is black and white. You can also have students identify what they do not know about the image and how they might find the information.
Students continue to read.
Explain
Part 1
See Slide number 7
Digital Version: Using a digital platform (ie Milanote, Canva etc). Have students create a character map with a picture of Noble in the middle. Each trait should include a quote from the book as evidence, and a word or summary statement. The Character Map should show a change over time and the FLASHPOINT that instigated that change. The 3 categories for the map are
Physical Characteristics/Habits;
Internal Characteristics/Emotions/Backstory;
Decisions that make a difference.
Because it is a map, it should include a key (See example). This should be revisited and contributed to throughout the remainder of the book.
Paper Version Using a large piece of paper, students create a character map with a picture drawn of Noble in the middle. Each trait should include a quote from the book as evidence, and a word or summary statement. The Character Map should show a change over time and the FLASHPOINT that instigated that change. The 3 categories for the map are Physical Characteristics/Habits; Internal Characteristics/Emotions/Backstory; Decisions that make a difference. Because it is a map, it should include a key (See example shown). This should be revisited and contributed to throughout the remainder of the book.
Part 2
See Slide number 8 and 9
In Chapter 6 students are introduced to the Tulsa Race Massacre. As you are reading this chapter, use the Author’s Note at the end of the book (p 199-201). Provide time for students to interact with the various Primary/Secondary Source Resources that report the event from various perspectives. Introduce these questions to promote small group discourse:
Which of these are primary and which are secondary sources?
Who do you think created the source (newspaper, witness account, movie, etc)?
Whose perspective does each source represent? (People, Places, Power)
What are the similarities or differences between these accounts and the book?
Students identify the aspects of the historical fiction genre that are historically correct after exploring the primary source data and event resources. This activity can be done as a whole group or small group and can be a formal assignment or discourse.
Students continue to read.
Extend
Part 1
Students will create a single point perspective art piece that integrates a parallel plot activity.
Part 2
Students will engage in a Card Sort identifying characteristics of protests, riots, and massacres to determine why the Tulsa Historical Society changed the event from Tulsa Race Riot to Tulsa Race Massacre.