Doing and Learning History Through Literacy, Interdisciplinary, and Digital Strategies

Lynne Zalesak lzalesak@houstonisd.org

Montra Rogers mrogersw@houstonisd.org

Houston Independent School District

Quickwrite

Using a three-minute Quickwrite, respond to the following question: What is literacy?

You might use the sentence stem Literacy is… to frame your thinking.

Radically Redefining Literacy Instruction: An Immense Opportunity

How has this article changed or extended

your thinking about literacy?

Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad

I Wonder Statements

Access the Today’s Meet address below. Use this live stream to post responses to Henry’s Freedom Box. Use the sentence stem I Wonder… to frame your thinking about the text.

http://todaysmeet.com/doinghistorythroughliteracy

Fugitive Slave Act laws passed by Congress that provided for the seizure and return of runaway slaves who escaped from one state into another or into a federal territory.

Impunity exemption from punishment or harm; freedom from unpleasant consequences

Infuriated to make somebody extremely angry or furious.

Personal Liberty laws passed by northern state governments to work against the terms Laws of the Fugitive Slave Acts and protect escaped slaves and free blacks who settled in the North.

Operatives a worker or somebody who performs a particular task.

Statues laws

Underground a secret organization that helped slaves flee from the southern United Railroad States to Canada or other places of safety prior to the abolition of slavery.

Words to Know

QuadrantsWhile \reading Matthew Pinsker’s The Underground Railroad: A New Definition or soon after you have finished, jot down your thinking in the appropriate quadrant.

What are the most important points? How does this information confirm or refute what I already know?

I am still wondering about… An “a-ha” moment…

Talking Heads

The Underground Railroad….

Fugitive Slave

Southern Plantation Owner

Northern Abolitionist

Poll Everywhere

To what extent has this workshop shaped or extended your thinking about doing and learning history through literacy interdisciplinary, and digital strategies?

1 – not sure that this for me

2 – I still have questions about how to do it

3 – I’m excited and ready to try it4 – I already use literacy strategies with regularity but am ready to add my distinctive touch