Overview:

Students will read and analyze two different viewpoints about the celebration of Christopher Columbus Day.

Objectives:

1. Students will learn differing views about Columbus Day.

2. Students will defend their own position about Columbus Day. 

Grade Level: 7-9

Time: 2 Days

Subjects: American History, Geography, Latin American History

Required Materials

1. "We Have No Reason to Celebrate an Invasion" an interview with Suzan Shown Harjo. Rethinking Columbus.   Portland:  Rethinking Schools, Ltd. 1991, P 4 - 5. 

2. "Christopher Columbus Deserves to be Admired" Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe. October 9, 1997.  Page A-29. 

3. Columbus Day Viewpoints worksheet. 

Optional Technologies:

Prerequisites:

Students have studied Columbus and know who he is and what he did (both positives and negatives). 

Suggested Procedure:

1. Students read "We Have No Reason to Celebrate an Invasion" and "Christopher Columbus Deserves to be Admired".
2. In pairs, students answer part one of Columbus Day Viewpoints worksheet. Teacher should be walking around room and making sure pairs are on the right track.
3. As a class, go over the answers to part one. Then, go through strategies to persuade people to believe one side or another - which of these did the authors of the two articles use? How did they organize their arguments, did this help them to be more persuasive?
4. On own, students answer the question in part two of Columbus Day Viewpoints worksheet. They should use class persuasion strategies to make their answer better.
5. Split class into groups of 3-4 students based on similarities of answers in part two of Columbus Day Viewpoints worksheet. In small groups share responses and further organize their argument.
6. Have a fishbowl discussion, where one student from each small group starts in an inside circle of chairs and the others are in an outside circle. Students in the outside circle listen to the discussion, but are not able to participate without taking the place of their group member. When someone from the outside wants to get into the inside (where the discussion takes place) they tap their group member and take their place on the inside.  The students share their answers and eventually debate if we, as a nation, should celebrate Columbus Day.
7. Teacher may need to ask some leading questions to get the discussion moving such as:

Is Columbus important to history? How should Columbus be taught to children? What are other holidays we celebrate -are these more/less important? When does American history start?

Credits

Lindsay Gaida, Eden Prairie Central Middle School