The 1619 Project Born on the Water Educators Guide
The educator’s guide to “Born on the Water,” could be used at elementary and secondary levels, and there are distinctions between how you might work with younger students versus older ones. The questions posed in the lesson plans, are not always specific to “Born on the Water”. They may be used with almost any text, as it teaches students to think in ways that are generative and transferable. Teaching students to ask questions that they can ask of any text, including the text that is the world, empowers them to think deeply, whether or not they are in the presence of their teachers and caregivers.
Students will need a reading notebook that they are already using or a notebook or folder where they can keep all of their work from this unit and they will experience reading as a meaningful opportunity to think deeply and engage in authentic, transformative conversation.
The Born on the Water text can be found at the Citywide Digital Library on Sora where all users have single sign-on with NYC DOE credentials.