Students learn about tenant farming and sharecropping. They identify similarities and differences between the two. They examine problems that arose due to sharecropping, and then they write a paragraph explaining why they would choose to be a tenant farmer or a sharecropper.
Students read an introduction explaining why tenant farming and sharecropping emerged after the Civil War and preview the lesson objectives. They consider the term “tenant,” look it up if needed, and contribute synonyms to a word cloud to build background vocabulary.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the overall purpose of the lesson and review the objectives with students. Discuss student responses in the word cloud to clarify the meaning of “tenant” and related terms, then organize students into small groups that will work together in Scenes 2–4.
Students read background text describing how tenant farming and sharecropping developed after the Civil War and how each system worked. They examine an image of a tenant farmer family, then read Sharecropping and Tenant Farming and, in small groups, complete a three-column graphic organizer to identify similarities and differences between sharecropping and tenant farming.
Teacher MovesClarify key features of tenant farming and sharecropping as needed, using the image and text to support understanding. Guide groups as they complete the organizer, prompting them to distinguish clearly between each system and to note important similarities. Use the sample ideas in the teacher notes to check for accuracy and deepen discussion about independence, profit, and debt in each system.
Students read an explanation of how tenant farming and sharecropping created risks and conflicts for both landowners and laborers. They then read Sharecropping and watch the videos Sharecropping as Slavery, The Complications of Sharecropping, and Reflections on Sharecropping to learn about the problems associated with sharecropping. In small groups, they complete a graphic organizer by selecting and recording four specific problems that arose from the sharecropping system.
Teacher MovesSupport students in extracting evidence about the economic, legal, and social problems of sharecropping from the article and videos. Circulate as groups complete the organizer, prompting them to use precise language about debt, unfair laws, lack of mobility, and continued racial oppression. Use the sample responses in the teacher notes to confirm understanding and to highlight how sharecropping limited freedom and opportunity for many workers.
Students read text explaining how tenant farming and sharecropping concentrated power in the hands of landowners and often led to unfair treatment of both Black and white families who worked the land. They then read Farm Tenancy for additional context. In small groups, they discuss whether they agree that sharecropping was “slavery by another name” and collaboratively compose a paragraph on a shared class wall, using evidence from the texts and videos to support their position.
Teacher MovesEncourage students to connect new information from the reading to what they learned earlier about sharecropping and tenant farming. Prompt groups to ground their arguments in specific evidence and to address both similarities and differences between slavery and sharecropping. Select one or more thoughtful or exemplary paragraphs to share with the class, using them to facilitate a whole-class discussion about continuity and change in labor systems after the Civil War. Prepare students to complete the final Evaluate scene independently.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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