World History U2 L6 | The Middle Passage

In Disease, Survival and Resistance in the Middle Passage, students examine supplied readings, identify connected harms, and write an evidence-based paragraph. Groups of three work without assigned historical roles; a quiet individual alternative is also included.

The wider lesson explains forced human migration within the Atlantic system, connecting human experience and resistance with trade, economic institutions, regional consequences, and historical legacies. Guided notes and teacher explanations help students connect these ideas before applying them in the source-analysis activity.

Working with the evidence

The activity includes clearly labeled instructional paraphrases and separate English and Spanish source pages. Students write a four-sentence paragraph and compare health conditions with a dated example from a 2017 WHO report. The comparison does not equate historical experiences or present that report as current conditions. Bilingual models, explanations of source limits, and an 8-point rubric support feedback.

The lesson addresses enslavement, coercion, illness, and violence through explanation and source analysis. It requires no captivity simulations, captive or enslaver roles, survivor impersonation, reenactments, suffering rankings, or personal trauma or identity disclosure.

What's included

• Ten guided questions and eight vocabulary terms with a developed teacher key.

• Full bilingual Day 1 teaching manuscript and Day 2 guide, including models, misconceptions, and scoring guidance.

• Editable 57-slide bilingual presentation and matching PDF.

• Two lesson recall sets with opinion prompts and detailed keys, plus prior-topic Church Power recall.

• 15-question multiple-choice quiz with explanations for each answer choice.

• Source-analysis directions, two blank organizer pages, parallel language source banks, and a separate teacher companion.

• Two-paragraph reading with five multiple-choice and five short-answer questions, explained answers, and scoring guidance.

• Lesson guide, partial North Carolina standards crosswalk, and source credits.

Planning and access

The guide provides a multi-phase sequence with long-block planning models. Allow time for discussion, language support, and developed written responses, continuing across shorter classes as needed. The separate Unit 2 Review lesson is not included. The activity needs no student account or internet research.

Student materials use English first with bold Spanish below; the activity source bank has separate language pages. Some implementation, standards, and source-reference documents are English-only.

Files and preview

Digital download with printable PDFs, editable Word and PowerPoint files, and text companions for core documents. PDFs are not fillable. Editable files may reflow, and text files omit bold bilingual formatting. The seven-page preview shows student pages and a teaching-slide sample; teacher keys and speaker notes are separate.

The crosswalk identifies partial practice with selected objectives, not full mastery or guaranteed local assessment coverage. No certified reading level or universal accessibility is claimed.

Resumen en español

El alumnado analiza fuentes proporcionadas sobre condiciones, supervivencia y resistencia durante el Pasaje del Medio. Trabaja en grupos de tres o con una alternativa individual y escribe un párrafo apoyado en evidencia. La comparación moderna usa un informe de la OMS de 2017, no datos actuales. No se requieren simulaciones ni representaciones de personas cautivas. Incluye apuntes, presentación, repasos, prueba, lecturas, actividad y claves. Hay materiales bilingües y fuentes en versiones separadas; algunos documentos docentes están solo en inglés. Descarga digital con archivos imprimibles y editables; el repaso de Unidad 2 no está incluido.