ADale

Adam Dale EDC 448 Dr. Coiro October 20, 2009

Salem Witch Trials Diverse Text Set Context for using the Text Set: The collection of texts below strictly pertains to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Salem Witch Trials took place in the settlement of Salem, Massachusetts in the late 17th century, when the puritan settlers of the town began to believe that the devil was among them. Reacting fearfully and with extreme violence many innocent people of Salem village were killed or left for dead in prison. This subject along with the following texts is intended for an American History class of 9th grade students at an advanced level. Print Resources: Text #1- American History text book a. Citation: Fearon, G. (2003). American history. (pg 70-72, 90-94). Parsippany, NJ: Author b. Text Summary: This is a high school text book for 9th graders it discusses colonization in America and how the different colonies worked. c. Rationale: I chose to use the text from this textbook to give the students more background information on how the colonies were settled before beginning the Salem Witch Hunt lesson. d. Use of Text: I would have the students read this text as homework and write down five main ideas each that they think were important to the colonization of America. e. Attachment: This was a textbook, it could not be attached.

Text #2- The Crucible (play in book form) a. Citation: Miller, A. (1976). The crucible. (pg. 3-49). New York, NY: Penguin Books b. Text Summary: This is the script for the original play “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller in published book. c. Rationale: I chose this text because it is the most widely recognized symbol of the Salem Witch Trials besides perhaps Salem itself. I believe because of this the students may already have some background knowledge of it and it will be crucial to details gained later in primary sources. d. Use of Text: This text would be read in class with different students being assigned different characters in the play. This way every student feels involved and continues to pay attention awaiting their line, this is also a good way for the students to comprehend the material by reading it out loud. e. Attachment: This book was too long to be attached.

Text #3- Records of the Salem Witch Hunt a. Citation: Rosenthal, B. (2009) Records of the salem witch-hunt. (pg 101-125). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. b. Text Summary: This is a large collection of primary sources and first hand documents from the time of the Salem Witch Trials beginning in 1692 and ending in 1693. c. Rationale: I selected this text to show the students a different perspective on what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. By reading first-hand accounts and records of happenings in Salem the students will have new insights on the historical event. d. Use of Text: I would simply have the students read the section on the first two months of the Salem Witch Hunt. With this information the students would have enough insight to compare the details of these primary documents with the secondary sources from the aforementioned textbook and other following sources by pairing up and making a T-chart. e. Attachment: This was a 1000 page collection of documents and could not be attached.

Text #4- I Walk in Dread the biography of a. Citation: Fraustino, R L. (2004) I walk in dread: The diary of deliverance trembley, witness to the salem witch trials massachusetts bay colony, 1691 (dear america series).New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. b. Text Summary: This is a historical fiction novel written from the perspective of a twelve year old girl living in Salem during the Salem Witch Trials. The book explains events that the main character experiences during the hysteria of the time. c. Rationale: Though traditionally for females this novel in the Dear America Series from Scholastic can provide different insights and outlooks than the historical documents from the adults during the Witch Trials. The perspective of a child will allow the students to connect with the character more than they can with the primary sources or writing in a textbook. d. Use of Text: The class would read this novel in chunks assigned for homework. I would choose not to do a formal assessment for this text but to use it in association with the other sources to allow students to connect to the text in a way they could not with other sources to better comprehend the material. e. Attachment: This is a full novel that cannot be attached.

Text #5- Historical non-fiction book written 175 years after the Salem Witch Trials (1867). a. Citation: Upham, W C. (1867) Salem witchcraft: With an account of salem village and history of opinions on witchcraft and kindred subjects. (Vol. 2 pg. 1-4). Retrieved October 20, 2009 from http://books.google.com/books?id=XAt4MF1DyfwC&pg=PA1&dq=Salem+Witchcraft#v=onepage&q=&f=false b. Text Summary: In this book the author discusses the primary sources from the Salem Witch Trials and offers his outlook and insight on the hysteria of the time period. c. Rationale: I selected this text because it was written 175 years after the Salem Witch Trials which separates it from the primary sources used and the secondary sources such as the textbook. The main reason for selecting this text is to show what was known about the Salem Witch Trials then and what is known now. d. Use of Text: This text would be compared to the primary sources from the records of the Salem Witch Hunt and the more recent secondary sources such as the textbook to see what information may have changed over time and what information or facts are still proven today. This text would also be compared to possibly answer any questions that the other texts may have left the students wondering about. e. Attachment: See above link (pg. 1-4)

Media Resources:

Text #6- The Crucible (movie) a. Citation: Hytner, N. (Director). (1996). The crucible. [Motion Picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox. b. Text Summary: This movie is based on Arthur Miller’s play of the same name. It is about the story of the Salem Witch Trials and focuses on the teenage girls who gave out the names and were the accusers in the village. c. Rationale: I selected this text for a different way to process the events of the Salem Witch Trials than on paper. The movie is effective because it portrays the information in a way some students may find easier to comprehend than the difficult texts. d. Use of Text: This movie would be viewed in class and after viewing I would have the students write a comparison paper between the movie and the primary sources used previously. By doing this I will be able to tell how well the students comprehended the materiel covered in the movie and the material covered in the primary sources. e. Attachment: This is a full length motion picture therefore it could not be attached.

