Lesson: Dred Scott Decision
Author: Amy Vold
Grade Level: Middle School
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of
primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior
knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process
related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are
raised or lowered).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are
used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of
view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific
content.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1a Introduce claim(s) about a topic or issue,
acknowledge and distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
organize the reasons and evidence logically.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1b Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant,
accurate data and evidence that demonstrate an understanding of the topic or text,
using credible sources.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion
and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1d Establish and maintain a formal style.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that
follows from and supports the argument presented.
Wisconsin Academic Standards:
A.8.7
Describe the movement of people, ideas, diseases, and products
throughout the world.
B.8.1
Interpret the past using a variety of sources.
B.8.3
Describe the relationships between and among significant events.
B.8.4
Explain how and why events may be interpreted differently depending
upon the perspectives of participants, witnesses, reporters, and historians.
B.8.7
Identify significant events and people in the major eras of United States
and world history.
C.8.2
Identify, cite, and discuss important political documents, such as landmark
cases of the Supreme Court.
Essential Question: Why did the Dred Scott decision have a divisive effect on the
United States?
Learner Outcomes – Students Will Be Able To:
Interpret primary documents.
Interpret secondary and primary sources to place historical events into correct
chronological order.
Discuss important historical concepts.
Establish causal relationships between historical events.
Write an editorial by writing about an important historical event through the eyes
of people of that era.
Procedure:
1. Introduction: Pair students together and remind them that slaves were
considered property of their “owners.” Ask students to discuss what they think
happened if slaves were transported through non-slave states. Call on students
for responses.
2. Inform students that a monumental case came before the Supreme Court dealing
with this very issue and they will be examining it today.
3. Students will use a web site from Famous Missourians to complete the Dred
Scott Timeline (attached) and Map worksheets.
4. Students will then be given a copy of a newspaper editorial (to be selected from a
current local newspaper at the time of the lesson) and a handout/rubric for an
editorial.
5. Teacher and students will discuss these handouts in order to determine what
makes a good editorial.
6. Students will then be assigned (for homework) to write an editorial supporting or
refuting the Dred Scott freedom suit and/or the Supreme Court ruling on the
case. Student will use the Dred Scott biographical information from the Famous
Missourians website and the summary of the Supreme Court ruling from the
Streetlaw website to help complete this task.
7. Students will be paired together to debate the Dred Scott decision, with one
student on each side of the argument.
Closure: A whole-class discussion of the Dred Scott decision will take place, with the
teacher calling on pairs to share their arguments. How might the Dred Scott decision
have made a civil war more likely in the United States?
Assessment: Students work will be assessed with in-class teacher observation and a
rubric will be used for the editorial assignment (taken from the Newspapers in Education
website).
Rubric for an Editorial
Name :__________________________________________
Title: ___________________________________________
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Lead
Does not relate
to topic
Needs to be more
focused on topic
Focused on topic
Focused on topic
and cleverly written
Persuasive
Argument
No logical
progression of
information,
opinion or ideas
Some logical
progression of
information, opinion
or ideas
Logical progression of
information, opinion or
ideas through most of
the writing
Logical progression
of information,
opinion or ideas.
Research
No research
included
Some research
included
Well researched topic
Well researched
topic with more
than two sources of
information
Paragraphs
Paragraphs do
not contain a
complete
thought
Some paragraphs
contain a complete
thought
Most paragraphs
contain a complete
thought
All paragraphs
contain a complete
thought
Spelling
Editorial has
more than five
spelling errors
Editorial has three to Editorial has one to
five spelling errors
three spelling errors
Punctuation Editorial contains Editorial has three to Editorial has one to
more than five
five errors
three errors
errors
No spelling errors
No errors
http://www.newspapersineducation.ca/eng/level_7to9/lesson11/lesson11_eng.html