Twelve Years a Slave (Paragraphs and Census Records)
From: DocsTeach
Grade Level: (MS), HS, (College)
Remote Ready: Yes!
Time: 2-3 Class Periods
Length of Reading: Paragraphs
Link: Twelve Years a Slave
Students read several short sections from Twelve Years a Slave (just a paragraph or two each) along with corroborating documents (sections from 3 different census records are featured). They answer questions online and have the option to write 3 paragraphs online answering overarching questions. Students enter their teacher's email address with their written responses, and their answers show up via a link in your inbox. While this is remote ready (and we love it). We would recommend paraphrasing the questions into your LMS so that they are easier to access and grade.
OR
The full written version of Twelve Years a Slave is available for free online from Documenting the American South (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill). It's 110 pages printed.
OR
Watch the film. Unfortunately, we don't have a free link. It is rated R so it's not suitable for all audiences and others will need a permission slip.
More Information:
Grade Level:
(MS), HS, (College): This lesson is intended for High School students; however, we think it would be great for Middle School and college students too
This Activity Involves:
Primary Source: This activity utilizes primary sources.
Writing Exercise: This activity requires a writing assignment such as a discussion post, journal entry, or lengthy response to a prompt. Almost all of our activities require students to answer questions with short responses, but this icon refers to a slightly longer writing assignments.
Image: Population Schedule for Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County, New York; 1840; Population Schedules for the 1840 Census, 1840 - 1840; Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/census-saratoga-springs, May 23, 2025]