Text #7- Paintings of the Salem Witch Trials a. Citation: Ray, B. (2002) Various images of the salem witch trials. Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/generic.html b. Text Summary: These paintings each depict a different event from the Salem Witch Trials. Beside each picture is a detailed description of what the painting is and represents. c. Rationale: I believe these images along with the descriptions beside them, along with the Crucible movie, will help students to visualize what the people of Salem were like and by doing that it becomes more personal making the students realize that the accused in Salem were also people and the students will develop a different perspective on the deaths of the many accused. d. Use of Text: The pictures would be viewed after reading the textbook section and previous to the rest of the sources. These pictures will be used to help the students visualize the time period and to create questions that are not answered in the description which will make them inquire deeper into the material that will be covered. e. Attachment: See above link.

Online Interactive Resources:

Text #8- Interactive online story a. Citation: National Geographic. (1996). Salem witchcraft hysteria. Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/ b. Text Summary: This interactive story makes you experience the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials first hand with descriptive details. The interactive story puts the student in the place of someone living during the Witch Trials. c. Rationale: I selected this interactive story because it puts the students in the shoes of someone living in Salem during the Witch Trial hysteria. This gives the students a more in depth outlook to go along with the primary sources they have read. d. Use of Text. This text will be used to give the students yet another perspective on the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials though this perspective could be seen from the primary sources it may be easier for students to comprehend the material in an interactive first person story. e. Attachment: See above link.

Text #9- Salem Witch Trials Jeopardy a. Citation: Linder, D. (2007). Salem witchcraft trials jeopardy. Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/ b. Text Summary: This game is a series of questions about the Salem Witch trials. There are five categories; each question is worth a different value, the higher the value the more difficult the question. c. Rationale: I selected this text because it will give the students a way to assess themselves while they can enjoy using the material they learned. d. Use of Text: This text would be used to informally assess the students to see how well they have comprehended all the material. Another reason to use this text is that the students will be interested and attempt to show off what they have learned making it easier to assess them. e. Attachment: See above link.

Text #10- Salem Witch Trials teacher resources a. Citation: Lamb, A & Johnson, L. (2005). The topic: The salem witch trials. Retrieved on October 20, 2009 from http://www.42explore2.com/salemwitch.htm b. Text Summary: This website gives the links to different websites that could be used to gain information about the Salem Witch Trials. The website also offers ideas for activities and assessments about the trials. c. Rationale: I selected this text because the ideas and activities it offers. These activities can be helpful tips to use to see how the students comprehended the material. d. Use of Text: I would use the idea of holding a mock Salem Witch Trial in the classroom. I would use this text to get me started on how to create this mock trial in the classroom e. Attachment: See above link.

Using these texts together in the classroom:

The main point of using all these texts in the classroom is to give students different perspectives and point of views on the Salem Witch Trials. By gaining different perspectives the students will have a better outlook on the hysteria of the event. This would be covered as a minor theme in a larger theme of American colonization, from these texts the students will get an inside look at American colonists rather than just looking at the larger colonies they will get a look at how people lived in the smaller villages and settlements. All the students would be reading the same things but not complete texts. All of the online interactive and media sources would be used by all students to allow students to comprehend the material in a different way.

Learning Objectives:

National Standards for History: I) Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation a. 3.2- Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors and institutions. b. 3.7- Compare competing historical narratives.

RI Grade Level Expectancies for Reading Grades 5-12 Standard R-10-7: Demonstrate initial understanding of informational texts (expository and practical texts) by… R-10-7.1: Obtaining information from text features (e.g., table of contents, glossary, index, transition words/phrases, transitional devices, bold or italicized text, headings, subheadings, graphic organizers, charts, graphs, or illustrations)

Adam Dale. I think you did a good job of collecting diverse texts to ensure that students understand more clearly the events of the Salem Witch Trials. I especially like the various different sources and ideas that will allow students to explore more in depth the actual proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials. I like how the text set begins with "history's" version of the trials, or in other words the text book's description of the events. I like how then primary sources are introduced, to allow students to get a better understanding of what it would be like to actually have lived through those events. Similarly the play does a good job of putting students in the time period. The primary accounts of the trials from a child's point of view will increase the students empathy of living through that time period. I think that the non-fiction book written 175 years after the fact does a good job of wrapping it all together, and synthesizing the information that the students have already learned (history's point of view vs. primary accounts) and puts them in a position to form their own opinions and ideas of the events through a greater understanding of the entire event. - Mike Vellucci

Dale, I liked the diversity of origins in all yours texts. You selected a wide variety of primary sources and secondary sources that include text books, plays, movies, images, and many other texts. I like this approach because it reinforces the same material from several different sources, therefore keeping the topic from going stale in the short attention span of most students. One thing that I was suprised about was that you chose not to have students compare and contrast the play of the Crucible with the movie version. I mean that in a good way though, where instead of choosing to have the students distinguish purely cosmetic differences between the two, you have them relate the movie to actual primary documents. Because you are using the movie and play to teach content, instead of say, an English teacher who is trying to teach the Crucible, it is a good choice. Overall, I feel like you made a few wise decisions in selecting such a diverse set of texts, and that the students would absolutely understand the Salem Witch Trials after this unit. Ryan Lafond