Lesson Plan 3: Assessment

Introduction
In this activity, you will use the included source analysis exercises to understand better how and why geography shaped the experiences of people who lived and worked in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the 1960s. You will use the evidence you select, analyze, and interpret to inform a written response to the Unit Essential Question (AEQ).

Note:  The topics discussed in this lesson plan are related to those in lesson plans 1 and 2.

Essential Questions

  • Why do cities change?
  • Which technologies characterize life in a city? How do technological innovations and advancements impact life in cities?
  • How and why do changes in transportation and communication affect life in cities?
  • How do geography tools (maps, graphs, globes, etc.) help us understand why and how cities change?

Download Lesson Plan 3: Assessments.

Aerial view of West Rock (ualr-ph-0106_01_01_pho1956-10-23-014)

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Learning Objectives

  • Students will learn about urban renewal programs from the mid-20th century.
  • Students will look at examples of commercial/retail changes in cities.
  • Students will explain economic and demographic change in Little Rock concerning transportation over time. 

Arkansas Social Studies Standards

United States History Since 1929

H.5.USH.21
Construct historical arguments for long-term effects of social and economic changes occurring during the mid-20th century using available data and multiple sources.

World Geography

G.2.WG.9
Compare the changes over time in the boundaries and characteristics of regions caused by various factors using geographic representations and data (e.g., climate, technology, migration, conflict, government). 

G.3.WG.2
Analyze the effects of various influences on population distribution and migration on society (e.g., history, migration, physical environment, economy, politics, technology, climate, land use, resources).

G.3.WG.3
Analyze various push-and-pull factors that lead to migration and changes in these factors over time.

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Key Terms

  • 1949 Federal Housing Act
  • Urban renewal
  • Racial segregation

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Materials

Activity 1. Primary Source Analysis Thinking Routine

Instructions: Study the image and respond to the prompts below. Be prepared to share your observations with a partner first and then the rest of the class. Remember, your answers cannot be wrong, but they can be incomplete. 

Sources See

What do you see? 

Make a list of 3 details you observe in the image.

 Think

What do you think is going on in the image?

Write one statement that describes your interpretation. 

 Wonder

What do you wonder about the image?

Write one question you have about the image.
Housing Authority of LR – West Rock Project Boundary & Topographic Survey

 

Activity 2. Evaluating Change over Time Through Image Analysis

Instructions: In this exercise, you will examine two images showing a geographic location at two historical periods. Then, you will describe both images’ major characteristics or details and finish by comparing and contrasting their significant features. 

Step 1. Identifying Details
Image 1. Aerial View of West Rock

Study the map, paying close attention to colors, lines, labels, and geographic locations. What do you notice? Make a list of 3 specific details that describe what you see.

 Image 2. The Intersection of Cedar Hill Road & Cantrell Road – Google Maps

Study the map, paying close attention to colors, lines, labels, and geographic locations. What do you notice? Make a list of 3 specific details that describe what you see.
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
Step 2. Compare, Contrast, and Interpret

Now, write a brief paragraph (3 to 5 sentences) that compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between the two images. Include in your analysis possible reasons for the changes illustrated in the two images.

 

Activity 3. Primary Source Document Analysis

Instructions: Read the PS Document 1. Construction News Public Works Issue from 1961 highlighting Little Rock Housing Authority’s Westrock project AND the PS Document 2. Relocation in the Westrock Urban Renewal Area Project. Then, follow the instructions below. Remember, you will use the information you record during the source analysis process to help you write the unit assessment argumentative essay.

Source Main Idea

Summarize the main idea of the document in 2 to 3 complete sentences. 

 Evidence

Identify two quotes from the document that support your understanding of the document’s main idea. Write them below and include the location of the quote (page number, column, paragraph, etc.)

 Link to the Unit Assessment Essential Question (AEQ)

How does the document contribute to your understanding of the AEQ? Explain in 2 to 3 complete sentences below. 
PS Document 1. Construction News Public Works Issue
PS Document 2. Relocation in the Westrock Urban Renewal Area Project

Activity 4. Writing a Thesis Statement

Instructions: A thesis statement is a response to the unit AEQ. You will write your first attempt at a formal response in the box below before the unit assessment. Incorporate an understanding of the primary sources you have studied so far in this unit into your thesis statement, and please remember that your thesis must make a historically defensible argument. On the day of the assessment, you will be given two primary sources (one image and one document) that you have not seen before. After analyzing and interpreting the new sources, you will re-write your thesis statement based on their contribution to your argument.

Pre-Written Thesis Statement: 

Supplemental Activities

Supplemental Activity A: Vocabulary Graphic Organizer

Instructions: The teacher will introduce the following key terms listed in the graphic organizer; the students will state in their own words why they are historically significant and what their impact is within the context of their study. 

 

Term/Definition Historical Significance  Impact 
1949 Federal Housing Act
Urban Renewal 
Racial Segregation 

 

Supplemental Activity B: Relocation Analysis Writing Assignment 

The teacher shows students the photo of Westriver Apartments. The teacher tells the students it was built on land cleared from the West Rock neighborhood. The teacher may ask the students their thoughts on the clearance of West Rock housing to construct new homes and apartments. The teacher may reference the documents that show that the original residents of West Rock were not the intended residents of the new housing. They were instead relocated.

In 3 paragraphs, ask students to define “relocated” locally and globally. What are the consequences of relocating a group of people away from their community or established homeland? Ex. West Rock Housing vs. Palestinians in Gaza  

Use your data and primary sources to back up your research. 

Criteria  Rating  Points 
Includes the definition of relocation in a local and global context 2/2
Includes details about the effects of the relocation of the West Rock housing inhabitants to Granite Mountain 5/5
Includes details about the effects of the relocation of the Palestinians to government-ordered locations in Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel  5/5

Download Lesson Plan 3: Assessments.