Last updated: May 5, 2022
Lesson Plan
The Sharecroppers, Tenant Farmers, and Day Laborers
- Grade Level:
- Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
- Subject:
- Math,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Louisiana Believes Standards:
Social Study Standards
7.4.3
7.6.4
8.2.6 - Thinking Skills:
- Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
How did the exploitive economic systems impact those who lived as sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and day laborers?
Objective
- Students can identify that working as a sharecropper / tenet farmer / day laborer did not allow workers to get ahead
- Students can identify the types of purchases made by sharecroppers / tenet farmer / day laborers at the plantation store
- Students can recognize that sharecroppers often had more debt than day laborers.
Preparation
You will need to contact our education office to be sent a digital copy of these materials.
Materials needed:
- Game parts: Character Biographies and Incomes
- Event cards, cut out and devide into separate bags
- Reflection Worksheet for each student
- Budget Sheet (one per group)
- Pencils
- Calculators (optional)
Learn more and find valuble background information at: History & Culture.
Read about those who lived at Magnolia Plantation in the Tenant Quarter Community at An Unlikely Paper Trail.
Read about the importance of archival collections, and the archival materials that teach us about the tenant farmers of Magnolia Plantation at Lost Community Found.
Procedure
- Have students divide into smaller groups we have (9) characters so divide them accordingly. We recommend groups of 3-4. You may omit characters to make groups even.
- Pass out the Biographies. (do not share income sheets) Have groups choose a volunteer to read their profile out loud so everyone can hear about each of the characters.
- As you hand out budget paper and explain, “People worked hard on these plantations even after the end of slavery because they needed a way to provide for themselves and their families. Their goal was to save up money so they could afford land of their own. You will be drawing purchases out of a bag and recording them in the family’s budget. Once you’ve totaled up how much you’ve spent for the year you will see what salary you made. Often, many of these people did not know how much money they would make until the end of the season, and were not paid until that time."
- Ask students to think about what types of things a family would need to survive, and what they need to survive. Allow some students to share. After, encourage them to think about their character - what will they need? Ask them to talk in their groups, and predict what kinds of thing their character will need. Allow each group to share what they predict their person will need.
- Pass out brown paper bags to appropriate groups. Each student in the groups is to take turns in pulling one event card out of the bag. Have them record all of the information on their budget sheet.
- After each student has one turn, ask students to share how things are going. Let them make production about the end of the year.
- There are 12 cards in each bag, play until a minimum of 9 cards are drawn for each group. Ask students to share what happened to their character, and if this matched their predictions.
- Once students are finished, remind students that their person worked very hard the entire year. Remind students about the labor intensity of farming. Then have a member from each group come collect the income sheet, and read it to the class.
- Students can finish their budget sheets, finding out what they made at the season's end.
- Once all students are finished, each group is to share what occupation their person was, and how the budget for the year ended. Ask guided inquiry questions such as: Was this how they predicted? What caused it to be like this? Did they end up in debt? Allow students to share their own thoughts on what happened to their character.
- Pass out the reflection sheets. Allow students to reflect on what they experienced, and how they feel through the guided reflection questions.
Vocabulary
Sharecropper: A person who farms for a share of the crops, which were sold for their share of profit. They are assigned land by the land's owner, with the land owner providing equipment and tools. They may have a written contract with land owner, but sometimes these were verbal agreements.
Tenant Farmer: A person who farms an assigned amount of land for a share of the crops' profits. They often provide their own materials so their share may be greater than sharecroppers.
Day Laborer: A person who farms for a wage. They are not assigned an amount of land - all farming done together by those working for the landowner. They may be paid weekly or monthly.