Big Apple History . Lesson Plans . Draw It Out

	Draw It Out


		5 to 8 (middle school) social studies, history, art, conflict resolution approximately 3 class periods

Using the great New York City draft riots of July, 1863 as a starting point, this activity asks students to consider other great episodes of civil unrest in the nation's history. It is designed to get students thinking about what causes riots, what form they take, and how they end. It also provides lessons in peaceful conflict resolution.

The activity is divided into several steps: 1) thinking about urban unrest; 2) researching a specific historical case of urban unrest; 3) learning how to tell a dramatic story in words and pictures (specifically, in the form of a comic strip); and 4) presenting the comic strip for others to see.

This activity is primarily designed for students to complete individually, either at home or in small groups in class.

Begin by having students read the articles "New Yorkers Against Slavery," "Civil War Breaks Out," and "New Yorkers Riot Over Draft."

Hold a class discussion about the New York riots and other episodes of urban unrest in the nation's history. (If your own community has experienced riots, you might want to focus on those.)

Here are some questions to pose to your students (specifically about the New York riots):

What are the duties of all citizens? Should citizens be obligated to fight in their nation's wars (even if they are against the war)? What if the selection system does not seem fair?

You can also pose the same questions about other riots, including Watts, 1965; Detroit and Newark, 1967; Chicago Democratic Convention, 1968; and Los Angeles, 1992.

What causes urban unrest? When do citizens feel so excluded from a society that they riot? Are riots caused by hopelessness or anger? Is social violence ever justified? How can riots be avoided? Who participated in the great urban riots under discussion? Why did they riot? How big were these riots? How did they come to an end? Did they bring about any changes? How could they have been avoided?

This activity begins by asking students to research a specific riot in the nation's history and then tell the story of what happened in words and pictures. There are several ways this research can be conducted. You can provide the students with a packet of information, gathered and photocopied from old newspapers and magazines. (College and larger municipal libraries have archives containing local and major national papers.) Or you can have the students conduct their own research at a library. You might conduct a field trip to a library or contact a librarian and tell him or her about the project and that your students will be coming in.
Once the students have completed their research, it is time to help them convey the story in words and pictures. You might instruct them on narrative structure, pointing out that the comic strip should have four frames: 1) causes; 2) the riots themselves; 3) how they ended; and 4) what happened afterward. You can encourage students to draw the pictures themselves or make collages out of photocopies from old newspapers and magazines. In addition, let students know that the comic strip has two forms of writing: 1) dialogue in bubbles; and 2) narrative included above or below the picture.
Then, you should have the students consider peaceful alternatives. This can be done by having them draw a second comic strip in which frames two and three outline ways that the conflict could have been resolved without violence.
Finally, there are several ways for students to display their work: create a booklet through desktop publishing; create a display for the classroom; or scan them into a computer for placement on a Web site.

Draw It Out

As we have learned in this activity, America is a violent country. Struck by major riots throughout its history, it also has the highest rate of violent crime in the industrialized world. But this violence can be lessened. By studying the causes of crime and rioting -- and learning methods of conflict resolution -- we all can help make our country a safer, more just and more peaceful place to live.