Exploring Changing Perspectives on Slavery Through Arts-Integrated Lesson

Abstract

Arts-Integrated Mini-Lesson Plan [Name] [University] EDU400: Social Studies and the Arts Instructor’s name 22/09/2025 Arts-Integrated Mini-Lesson Plan 1. Read & Annotate Visual and performing art allow students to experience concepts in social studies and become active participants in activities during the lesson. Through performing arts such as dramatization, teachers demonstrate the significance of cultural events in influencing historical events and perspectives. The Kennedy Center’s “dual objectives” idea incorporates arts in learning social studies and helps teachers achieve two learning objectives simultaneously. When preparing to use the approach, educators should explore the concepts they intend to achieve during the lesson and develop art forms that align with the goals of both subjects. Burstein & Knotts (2010) show that art can be an alternative approach through which teachers can relay content to students and assist them in understanding how themes in social studies connect. During this lesson, learners will be able to show how cultural experiences and legal factors have influenced changes in perspectives over time in the United States. The strategies for the lesson will include role-playing, character exploration, and script development for a short play that students will use to demonstrate the concept of slavery in the classroom. 2. Choice of Anchors: Standards The social studies standard for the lesson is D2.His.5.6-8 that addresses change, continuity, and context in learning history. The expectations for the standard are that students are able to explain how perspectives change over time and the forces that influence the process of change. Using slavery as a historical event, students will learn the cultural, historical, and social circumstances that have changed people’s perspective on the subject between the early 1800s and today. The art objective for the lesson is that students will be able to use theater and dramatization to represent a significant historical event in the United States. The lesson will provide learners with the opportunity to develop a script for a short play and use it to represent facts about history through performing arts while gaining a deeper understanding of slavery in the United States. 3. Mini-Lesson A. Title & Grade Band The title for the mini-lesson is: “Using a short play to demonstrate changing perspective on slavery in the United States.” The target grade for the mini-lesson is between grades 6 and 8 where children should be able to understand how and why perspectives change. They will learn how change occurs and the forces that drive change in the society over time. B. Dual Learning Objectives Social studies objective: “Students will be able to demonstrate how people’s perspective over slavery has changed between the early 1800s and today and describe the factors that have driven this change” Arts objective: “Students will be able to develop and perform the script of a short play involving two characters describing facts about a historical concept in the United States.” C. Standards Social studies: D2.His.5.6-8 on change in people’s perspective over time. Arts objective: Creating and performing art as part of describing historical facts through a short play...