Black History Month Speeches 1 Week Mini Unit for Grades 9 to 12 | Wells, Truth, Du Bois

PROBLEM: Many secondary ELA and history classrooms want to teach landmark American speeches, but the original language can be dense and rhetorically complex—and students often read at very different levels. That forces teachers to translate on the fly, reteach constantly, or simplify so much that the speech loses its power.

SOLUTION: This differentiated Speech Week Mini-Unit (5 Days) solves that problem by giving you both the complete original speeches and an adapted, close-prose version designed to keep the same argument and voice while lowering the reading load. Students can move together through the same ideas each day—even when some need a clearer, more accessible text.

Dual-track assurance: Every discussion prompt, quiz item, and short-answer question is designed to be answerable from the adapted text while still mapping cleanly to the corresponding original speech for extension reading and evidence practice.

Perfect for: Grades 8–12 ELA, U.S. History / civics crossover units, mixed-reading-level classes, intervention/RTI support, small groups, and “adapted + original” paired extension groups.

Schedule

Day 1:

• To the Nations of the World by W.E.B. Du Bois (1900)
• Ain’t I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth (1851)*

Day 2: What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? by Frederick Douglass (1852)

Day 3: An Address to the Slaves of the United States by Henry Highland Garnet (1843)

Day 4: The Atlanta Compromise by Booker T. Washington (1895)

Day 5: Lynch Law in America by Ida B. Wells (1900)

*Note: Day 1 includes two versions of “Ain’t I a Woman?” and prompts students to compare what stays consistent vs. what changes, building skills in source reliability and text comparison.

This product includes a zip file consisting of:

NOTE: All files are editable and include (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, Google Docs/Slides/Forms)

Full Original Text: 9,800 words | 10.5 Flesch-Kincaid GL
• Lexile Range (est.): ~1050L–1335L | CEFR (est.): ~B1 – C1
• Great for Grades 9–10 readers, high school core texts, literature circles, and original-text extension groups.

Adapted Version Text: 7,400 words | 7.1 Flesch-Kincaid GL
• Lexile Range (est.): ~925L–1185L | CEFR (est.): ~A2 – C1
• Great for Grades 6–8 readers, middle school core and extension groups.
• Supported readers who need a clearer, lower-load version with the same arguments, themes, and assessment alignment.
• Both versions cover the same speeches and ideas, allowing students to participate in shared discussions even when reading different texts.

Student Final Worksheet/Quizzes (PPTX, Google Slides/Forms)

• 10 Vocabulary Words
• 10 Short Answer Recall/Comprehension
• 5 Challenge Questions (synthesis, analysis, themes, real life connection)
• 5 Multiple Choice Quizzes (12 Questions) (1 per part)

Teacher’s Guide & Answer Key

• 5 Sets of Daily Discussion Questions (1 per part)
• 5 Sets of Self-Graded Exit Quizzes (1 per part, 12Qs each)
• Answer Keys for Vocab, Short Answer, and Challenge Questions
• Key Figures & Places reference sheets to help students track characters and settings

FREE BONUS ALERT!

• Free Access Code to the text on the Leveled-Lit Classics Library!
• See all companion Study Guides in the Library here.

Quick Guide for Teachers:

Adapted-Only Track (Fastest: 5-Day Model)

• Best for Grades 3–6 classes that need a manageable, one-week novel experience.
• Day 1–5: Students read one adapted part per day and use the matching Main Ideas & Themes Discussion Questions and self-grading multiple-choice quiz.
• End the week with the Final Worksheet (Vocabulary Words, Short Answer Questions, and Challenge Questions).
• This track keeps lessons tight, predictable, and complete in five days.

Original-Only Track (Longer: Multi-Day Per Section)

• Ideal for stronger readers or classes ready for original language and sentence structure.
• Students read the original chapters aligned to each adapted Part
• Use the same Discussion Questions, MC exit quizzes, and Final Worksheet; all items are text-accurate for both versions.
• Vocabulary Words (10) are usable for both tracks, because each word appears in both the adapted text and the corresponding original chapters.
• This track preserves the full descriptive style and classic voice while giving you ready-made, age-appropriate assessments.

Dual-Track Differentiation (Mixed Readers, Flexible Timelines)

• Lets your entire class study the same plot, scenes, and themes at the same time—even when some students need the adapted text and others handle the full novel.
• Assign adapted Part 1 to students who need a shorter, clearer text and original corresponding chapters to students reading the full text; repeat this pattern through Parts 2–5 (timing will depend on your classroom's reading level)
• Give original-text students multiple days per section while adapted-text students reread key scenes, complete vocabulary tasks, and tackle discussion questions in pairs or small groups.
• All assessments are usable for both tracks: Discussion Questions, MC Exit Quizzes for each Part, and the Final Worksheet (Vocabulary, Short Answer, and Challenge Questions).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this with mixed reading levels in one class?

Yes—students can read the adapted version while stronger readers use the original, and everyone can answer the same aligned questions.

Do the quizzes and questions require details that only appear in the adapted version?

No—items are designed to be answerable from either track, so discussion and assessment stay consistent.

How is this best taught across a week?

Use one day per speech (Day 1 has two short speeches), run the discussion questions and exit quiz the same day, then finish with the short-answer and challenge questions as a wrap-up or assessment.