Teach History's Influence on ELA Texts and Elevate Student Understanding

The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, The Scarlet Letter, Beloved and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-classic and new classic texts still taught in many classrooms. It’s easy for students to miss the connection between literature and history unless it is explicitly taught. What is the historical context of these literary works, and how does that context affect how the work is interpreted?
Watch three veteran educators inspire and equip you to teach your students historical context for commonly assigned texts. We reference several familiar texts and offer strategies and resources to deepen your students’ understanding of the time period and insights into the literature. Alysha Butler, D.C. Public Schools and GBH Education leads the conversation. She is joined by Dr. Lakisha Odlum, SUNY Platz, a former middle ELA and Humanities teacher in NYC and Bayinnah Bey, a high school ELA teacher at a college prep high school in Chicago with vast experience in teaching texts ranging from from The Scarlet Letter to novels by Toni Morrison.
Select Resources Recommended by Presenters:
“The Crucible:” Inspiration and Reception: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Speech that Launched the 1950s Red Scare: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Life, Beliefs and Work of Abolitionist, Frederick Douglass: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Slaves on the Plantation: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Cotton Gin | The African Americans: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Second Midlife Passage: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Causes of the Great Migration: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Red Summer of 1919: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Northern Jim Crow and Housing Segregation in the 1920s: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Civil Rights Hot Spots: www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexpe...
16th Street Baptist Church | Shuttlesworth: pbslearningmedia.org/resource...
Education Equality in the Civil Rights Movement: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Murder of Emmett Till: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Girls of the Leesburg Stockade: pbslearningmedia.org/resource...
Conditions of Antebellum Slavery: 1830 to 1860: www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p...
Fugitive Slave Act: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
The Pain of History and Beloved: www.pbslearningmedia.org/reso...
Chapters:
0:00 Welcome and Introduction
9:55 Framing the Conversation
11:43 The Crucible Resources and Strategies
26:08 Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass & The Great Gatsby Resources and Strategies
54:20 The Watsons Go to Birmingham & Beloved Strategies & Resources
1:10:14 Closing Remarks and Q&A
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