George Moses Horton
Grade Levels: 6, 7, 8
Subject Areas: Social Studies, Language Arts
View Original Documents for George Moses Horton
General Overview
George Moses Horton was a slave who composed poetry and sold his poems to university students. His initial book was the first one published in the South by an African American. The sample acrostic was written by Horton and paid for by Sion Hart Rogers, UNC student in the 1840s, as a gift for Miss Mary E. V. Powell.
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activity 1
Time Required |
45 minutes-1 class period (teacher’s discretion) |
Materials |
Supplementary images and newspaper articles |
Related Documents |
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State Standards |
Grade 6 Language Arts: Goals 1.02, 2.01, 4.01, 5 |
Preparation
Students should read the acrostic, as well as the short biographical sketch of Horton. They may also visit http://www.chathamarts.org/horton/facts.htm
Instructions
Answer questions prompted by the instructor on content gained from visiting the website and reading the provided materials.
The following questions should provoke discussion:
- What was unique about George Moses Horton’s life?
- Why was it unusual for a slave to write and sell poems?
- Why did the UNC students purchase so many of Horton’s poems?
- What is an acrostic?
activity 2
Time Required |
30 minutes (teacher’s discretion) |
Materials |
Internet access (optional) |
Related Documents |
|
State Standards |
Grade 6 Language Arts: Goals 1.02, 5 |
Preparation
Students should refer back to Horton’s original acrostic as well as www.holycross.edu/departments/socant/dhummon/acrostics/acrostics.html, to see examples of acrostics written by other students.
Instructions
Students should create an acrostic with their own or someone else’s name.
The following questions should provoke discussion:
none
extension
- Students may investigate other slaves who did unusual jobs.
Follow the link to our page on Millie-Christine, born slaves that did unusual jobs.
Last Updated July 31 2009
