American History · 2025–2026 · Unit 5

In class

Students will engage in an activity to design the strongest possible plan for Reconstruction while remaining within the bounds of historical feasibility. The activity foregrounds the unit’s essential question by asking students to consider whose agency mattered most in shaping Reconstruction policy and outcomes.

Homework / preparation

Read Preface–Chapter 1 (“The Old Negro”) in Stony the Road. Take notes on how Gates frames memory, race, and agency in preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

Guided reading workshop. Students examine how historical narratives shape judgments about success and failure during Reconstruction.

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Preface–Chapter 1. Continue preparing for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

Students will engage in an activity to design the strongest possible plan for Reconstruction while remaining within the bounds of historical feasibility, with particular attention to the role of formerly enslaved people as political actors.

Homework / preparation

Read Preface–Chapter 1 (“The Old Negro”). Prepare notes and questions for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

No School – Faculty Workday (PK–12)

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

No School – MLK Day

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

Contextual lecture and discussion on the goals, limits, and contested meanings of Reconstruction, with emphasis on how historians define “success” and “failure.”

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Preface–Chapter 1. Review notes and questions for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

Student Breakout Activity on Black Codes.

Homework / preparation

Finalize preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

Contextual lecture and discussion on the goals, limits, and contested meanings of Reconstruction, reinforcing the essential question.

Homework / preparation

Finalize preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 23.

In class

Seminar: Stony the Road, Preface–Chapter 1. Discussion centers on how narratives of Reconstruction obscure or reveal Black agency.

Homework / preparation

Read Chapter 2 (“The Old Negro”) in Stony the Road. Begin preparing for the seminar on Friday, January 30, focusing on how agency is represented or denied.

In class

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 2. Add notes in preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 30.

In class

SNOW DAY

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 2. Prepare examples and questions for the seminar on Friday, January 30.

In class

The Case for Reparations — A Reconstruction Lens (Adapted from Ta-Nehisi Coates) Discussion Questions

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Chapter 2. Finalize preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 30.

In class

Reading period.

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Chapter 2. Finalize preparation for the seminar on Friday, January 30.

In class

Pivot class.

Homework / preparation

Read Chapter 3 (“Flaming Blackness”) in Stony the Road. Begin preparing for the seminar on Friday, February 6.

In class

Seminar: Stony the Road, Chapter 2. Students assess how narratives of Black inferiority were used to justify the rollback of Reconstruction. Historical context: the retreat from Reconstruction and the rise of racial violence. Discussion emphasizes how violence constrained Black agency.

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 3. Prepare notes for the seminar on Monday, February 9.

In class

Activity: Plessy v. Ferguson, Washington, and DuBois (Part 1)

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 3. Add evidence and questions for the seminar on Monday, February 9.

In class

Documentary: Slavery By Another Name (clips).

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Chapter 3. Finalize preparation for the seminar on Monday, February 9.

In class

Activity: Plessy v. Ferguson, Washington, and DuBois (Part 1)

Homework / preparation

Read Chapter 4 (“The New Negro”) in Stony the Road. Begin preparing for the seminar on Monday, February 16.

In class

Activity: Plessy v. Ferguson, Washington, and DuBois (Part 1)

Homework / preparation

Read Chapter 4 (“The New Negro”) in Stony the Road. Begin preparing for the seminar on Monday, February 16.

In class

Seminar: Stony the Road, Chapter 3. Students assess Sambo Art and the visual rhetoric of white supremacy.

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 4. Prepare notes for the seminar on Wednesday, February 18.

In class

Activity: Plessy v. Ferguson, Washington, and DuBois (Part 2) Comparison Chart (Section 2) Comparison Chart (Section 3)

Homework / preparation

Continue reading Chapter 4. Prepare arguments for the seminar on Wednesday, February 18.

In class

Video: Lynching Postcards (15 minutes) on Paramount Plus FlintAI Activity: Exploring Black voices who spoke out against lynching.

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Chapter 4. Finalize preparation for the seminar on Wednesday, February 18.

In class

Activity: Plessy v. Ferguson, Washington, and DuBois (Part 2) Comparison Chart (Section 1)

Homework / preparation

Finish reading Chapter 4. Finalize preparation for the seminar on Wednesday, February 18.

In class

Reading period.

Homework / preparation

Review notes and readings in preparation for the in-class essay.

In class

No School – Presidents Day

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

No School – Extended Holiday

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

Seminar: Stony the Road, Chapter 4. Students assess redeeming the race from the Redeemers.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

Review for In-Class essay. Seminar: Study for in-class DBQ.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

Review for In-Class essay. Seminar: Study for in-class DBQ.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

In class essay. Seminar: None.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

In class essay. Seminar: None.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.

In class

In class essay. Or begin reading Hiroshima by John Hersey. Seminar: None. Important Reminders for the In-Class Essay Bring a fully charged device on both essay days. Check that DigiExam is updated and functioning before coming to class. Documents will only be available through DigiExam during the essay period.

Homework / preparation

No separate homework listed for this date.