DAVID CUTLER · 2026–2027
Public reading edition · October 10, 2026. Read the daily classwork and homework here; no school login is required. This course is a work in progress. I will update it as I build out the class. Future entries are plans, not completed lessons. Upcoming lessons are subject to change.
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Eyeballs over screens. Screens only reinforce what students have already learned; they never introduce new content in my classroom. I developed the linked public activities with ChatGPT’s help, directing and reviewing the work.
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Monday, October 19, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read the supplied Jacobs passage in Agency Handout, page 1. In pairs, underline an action and circle a limit. Discuss Jacobs’s father, then write a 3–4-sentence response on the handout or in your notebook.
Begin or continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use Westward Expansion Handouts, pages 1–2. Calculate Senate totals in pairs, read the Missouri clause together, and discuss Eliza’s supplied passage. Connect territorial expansion, forced labor, family separation, and political representation.
Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Open the Wright Family Reading Guide or use the printed two-page reading. Read page 1 together and begin Question 1 in your notebook, using 2–3 sentences. We will continue Friday.
Continue Jacobs for October 30. No additional Wright-family homework.
Thursday, October 22, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the same Westward Expansion lesson, pages 1–2, assigned to Sections 2 and 3 on October 20. Use the Senate model and supplied passages to connect expansion to regional conflict.
Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Friday, October 23, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Continue the Wright-family reading. Read page 2 together, discuss Source B, and answer Questions 2–3 in 2–3 sentences each. Explain the limits of the family’s victory and compare one action in Jacobs with the family’s legal strategy. Additional completion time is available Monday.
Continue Jacobs for October 30. Finish Wright responses with class support today or Monday.
Monday, October 26, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 10 minutes to finish Wright responses. Then read both pages of the California Law Handout. Identify who controlled custody, earnings, and hiring. Write two sentences: one explaining a power the law authorized, and one identifying a question the law cannot answer about an individual’s resistance.
Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Spend 25 minutes on Douglass Handouts, pages 2–3. Read the supplied literacy and resistance excerpts in pairs and write the brief comparison. Use the final 15 minutes to read Jacobs.
Continue Jacobs for October 30. No full Douglass chapter is assigned.
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use Westward Expansion Handouts, page 3. Read the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo excerpt and compare three proposals for slavery in western territories. Build a shared explanation on the board and complete the short causal response. Revisit Eliza’s passage on page 2.
Continue the opening materials and Chapters I–X for October 30.
Thursday, October 29, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the Douglass lesson, pages 2–3, followed by 15 minutes of Jacobs reading.
Finish the opening materials and Chapters I–X for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, October 30, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the brief paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 1. Discuss the Preface’s intended audience, family strategies, Benjamin’s resistance, and limits on marriage and bodily autonomy. Use the Seminar 1 Guide.
Read Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. Submit the Seminar 1 reflection by November 2 at 3:25 p.m.
Monday, November 2, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read pages 1–2 of Northup Excerpts and Reading Guide. Discuss the page 3 questions in pairs and as a class. Write one 3–4-sentence notebook response using two details. Consider why an unsuccessful strategy can still reveal agency.
Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. No full Northup chapter is required.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use “The Compromise Reached the North,” page 4. Read the overview and supplied Jacobs preview. Explain a causal link between territorial politics and the risks faced by freedom seekers. Write the 2–3-sentence exit response.
Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read your Dover copy for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 2 Guide to clarify characters, annotate a supplied passage, and ask questions.
Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9. No additional written assignment.
Thursday, November 5, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the Compromise of 1850 lesson using Westward Expansion Handouts, page 4. Explain how a settlement over western territory changed risks in the North.
Continue Chapters XI–XXI for November 9.
Friday, November 6, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use Road to Civil War Handouts, page 1. Read the Kansas–Nebraska and Dred Scott selections. Connect changes in territorial rules, elections, violence, party politics, and federal power. Compare the Scotts’ legal action with the Wright family’s case.
Finish Chapters XI–XXI for Monday’s seminar.
Monday, November 9, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 2. Discuss motherhood, Uncle Fred’s pursuit of literacy, flight, and hiding. Evaluate the garret as both a strategy and a place of severe physical deprivation. Use the Seminar 2 Guide.
