Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Deciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation Lesson PlanDeciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation Lesson Plan
Publisher
Tennessee State Museum
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
5th - 8th
Subjects
English Language Arts
6 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Instructional Strategies
Collaborative Learning
1 more...
Lesson Plan

Deciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Help your learners truly understand the Emancipation Proclamation by asking them the put it into their own words. After reading the document out loud to the class, and briefly discussing the legal language, split your class into small groups for closer examination of passages from the text. Groups look up unknown and difficult vocabulary and rewrite the passage they have been assigned. Come back together as a class and read all the passages to get an idea of the text as a whole.

168 Views 129 Downloads
CCSS: Designed

Concepts

close reading, the emancipation proclamation, the united states civil war

Additional Tags

emancipation proclamation, close reading, jigsaw reading, social studies

Pros

  • Jigsaw style allows small groups to do a detailed close read of a complex text and still be exposed to the rewritten version of the entire text

Cons

  • The writing in the plan itself has some grammatical errors (sentence fragments, etc.)
  • Includes an assessment that is not fully supported by the materials and procedures described

Common Core

RH.6-8.4 RH.6-8.5 RH.6-8.6

See similar resources:

Unit Plan

Reading Closely For Textual Details: Grade 8

Odell Education
Only a thorough understanding of history can save us from repeating it. Practice close reading skills with an eighth grade unit that focuses on 19th century America, including European immigration into Ellis Island and Frederick...
8th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Unit Plan

Reading Closely for Textual Details: Grade 6

Odell Education
Close reading doesn't mean to literally read text close to your face, but rather to pay attention to particular details in order to develop a deep and purposeful understanding of text. The first part of a five-part resource provides an...
6th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Worksheet

New York Times Reading Log

The New York Times
Inspire your pupils to read the news and make connections between articles and another text, event, or experience with a straightforward reading log. Learners note down the article information at the top of the worksheet and then respond...
7th - 12th English Language Arts
Assessment

Summarizing Text

E Reading Worksheets
Help learners find the most important information in a text with a lesson on summarizing. As kids read through a passage about Johannes Gutenberg, they summarize small excerpts, put events in sequential order, and respond to two longer...
5th - 6th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

An Emancipation Proclamation Map Lesson

Tennessee State Museum
Did the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves during the Civil War? Why was it written, and what were its immediate and long-term effects? After reading primary source materials, constructing political maps representing information...
5th - 8th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Designed
Unit Plan

Frindle: A Guiding Reading Unit

Curated OER
Guide your class through a reading of the popular children's book, Frindle, with this comprehensive literature unit. Starting with a brief introduction to the guided reading process, the class goes on to read the story two chapters...
3rd - 5th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

The Emancipation Proclamation Through Different Eyes

Curated OER
Middle schoolers examine how various segments of the American population viewed the Emancipation Proclamation. They read the Emancipation Proclamation, analyze key terms and statements in the document, and participate in a debate.
6th - 8th Social Studies & History
Interactive

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 1)

Mr. Nussbaum
Learn more about Honest Abe with an informative passage that details his life chronologically. As learners read sections of the text, they answer multiple choice questions that draw on their ability to recall details from the passage.
5th - 7th English Language Arts
Interactive

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 2)

Mr. Nussbaum
Abraham Lincoln's face may only be worth one cent, but the online reading passage and questions about his life are an invaluable resource. Pupils read a passage about Lincoln's experience with the Illinois Legislature, earning his law...
5th - 7th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Planet Article

Jigsaw Reading Keeps Readers Accountable

Curated OER
Utilize the jigsaw reading strategy to keep pupils accountable and encourage cooperative learning.
5th - 8th English Language Arts
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use