In this lesson snapshot, a 12th-grade AP English class discovers the dark history of convict leasing while reading Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi. Struggling at first to situate this often forgotten piece of history, students pause to examine a series of primary source photographs from the Library of Congress. Their questions spur a class discussion and a deeper understanding of the character H’s experiences with this de-facto method of enslavement.
Download this resource to discover one example of how you might use the QFT for primary source learning in a secondary ELA classroom. Read Dana Huff’s lesson plan, the outcomes from the lesson, and her reflections afterwards.
Dana Huff is an English department chair and English teacher in Worcester, Massachusetts, a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University, a reader, writer, bread baker, sometime soapmaker, and an amateur foodie. She is also a wife and mom of three.