Read Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20. Submit the Seminar 2 reflection by November 13 at 3:25 p.m. No work is due November 10–12.
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Early dismissal. If the special timetable includes history, use the shortened period for reading or questions. There is no new assessed content.
Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
No regular lesson listed. Follow the section and school-calendar notes.
No separate homework entry in this dated block. Follow the unit reading deadlines.
Thursday, November 12, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
No regular lesson listed. Follow the section and school-calendar notes.
No separate homework entry in this dated block. Follow the unit reading deadlines.
Friday, November 13, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 3 Guide to trace family members, helpers, and the letter strategy.
Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Monday, November 16, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use Road to Civil War Handouts, pages 2–3. Discuss Harriet Newby’s appeal, the Republican platform, and secessionists’ claims. In small groups, order the paper event cards and explain two causal links. Finish with the 4–5-sentence turning-point response.
Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Tuesday, November 17, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 25 minutes. Use the final 15 minutes to identify a promising comparison and check a citation using the essay planning directions below. You may begin planning in the shared Word file; no separate planning submission is due today.
Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
For 20 minutes, compare the supplied letter passage in the Seminar 3 Guide, the Wright excerpts, and one marked detail from your Northup or Douglass handout. Discuss an action, a constraint, and a source limitation. Read Jacobs for the final 20 minutes.
Continue Chapters XXII–XXXI for November 20.
Thursday, November 19, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 25 minutes. Spend 15 minutes on a possible comparison and citation using the essay planning directions. No separate planning submission is due today.
Finish Chapters XXII–XXXI for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, November 20, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 3. Discuss misleading letters, William’s escape, Aunt Nancy, and the journey to Philadelphia. Use the Seminar 3 Guide. Reserve the final five minutes to jot notes for your reflection.
The Seminar 3 reflection is due November 30 at 3:25 p.m. You will have class time to finish it after the break. No required unit work over Thanksgiving break.
Monday, November 23, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
No regular lesson listed. Follow the section and school-calendar notes.
No separate homework entry in this dated block. Follow the unit reading deadlines.
Monday, November 30, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 10 minutes to revisit your seminar notes, finish the reflection, and submit it. Read Chapters XXXII–XLI for the next 30 minutes. Use the Seminar 4 Guide. No advance holiday reading or reflection work is expected.
Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Tuesday, December 1, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 25 minutes, then discuss a passage connecting northern life to the Compromise of 1850. Clarify names and terms and keep brief annotations in your book or notebook.
Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Wednesday, December 2, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 30 minutes. Use the final 10 minutes and the Seminar 4 Guide to choose passages and clarify questions. No additional worksheet or source reading is assigned.
Continue Chapters XXXII–XLI for December 4.
Thursday, December 3, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Read Jacobs for 25 minutes, then discuss a passage connecting northern life to the fugitive law. Clarify unfamiliar names and terms.
Finish Chapters XXXII–XLI for tomorrow’s seminar.
Friday, December 4, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Complete the paper reading quiz, then participate in Seminar 4. Discuss family reunification, northern racism, the fugitive law, authorship, and “Free at Last.” Use the Seminar 4 Guide. Revisit the essay prompt.
Prepare your thesis and opening paragraph in Word for December 7 at 3:25 p.m. The Seminar 4 reflection is also due then.
Monday, December 7, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 10–15 minutes to draft and confer about your argument. The rest of class begins the next unit.
Prepare the body-paragraph plan for December 9.
Wednesday, December 9, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 10 minutes to review the plan and begin turning one part into prose. The rest of class follows the next unit.
Complete the full draft for December 11.
Friday, December 11, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 5–10 minutes to check the draft against the requirements. Complete any remaining work before the deadline.
Bring the complete draft ready for December 14 peer review. Read it using the single 100-point rubric below.
Monday, December 14, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Spend the first 25 minutes on structured peer review. Exchange drafts, leave three specific comments, discuss a strength and a revision, and choose two priorities. The rest of class follows the next unit.
Revise the essay and update your self-evaluation for December 16.
Wednesday, December 16, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Use the first 10 minutes for final revision, quotation checks, proofreading, and sharing verification. Mr. Cutler will review the document’s available version history.
No separate homework entry in this dated block. Follow the unit reading deadlines.