Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 5
UNIT
6
•
Compassion
In Unit 6, Lesson 2, “Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn examples of compassion from the life of John Ross, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. By independently reading a nonfiction text, students will develop their reading comprehension skills. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
- 15 minutes to play the videos and introduce the book, Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke
- 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 1 or assign for homework
- 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 2 or assign for homework
- 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 3 or assign for homework
- 30 minutes of class time to read Chapter 4 or assign for homework
RELATED SUBJECT:
English Language Arts
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Read a nonfiction text independently to develop reading comprehension skills
- Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas of a nonfiction text
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the text
- Demonstrate understanding of compassion
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Trail of Tears: One Minute History by One Minute History (~1 min)
- Video: John Ross, Father of the Cherokee Nation | Georgia Stories by GPB Education (~3 min)
- Book: Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke
- Prohuman Grade 5 Unit 6 Worksheet 2: Learning Compassion from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:.
- Trail of Tears: In the 1830s the U.S. government took away the homelands of many Native American groups in the Southeast. It then forced them to move to lands west of the Mississippi River. Most of them had to walk all the way. This event is known as the Trail of Tears. The term is used in particular to describe the journey of the Cherokee people. (Source: Britannica Kids)
- Compassion: I see when others are hurt or need help, and I try to help them.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Without providing any information, show students this image from the Trail of Tears Association.
- Ask the students what they see.
- Ask the students what they wonder about the image.
- Explain that this artwork, called “The Trail of Tears,” was painted by Robert Lindneux in 1942. It commemorates the suffering of the Cherokee people under forced removal in the winter of 1838-39. The painting depicts the Cherokee’s arrival in their new country, which is now northeastern Oklahoma.
- Let’s learn more about the Trail of Tears by viewing a couple of short videos. Play the video: Trail of Tears: One Minute History by One Minute History (~1 min)
- Play the video: John Ross, Father of the Cherokee Nation | Georgia Stories by GPB Education (~3 min)
- Have students read the book Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke, either in class over 5 class periods or as homework (the book has an introduction and four chapters total)
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- Have students share their answers with a partner.
GRADE 5 UNIT 6 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING COMPASSION FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER WHILE READING THE BOOK Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke:
ACTIVITY:
- Where was the original homeland of the Cherokee people?
- How did the first explorer reach the Cherokee homeland, and what year did this happen?
- What was one disease that Europeans brought that Native Americans had never been exposed to, that killed many Native Americans?
- What year was the Cherokee Nation formed? What type of government did it have?
- What was the Indian Removal Act of 1830?
- What was the Treaty of New Echota and how did it lead to the Trail of Tears?
- Who was John Ross and how did he show compassion for his people, the Cherokee?
- What injustices did the Cherokee people suffer on the Trail of Tears?
- Where is the Cherokee Nation located today?
- Complete the writing activity on page 44 of the book Timeline History of the Trail of Tears by Alison Behnke.
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
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