Read Kansas! Middle School - M-40 Who was John Brown?
This lesson uses the mural, Tragic Prelude, by John Steuart Curry, to give students an understanding of John Brown as a controversial figure. The students will evaluate Tragic Prelude as a secondary source and then analyze primary sources that present conflicting perspectives on John Brown. Based on their findings they will use the primary sources to create their own interpretation of John Brown. The lesson is designed to be completed over two class periods.
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Kansas History Standards:
- Benchmark 7, Indicator 2: The student examines different types of primary sources in Kansas history and analyzes them in terms of credibility, purpose, and point of view (e.g., census records, diaries, photographs, letters, government documents).
Kansas College and Career Ready Standards:
- RH.6-8.6: The student identifies aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
- RI. 7.8: The student traces and evaluates the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient to support the claims.
- SL 7.1: The student will analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
