From: 21st Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative and Audrey Schindler McDonald. Use this Common Core State Standards aligned lesson to assist students in learning to examine three different types of primary source documents (a letter, a diary entry, and court testimony) related to the Salem Witch Trials. Students should also be able to choose textual evidence that support claims, and write reasoning and analysis statements. This is lesson 1 of 3 on the Salem Witch Trials from 21st Century Lessons and available for free on www.ShareMyLesson.com. Download The Salem Witch Trials Lesson #2: http://www.sharemylesson.com/article.aspx?storyCode=50033006. Download The Salem Witch Trials Lesson #3: http://www.sharemylesson.com/article.aspx?storyCode=50033007.

1. 21st Century Lessons
Citing Textual Evidence in Complex
Informational Texts –
The Salem Witch Trials
Lesson #1: 110 minutes
Primary Lesson Designer(s):
Audrey Schindler McDonald
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21st Century Lessons – Teacher Preparation
• Spend AT LEAST 30 minutes studying the
Lesson Overview, Teacher Notes on each
slide, and accompanying worksheets.
• Set up your projector and test this PowerPoint file to make
sure all animations, media, etc. work properly.
Please do the following as you prepare to deliver this lesson:
• Feel free to customize this file to match the language and
routines in your classroom.

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Lesson
Objective
By the end of this three lesson unit, students should be able to examine
three different types of primary source documents (a letter, a diary entry,
and court testimony) related to the Salem Witch Trials. Students should
also be able to choose textual evidence that support claims, and write
reasoning and analysis statements.
Lesson
Description
This lesson is the first of three within a unit on citing appropriate
evidence from informational texts. The focus is on the Salem Witch Trials
– a topic that most students will find engaging. While interacting with
different primary source documents and participating in a variety of
activities, students will be thinking about, and answering, the following
essential questions: What is the impact of the Salem Witch Trials on the
overall community during the Seventeenth Century? How does a
particular document (text) inform and change our perception of an
historical event? How does seeing only one side of an argument limit our
understanding of a subject?
Lesson Overview (1 of 4)

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Lesson Vocabulary Claim: a statement that can be proven (or disproven) using
evidence
Evidence: proof that supports or negates a claim, taken directly
from a text.
Mass hysteria: a condition affecting a group of people who display
excitement or anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or
inexplicable symptoms of illness.
Materials Handout of Governor Phips’ Letter
Handout of CE Template
Scoring Guide
Chart Paper
Marker
Four Corners Activity Signs
PowerPoint, LCD Projector
Exit Slip Handouts OR White-lined Paper
Common Core
State Standard
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.1: Cite textual evidence that most strongly
supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.
Lesson Overview (2 of 4)

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Scaffolding The word choice and spelling of the document used in this
lesson is often confusing even for our strongest readers,
therefore a helpful vocabulary list has been provided. This will
help struggling students with the content.
Enrichment Advanced students may read the second letter (found
immediately after the first letter) from Governor Phips to the
Earl of Nottingham, and write their own claims and provide
textual evidence to support these claims. Students might also
research other letters written during this same period to look
for similarities and differences, and to further develop their
understanding of background information.
Online Resources for
Absent Students
http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people/phips.html
http://www.newfane.wnyric.org/page/558
http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/examples-of-
historical-thinking/24551
Lesson Overview (3 of 4)

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Lesson Overview (4 of 4)
Before and After Before: Students should know the protocol for working in small
groups. Students should have an understanding of the time period
for the Salem Witch Trials. Students should understand the term
Mass Hysteria. Students should be knowledgeable about how to
annotate texts and ask higher order thinking questions.
After: Students will begin to have more thorough background
information on the Salem Witch Trials. Students will understand a
leader’s stance on the situation in Salem. Students will cite evidence
from the text to support three claims.
Topic
Background
William Phips – a ship captain, treasure hunter, and eventual first
royally appointed Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay –
became Governor in the midst of the Salem Witch Trial mass
hysteria. During his time as Governor, Phips wrote many letters to
the Earl of Nottingham describing the events of the Salem Witch
Trials, and informing the Earl of his actions. Two of those letters are
widely recognized today. It was after Phips’ wife was accused of
witchcraft that Phips finally put an end to the Salem Witch Trials.

9. Warm Up – Let’s Brainstorm!
OBJECTIVE: Students will read, annotate, and discuss a primary source
document in order to pull textual evidence to support a claim.
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What do you think of when you hear the word “witch”?
Have you ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials?
Agenda

10. Agenda:
1) Warm Up – Whole Class Brainstorm
2) Launch – Governor Phips’ Letter
3) Explore – Four Corners Activity
4) Summary – Turn and Talk
5) Practice – Claims/Evidence Template
6) Assessment – Exit Slip
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OBJECTIVE: Students will read, annotate, and discuss a primary source
document in order to pull textual evidence to support a claim.

11. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
Reading 1: I will read it aloud to the class.
Reading 2: You will read it silently.
Reading 3: You will read it aloud in
your small groups.
It is OK to not understand everything you read. Concentrate on what you DO
understand because you will learn something.
Today, we are going to read and annotate a letter written by a man named
William Phips. William Phips became the Governor of the Province of
Massachusetts Bay during the height of the Salem Witch Trial hysteria. We will
read this letter THREE times.
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12. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
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Before we read, it’s important to understand that during this time period, spelling and punctuation
was not consistent. So while some words will look misspelled, they are simply a sign of the time
period in which they were written.
Most words you can figure out on your own…
For example: Devill = devil sitt = sit
You try! Mee = __________ unavoydable = ______________
Some words, however, you’ll need help with. Let’s refer now to the list of vocabulary words you
have in front of you…

13. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
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READING #1
As I read this letter aloud, I want you to write down comments
that help answer these two questions:
1) What does Governor Phips observe upon his arrival?
2) How does he feel about what has been happening?
Remember – you are not expected to understand everything in
this letter, but you are expected to try, try try!

14. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
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READING #2
Now you will read through the letter silently. As you read, I want
you to write down comments that help answer this question:
1. What does Governor Phips tell us about how the
townspeople are reacting?
Remember – you are not expected to understand everything in
this letter, but do your best to find clues in the text that help you
answer the question.

15. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
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Before we continue on to our third reading,
let’s check in with our understanding.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Please give me a quick Thumbs Up if you’re starting
to understand this letter.
Please give me a quick Thumbs Down if you’re
really struggling.
And please give me a Thumb in the Middle if
you’re feeling so-so.

16. Launch – Governor Phips Letter
Agenda
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READING #3
Now you will read through the letter out loud in your small groups. You should
take turns reading aloud.
As you read, please write down:
• ANY comments that help you to figure out what Governor
Phips believes
• any questions that you need the answer to
Remember – you are still not expected to understand everything in this letter,
but you are still expected to try! No excuses!

17. Explore – Four Corners Activity!
It’s time for us to stand up and do a
Four Corners Activity.
Take your annotated letters with you to
use for support.
• I will read a series of statements.
• You should move to one of the four corners in the room
depending on your beliefs based on what you read.
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Agenda

18. Explore – Four Corners Activity!
Statement #1
Governor Phips believed
in witchcraft.
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Agenda

19. Explore – Four Corners Activity!
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Agenda
Statement #2
Governor Phips believed
that the general public
was upset by the current
situation in Salem.

20. Explore – Four Corners Activity!
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Agenda
Statement #3
Governor Phips believed
that the court proceedings
(trials) were fair.

21. Explore – Four Corners Activity!
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Agenda
Statement #4
Governor Phips felt upset
by what was happening
and was trying to stop the
trials from continuing.

22. Summary – Turn and Talk!
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Agenda
Turn and speak to a partner about one thing you’ve
learned so far from the Governor’s letter.
Allow one minute per partner!

23. Practice – Words to Know!
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Agenda
It’s time to start pulling evidence from the Governor’s
letter to support a claim. Before we start, let’s define two
words that we need to know.
Claim: a claim is a statement that is debatable (you can argue with it).
Chocolate is the best flavor for ice cream.
Nike is a better brand than Reebok.
That test was difficult.
Evidence: proof from a text that supports a claim
Claim: The straw house built by the first little pig was no match
for the big bad wolf.
Evidence: “And he huffed, and he puffed, and he blew the
house down.”

24. Practice – Let’s use a Claims/Evidence Template
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Agenda
Let’s start choosing some evidence to support some claims!
Please make sure you have in front of you:
• Your annotated Governor’s Letter
• The Claims/Evidence Template in front
Now listen carefully to the instructions…
1) Read each claim carefully.
2) Go into the Governor’s Letter and look for evidence
that could support this claim.
3) Copy the evidence word for word into the box labeled
“Evidence.”
We will do one together…

25. Assessment - – Exit Slip
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Agenda
Don’t forget to put your name on the paper!
Turn this in to me as you leave class.
On a piece of white-lined paper,
please complete a 3-2-1 Exit Slip.
Write 3 ideas that stuck with you from today’s class.
Write 2 definitions: one for “claim” and one for “evidence”
Write 1 question you have.

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