The Underground Railroad - Escaping on the Underground

©2013 Nancy L. Copeland, Deborah Harmon, & Toni Stokes Jones | Eastern Michigan University | College of Education. All rights reserved. This project was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education Underground Railroad Educational and Cultural Program.

The Underground Railroad - Escaping on the Underground Student Created Lesson Plan Example

Subject: US History Grade: 6th-8th Focus Questions: What was the Underground Railroad link? What cues were used and what obstacles were faced on the Underground Railroad? Objectives: SWBAT learn about the difficult decisions and conditions faced on the Underground Railroad. SWBAT reflect on the experience of traveling on the Underground Railroad. Common Core Standards: RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally). RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic. Materials: “Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad” by Pamela Duncan Edwards, computers with internet access, projector, PPT Duration: Two 45 minute class sessions


Activities & Procedures Whole Group:

Activating Prior Knowledge: Have students write down what they know about the Underground Railroad and what they think it would be like to be a slave escaping to freedom on the URR. Have them address the physical and emotional aspects of the route.

After students have written their responses, allow a few minutes for them to share out and discuss what they believe traveling on the URR was like. Then show the “Traveling on the Underground Railroad” PPT. This PPT is a generic overview, but it should get the students to start thinking of what it was like on the URR. It also sets up the stations activity that students will be working on individually.

Individual Activity: Stations Activity

Four stations will be set up around the room, each with different explanations of what it was like on the Underground Railroad. Students should be given a time limit to spend at each station. There is a set of questions to be completed at each station.

Station #1 – Student Textbook. Find the textbook discussion of the Underground Railroad. This section will usually be pretty brief and provide a more factual overview of the URR, instead of a personal account. Station #2 – “Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad” by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Students should read this book in small groups. They should not only read about what the character experiences, but also focus on the darkness of the images and how that affects the story.


Station #3 – Online Activity – National Geographic http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1 This brief activity is similar to a choose your own adventure activity adventure about the decision to escape on the Underground Railroad. It contains images of people, symbols and places on the Underground Railroad. Station #4 – Online Activity – Pathways to Freedom http://pathways.thinkport.org/following/ This is another escaping on the URR activity. This one has more emotional connections and focuses more on the physical/emotional toll of traveling on the URR. You may want to mute the program as you complete it.

After students complete the stations work individually, the teacher should start a discussion where students are to give their feedback on the stations. Have the class discuss which station they thought was the most informational and gave them the best insight into what it was like to travel on the URR.

Assessment: Students will turn in their reflections from each station. Attached Resources: Henry’s Freedom Box book, Traveling the Underground Railroad PPT, Traveling the URR Station Reflections Page


Traveling the Underground Railroad Stations Reflection Questions

Station #2 - “Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad” by Pamela Edwards.

1. Write down two things you learned that stood out from this activity. 2. How did completing this activity make you feel about the people that used the URR to escape to freedom? 3. How well did this activity give you a detailed idea of what it was like to travel on the Underground Railroad?


1. Write down two things you learned that stood out from this activity. 2. How did completing this activity make you feel about the people that used the URR to escape to freedom?

3. How well did this activity give you a detailed idea of what it was like to travel on the Underground Railroad?

Station #3 – National Geographic Online Activity


Station #4 – Pathways to Freedom Online Activity





Traveling the Underground Railroad Stations Reflection Questions

1. Rank the stations in order from best to least effective in helping you understand what it was like to travel on the Underground Railroad. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2. What made your “Best Station” the most effective for you? What did you enjoy about that station?


3. Write a paragraph explaining what you think it was like to travel along the Underground Railroad. Be sure to consider the physical and emotional aspects of the journey. 4. How did your understanding of traveling on the URR change from the start of this lesson to the end?

Documents

The Underground Railroad - Escaping on the Underground