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DOROTHEA
DIX
II.
LESSON PLAN CONTENT
PART I - In Handout
#1 there are passages and a
drawing that illustrate how
people with mental illness were
treated in the mid 1850s. For
each passage write a brief summary
that explains how mental illness
was treated. Conclude by discussing
what you think about the treatment
being described, and writing
down any questions you have
about the passage. Use the work
all ready done for #1 as a model
for your work on #’s 2-5.
pdf handout
#1: Passages & Questions
PART II - Although
most people in America in the
1850s accepted how the mentally
were treated, some individuals
thought is was wrong and worked
make changes that would improved
the lives of the mentally ill.
One reformer in this area was
Dorothea Dix. In handout #2
there is an example of how one
textbook views the life and
work of Dix and excerpts from
testimony she gave to Congress
on this issue. Read over the
passages and answer the questions
that follow.
pdf handout
#2: Reading: “Reformers
Struggle to Improve American
Life: Dorothea Lynde Dix"
from Rise of the American
Nation
PART III –
Use what you’ve learned
about the treatment of the mentally
ill in the mid 1850s and the
work of Dorothea Dix to write
a paragraph for an 8th grade
history class that has not studied
this issue and Dix. The paragraph
should explain who Dix was,
the problem she was trying to
solve, and why you think this
other class should know about
her and her work.
pdf handout
#3: paragraph writing exercise
Part IV –
New Information on Dix that
makes her a more complicated
individual
pdf handout
#4: additional information about
Dorothea Dix
Part V –
Return to the paragraph you
wrote in Part III and, using
this new information on Dix,
revise what you wrote. How does
the new information change,
or not change, your view of
Dix and her work.
pdf handout
#5: paragraph revision exercise
PART VI –
Essay
Possible prompt – Was
Dorothea Dix a heroic person
in American history? Use what
you learned about Dix, her work,
and her beliefs to support your
argument.
pdf handout
#6: essay
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