Comprehension: Generating Questions

Grade -10
Subject - World History and Geography: 1500 A.D. (C.E.) to the present
Topic - Latin American revolutions of the nineteenth century
SOL WHII.7 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the Latin American revolutions of the
nineteenth century by
b) identifying the impact of the American and French Revolutions on Latin America.
c) explaining the contributions of Toussaint LOuverture and Simon Bolivar.
Rationale It is important that American students appreciate how much events and historical figures in
other countries in this hemisphere have affected and been affected by the course of our nations
development.
Objective After a lesson on Toussaint LOuverture and Simon Bolivar, the students will be able
describe the contributions of Toussaint LOuverture and Simon Bolivar to their own countries and within
the larger western hemispherical context.
Activity Description

This lesson will occur after students have read the textbook selections that refer to the
American and French revolutions.
The teacher will begin the lesson by reviewing the relevant dates and figures of the
American and French Revolutions by soliciting responses to her questions. (10 minutes)
The teacher will then locate Haiti and Columbia on a world map. She will ask the
students what they know about the countries and emphasize their relative proximity to the
United States if no student brings up that point. (5 minutes)
The teacher will then assign the students to groups of 2. (2 minutes)
The teacher will hand out one copy each of two biographical articles about Toussaint
LOuverture and Simon Bolivar to all of the pairs. (3 minutes)
The teacher will explain that in each pair one student will read the LOuverture article
and one will read the Bolivar article. She will encourage the students to pay close
attention to the dates, people involved and what they remember about what else was
going on in the world at the time.
The teacher will explain that after reading the articles the students will then write ten
questions about the article they have read. Two questions that begin with who, what
when, where, and why. (The teacher can encourage the students to produce more why
questions for bonus points.) (10 minutes)
The students will trade the articles they have read and then read the articles and answer
the questions that their partners have written. (10 minutes)

The teacher will invite the students to share their questions and responses with the class
and facilitate a discussion. (10 minutes)
The teacher will then collect the questions and answers from the students.

Assessment The assessment of this activity will be composed of the teacher reading the questions and
answers that the students have written to gauge whether or not the students have achieved the objective of
the lesson. The scale will be check, check minus, or check plus.
Differentiation The teacher will assign each student to the pairs so she will have the opportunity to
tailor each grouping to the needs of the students. The flexibility of the format of questions will give the
students the freedom to write the type of questions and answers that are comfortable for them.

Bibliography
Simon Bolivar. biography. (2014). Retrieved from WWW.Biography.com:
http://www.biography.com/people/simon-bolivar-241196
The Slave Route. (n.d.). Retrieved from United Nations Educational, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization:
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/the-slaveroute/resistances-and-abolitions/toussaint-louverture/