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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students develop computer research skills while searching facts about Harriet Tubman. Students learn about ways in which Harriet Tubman's childhood influenced her future. Students learn to use primary documents to learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Running for Freedom: The FUgitive Slave law and the Coming of the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 10th
In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Two Views of the Slave Ship Brookes

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Actual ship diagrams and a table of voyage data gives young historians an authentic glimpse of on-board experiences during the Atlantic Slave Trade. The class examines a projected diagram of the slave ship Brooks, recording thoughts....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the Civil War

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders identify and discuss the causes of the Civil War. They define the vocabulary terms-Civil War, economy, plantations, abolitionist, secede, and slave; read and discuss reading passages about the Civil War, and answer...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War and Beyond

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders play a game.  In this Civil War lesson, 6th graders discuss the beginnings of the Civil War and define vocabulary words associated with the war such as abolitionist and Emancipation Proclamation.  Students play a game of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry and John Brown's Body

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss John's Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. In this John Brown lesson, 4th graders analyze a newspaper article about the raid, and write a descriptive obituary about John Brown. Students view pictures of John Brown and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Durable Memento: Portraits by Augustus Washington

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students read primary source newspaper articles from mid 19th century United States. The topics of the articles are slavery, abolitionism and colonization. Students are given several options for activities based on the readings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minty, A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders describe the life of Harriet Tubman. They define opportunity cost. Students identify the opportunity cost of each of several choices made by Harriet Tubman. They are explained that Harriet Tubman was the first African...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dedication to Douglass

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study the controversy surrounding the proposed Frederick Douglass Circle monument in Central Park. They review the notion of historical inaccuracy by reading and discussing the article, "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Danger on the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 7th
Student examines the role of the Underground railroad. In this Post-Civil War lesson, 7th graders read and analyze primary sources. Students create a timeline that details the events of the stories.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students listen to Anne Rockwell's picture book biography of Sojourner Truth to learn about this famous abolitionist/feminist as well as slave life in New York. Students make predictions about the book as it is read aloud. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Life of a Slave

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore importance of abolitionists who worked to advance freedoms of black Americans prior to/during Reconstruction era, read and identify key concepts in Frederick Douglass's narrative, recognize how Douglass's slave...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Exploring the Lives of Black Women During the 19th Century

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students learn how to read and interpret various primary and secondary sources and how to use them to draw conclusions about the issues that the authors faced during the nineteenth century. They read historical narratives imaginatively...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper: 19th Century African-American Writer and Reformer

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars investigate African-American author Frances Ellen Watkins Harper by analyzing her life and poetry. They explore the reformist messages communicated in her writings and evaluate the potential impact of her work.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: Underground Railroad

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils role-play as escaped slaves making their way from North Carolina to Canada, stopping in Indiana. They track their journeys on maps and include a stop at Harriet Tubman's. Students write three paragraphs about how Tubman aids them...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Uncle Tom's Cabin

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students read the novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and explain public attitudes towards slavery in 19th century America.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perspective on the Slave Narrative

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students work with the slave narrative as a resource for historical study and evaluate it as a work of literature; students then examine the narrative in the context of political controversy as an argument for abolition.
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Unit Plan
University of Groningen

American History: Biographies: Frederick Douglass

For Students 9th - 10th
This article provides extensive excerpts from "The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass." This is a lot of information about the great abolitionist and orator written by himself.
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Website
Bryn Mawr College

Quakers and Slavery: Thomas Garrett

For Students 9th - 10th
The inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's Simeon Halliday, meet Thomas Garrett, famous abolitionist and humanitarian whose life was dedicated to serving and saving the enslaved. Links to related primary sources regarding Garrett.
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Handout
University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania: Harriet Beecher Stowe

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a very good biography of the famous American female author, Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896.)
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Primary
University of Pennsylvania

Celebration of Women Writers: The Mother's Book by Mrs. Child

For Students 9th - 10th
Advice on child rearing and parenting from the famous Lydia Maria Child reads like an early version of today's self-help parenting books. The entire text is available here.
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Interactive
University of Virginia

Uva: Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains extensive information about the text of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and the historical context in which it was written. Includes three different modes of browsing the site.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Harriet Tubman

For Students 9th - 10th
This article overviews Harriet Tubman's involvement with the Underground Railroad, her service in the military during the Civil War, and her fight as an activist for African-American and women's rights.