Secession Investigation – 7812

Summary

In this lesson, students use Voyant, a digital textual analysis tool, to analyze the Declaration of Secession for one of four Confederate States (South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, or Texas). The students use various features of Voyant, including a word cloud display, word frequency counter, and word context tool to discuss what they notice about the document they have chosen. In pairs, the students use the information displayed by these tools to complete a graphic organizer in which they make predictions about why their chosen state seceded from the Union. After analyzing the document, the students synthesize this information and answer the question, “Why did the Confederate States secede from the Union? Rank these reasons in order of importance and justify your rankings based on evidence from the document.” Students answer this question in a Schoolspace Discussion Forum, using specific textual evidence from the primary documents in order to support their answers. After writing their answer and viewing their classmates’ responses, the students compare their analyses with an “expert” who has done something similar.

Editor’s Note – For best results, this activity should be completed as a “discovery” activity before students are provided with any direct instruction on the causes of the Civil War. This lesson provides a solid starting point for a discussion on differences between the North and South, the reasons for secession, and the causes of the Civil War.

TIPC Ratings

Ideal

Research and information fluency are a focus of this lesson. Students practice several important research skills while analyzing one of the Declarations of Secession. Students construct research questions on multiple occasions throughout the lesson, as they choose the words and phrases to search for within the documents. Voyant displays the frequency, location, and context of these words, which the students interact with in order to develop new words and phrases to research that will strengthen their understanding of document and their responses to the final essay questions. The students assemble, organize, and synthesize their understanding of the frequency, location, and context of the words and phrases they have researched in order to explain why the Southern States seceded from the Union and rank these reasons in order of importance.

Developing

Communication is a secondary focus of this lesson. The students use a Schoolspace discussion board to communicate their analysis on the Declarations of Secession. A Schoolspace discussion board serves as a medium for the final written product so that students can quickly share their findings with the rest of the class and see the findings of their classmates as well. Group work is essential to this particular activity. As the students are problem solving and examining the two documents, it is important that they articulate their ideas verbally and share them with another person so that they can receive feedback, adapt their thought process, and consider outside opinions.

Ideal

Critical thinking and problem solving are another primary focus of this lesson. The problem embedded in this lesson, explaining why the Confederate States seceded, is an authentic task. This question is still a hot topic in today’s world, as it is frequently discussed and debated by historians. Additionally, there is no single correct answer to this task. In order to successfully complete the task, the students must select their own problem solving strategies by choosing words and phrases that they believe hold meaning or relevance, and then use the various Voyant tools (frequency, location, context, etc.) to justify their opinions. This task could be completed without the use of digital tools, but Voyant makes the task much more efficient. The tools at the students’ disposal allow them to examine entire documents, test hypotheses, and come to conclusions in a 45 minute time frame, which would not be possible if they had to read a single-spaced, multiple page document word for word.  Students reflect on their roles as critical thinkers and problem solvers as they compare and contrast their analyses with the “expert opinion” and use examples from the activity to discuss why they believe there are varying historical interpretations of the same event.

Not Observed

Creativity and Innovation are not a focus of this lesson.

Student Artifact

Secession Wordle Picture

Download Files

Secession Investigation (7812) – H21 Lesson Resources
Contents:

  • H21 Lesson Plan
  • Voyant Graphic Organizer
  • Sample Student Graphic Organizer
  • Sample Student Essay

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