Theme: Research on the Delany Family
Purpose: To allow students to investigate the history of the Delany family and its
connection to St. Augustine’s College.
Objectives:
 Computer/Technology Skills; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 2
o The learner will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of
computer and other technologies.
 Language Arts; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 1
o The learner will use language to express individual perspectives
drawn from personal or related experience.
 Language Arts; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 2
o The learner will explore and analyze information from a variety of
sources
 Social Studies; Grade 7; Competency Goal 11
o The learner will analyze changes in the ways of living over time
and assess the impact of these changes.
 Social Studies; Grade 8; Competency Goal 8
o The learner will evaluate the effects of national economic, social,
and political change on North Carolina and the South in the late
nineteenth century.
 Theatre Arts; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 1
o The learner will write based on personal experience and heritage,
imagination, literature, and history.
 Theatre Arts; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 2
o The learner will act by interacting in improvisations and assuming
roles.
 Information Skills Curriculum; Grades 6 – 8; Competency Goal 4
o The learner will EXPLORE and USE research processes to meet
information needs.
Materials: Delany, Sarah, Delany, Elizabeth, and Hearth, Amy H. The Delany
Sisters’: Book of Everyday Wisdom. New York: Kodansha America,
Inc., 1994.
Delany, Sarah, Delany, Elizabeth, and Hearth, Amy H. Having Our
Say. New York: Dell Publishing, 1993.
Delany, Sarah, and Hearth, Amy H. On My Own at 107. New York:
HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1997.
List of suggested questions
Lesson Plan:
1. Divide your class into three groups assigning each group a Delany family
member
(Rev. Henry Beard Delany, Sarah Delany, & Elizabeth Delany).
2. Have each group do research on their particular person. We have
suggested three books for starters, but students are encouraged to use
other sources for their research.
3. Students need to write a research paper on their Delany family member.
4. The groups need to present their findings to the class. They can
communicate what they found in various ways such as: role-playing, oral
presentations, and making models or drawing.
Evaluation and Assessment:
1. Here is a list of trivia questions that you can use to assess how much the
students learned. You can use these questions as a quiz or a trivia game.
o Where did Henry B. Delany meet Miss Nanny Logan?
While attending St. Augustine, a school for Negroes in Raleigh, NC
o When was Henry B. Delany and Miss Nanny Logan married?
1886
o Why was Henry B. Delany given the position of Vice Principal at St.
Augustine’s School instead of Principal?
Because he was a Negro
o When did Sarah Delany graduate from St. Augustine’s School?
1910
o When did Elizabeth Delany graduate from St. Augustine’s School?
1911
o Why did Sarah and Elizabeth wait eight years to continue their
education?
They needed to work to save money to continue their education
o When did Elizabeth Delany die and where?
September 25, 1995 in Mt. Vernon, New York
o When did Sarah Delany die?
January 1999
o Where were the Delany sisters born?
St. Augustine’s School in Raleigh, NC
o What was the Delany sisters’ first occupation out of school?
Teachers
o What ages did Dr. Annie Elizabeth Delany and Sarah Delany die?
104, 109
o Who was Rev. Henry Beard Delany?
First African American bishop elected in Episcopal Church in NC
and US
o In what year did Elizabeth graduate from Columbia University’s
School of Dental and Oral Surgery?
1923
o Why did the Delany sisters never marry?
They would have been expected to give up their careers had they
married
o How would you describe Elizabeth Delany?
Feisty and outspoken
o How would you describe Sarah Delany?
Gentle and calm
o In what year did Sarah earn her Bachelor’s degree at Columbia
University?
1920
o Two interesting facts:
o Elizabeth Delany was the second black woman licensed to
practice dentistry in New York
o Sarah Delany was the first black woman to teach domestic
science on a high school level in New York City
2. Here is a suggested rubric to help guide formal and informal assessment
of student knowledge and abilities.