CL Middle School Social Studies Methods Course

Overview of Lesson:

Whitney Jean Alim (she/her) has an M.Ed in Special Education and a B.A. in Elementary Urban Education from the University of Illinois Chicago with a specialization in English Language Arts and Social Science. She also holds International Baccalaureate certifications in Individuals and Societies and Language and Literature. She is a Golden Apple Scholar and has taught both English Language Arts and Social Science in Chicago Public Schools. She is currently getting her Ph.D in Critical Pedagogies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is committed to working with students and teachers around dismantling systems of carcerality and antiblackness in the classroom. Beyond academia, Whitney organizes with Black Youth Project 100 in Chicago, fighting for Black liberation through a Black, queer, feminist lens.

Author:  Whitney Jean Alim 

Student Work

Lesson Plan

This lesson is designed for our undergrads in our  Methods in Social Science class as we transition to the practical design of lesson and unit plans using the IDM  framework that centers inquiry-based social science instruction. A foundational element of the IDM is the use of Primary Sources, so for this lesson, we will be utilizing the Library of Congress (LOC) African American Digital Archives.

Library of Congress Resources:

• African American Digital Archives  
• Lesson sets

Instruction for Task(s):

1. Scroll through the Library of Congress African American Digital Archives  with no goal other than finding something that sparks a “Wait, what?” moment.
   1. You can also look at these lesson sets as well.   
2. Find a partner (groups of 2-3).  Based on your interests,  select Essential Questions for a mini-inquiry unit. See themes to support you if needed.  Think of supporting questions as well.
3. Populate Your IDM Template:
   1. Primary Resources: Select at least 3 primary sources from the Library of Congress African American Digital Archives (or lesson sets).
   2. Secondary Resources Integrate 3 additional sources to round out the inquiry (e.g.  picture books , assigned course text, videos).
   3. Map all six sources directly into your IDM template to build a cohesive lesson structure.