The Education of Jesse Leroy Brown

Teaching Levels

Teaching Level Mississippi Studies (8th or 9th grade) or U.S. History (11th grade)

Lesson

Lesson Launch (12 minutes)
The teacher will (TTW) launch the lesson by engaging students’ curiosity using a photographic primary source of several naval pilots including Jesse Brown aboard the carrier, the USS Leyte (Slide 2). As students enter the classroom, they will see a photograph projected onto the screen:

“See” (3 minutes)

TTW then distribute the “See, Think, Wonder” handout to each student while they look at the image. For three minutes, the students will observe the projected image while the teacher instructs them on how to use the handout. TTW ask the students what they notice about the image and encourage them to list everything they can physically identify, while cautioning them to stay at the surface level. TTW have the students record what they observe in the “See” section of the handout. If students are having difficulty recording what they see, TTW suggest sentence stems such as, “I notice…” or “There is…” Once the students have had sufficient time, the teacher will prompt them to raise their hand to share with the class.

“Think” (3 minutes)

TTW ask purposeful questions to stir the students’ thoughts and will instruct them to record their thoughts in the “Think” section of the handout:
•    “Who do you think these persons are based on what you see?”
•    “What clues does the photograph give you about who they are?”
•    “What does the setting for this photograph suggest about these men?”
TTW encourage the students to use evidence-based thinking by providing the sentence stem, “I think ______ because I noticed _______.” TTW call on students to share their thoughts once enough time has passed to let everyone write something down.

“Wonder” (3 minutes)

TTW instructs the students to record any questions they have about the image in the “Wonder” section of the handout. TTW asks questions, such as: 
•    “What questions do you have about this image?”
•    “What do you wonder about the men in this photograph?”
•    “What do you wonder is happening on this ship?”
Then, TTW transition into the main lesson by informing students that the man in the center of the photograph was Jesse Brown, the first African American to complete the U.S. Navy’s basic flight training. He was born in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era.

Developing the Lesson (25 minutes) https://tinyurl.com/37javevp 
1.    TTW introduce the “Fact or Myth?” activity to students and explain the rules (Slide 4): 
A.    Read each of the following statements and decide if the statements are a “fact” or a “myth” (false belief).
B.    If you are unsure, make your best educated guess!
C.    Record your answer (“fact” or “myth”) for each statement on your record sheet.
D.    If you answered correctly, assign yourself one point in the score column.  Also, note the information provided on the slide.
E.    The student with the highest score wins!
2.    Next, TTW distribute the “Jesse Brown: ‘Fact or Myth?’” student record sheet; one sheet to each student. 
3.    TTW begin the activity by projecting the first “Fact or Myth?” slide on Jesse Brown’s place of birth (Slide 5):
A.    Each round of the “Fact of Myth?” activity has two steps:
i.    A statement slide, which challenges students to decide whether the statement is a fact or myth.
ii.    A reveal slide, which indicates “Fact!” or “Myth” along with additional information that students should note in their record sheet.
iii.    There are ten rounds (Slide 5 through Slide 24) to this activity with each round lasting approximately two minutes.  

Closing the Lesson (18 minutes)

TTW will instruct students to read “The Education of Jesse Leroy Brown.” Next, TTW conclude the lesson with a 3-2-1: Think-Pair-Share (Slide 25). Students will be asked to think about:

    3—Facts about Jesse Brown that they found interesting.
    2—Types of adversity Jesse Brown overcame to become a naval aviator.
    1—Question about Jesse Brown they still have.

After two minutes, TTW instruct students to discuss their thoughts with a shoulder partner with each partner having one minute. Finally, TTW ask student partners to share their thoughts on this 3-2-1 prompt with the class.

Assessment
Formative assessment: Student completion of the “See-Think-Wonder” handout.
Formative assessment: Student participation in the “Fact or Myth?” activity.
Formative assessment: Student responses and notations on the “Fact or Myth?” record sheet.
Formative assessment: Student discussion of the “3-2-1: Think-Pair-Share.”

Extension
Following this lesson, the teacher could extend the learning by inviting students to complete an authentic writing assignment based on their knowledge of Jesse Leroy Brown. Option One: Write a letter from Brown’s point of view to his family at home, which describes the similarities and differences between his time in Mississippi and his time serving. Option Two: Write a letter as if Brown is writing to a young person today about perseverance and change.