Curated OER
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt: The Real Story
Students learn how slaves communicated with each other. In this slavery and freedom instructional activity, students learn how slaves used quilts as maps, learn what different quilt patterns meant, draw a picture for their class freedom...
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Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Third graders read the story, "Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" and discuss slavery. After answering questions about the story, 3rd graders sing "Follow the Drinkin' Gourd" and explore the clues in each verse that allowed the slaves to...
Curated OER
Math Quilts
Students examine geometric quilt patterns to identify how math may have been used to help slaves escape to freedom. They slide, flip and turn geometric shapes to create a map quilt.
Curated OER
The Secret to Freedom Teacher’s Guide
Students read the story "The Secret to Freedom" and participate in active reading to personalize what they have read. In this reading lesson, students follow several writing activities and discuss their work . Students integrate their...
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Quilts and the Underground Railroad
Third graders explore the use of freedom quilts in helping slaves escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. They review the various quilt blocks that were used to give directions on the Underground Railroad. Students create their...
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Story Quilt Project
Students investigate how quilt making was a family and community activity. They read and discuss books, complete various handouts, and create a paper quilt celebrating philanthropic activities.
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Quilts: Patterns of Our Past Leading Us Into Our Future
Students examine the history of quilt making. They explore the pattern, designs, and color schemes of the quilt. Students read stories about quilting. They create a story to further develop into a story quilt. Additional cross...
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Early American Quilt Patterns
Students explore the history and purpose of quilts in early America. They create and name their own unique quilt blocks. Students combine their quilt blocks with other students in the class to create a class quilt.
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Making the Connection With Quilts
Fourth graders engage in a lesson which integrates the study of the Underground Railroad in Indiana with a Language Arts unit on quilts. They write a book report on one of the quilt books read in class and design a quilt block for the...
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Making the Connection With Quilts
Fourth graders explore history of Underground Railroad in Indiana and discover how slaves were assisted on their journey using codes displayed in different quilt blocks. Students examine connection quilts have to ancestry and family...
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Art -- The Secret to Freedom
Fourth graders create a coded message in a quilt. In this art instructional activity students demonstrate the communication used by the Underground Railroad. Students work in a group to make a quilt with a code in it.
Curated OER
Math Quilts
Young scholars examine geometric shapes. In this geometric shape lesson plan, students examine how geometric shapes flip, turn, and slide to create a pattern. Young scholars analyze the role that quilts played in helping slaves escape...
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Patterns: A Stitch in Time
Students recognize shapes, designs and numbers that form patterns. Using their surroundings, they identify common patterns. They create their own patterns in various software programs and share them with the class.
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"Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" by Deborah Hopkinson
Students create paper quilts of their own using the isometric grid that tessellates the plane or the fraction quilt square.
Curated OER
Quilting: The Story of the Underground Railroad
Students explore quilting. They read and discuss the book, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. They research African American quilting traditions on the Internet and name three common qualities in quilts. They create a quilt block...
Curated OER
Counting the Miles To Freedom
Students research Harriet Tubman via an Underground Railroad website in cooperative groups. They identify Tubman's first route to freedom and organize information gleaned from the research in a visual display (created in KidPix.)
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Tessellation Quilt Squares
Fifth graders design a "quilt block" that has a tessellating pattern to help create a class tessellation quilt. They describe relationships between two- and three-dimensional shapes and analyze attributes and properties of geometric...
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The Road to California - A Journey to Freedom
Students complete a Web quest about Biddy Mason's journey Westward to California as a slave and her ultimate rise to one of the wealthiest and generous woman of the Westward Movement. They present an exhibit of their research.
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The Patchwork Path
Fourth graders investigate slavery by reading a book with their classmates. In this abolitionist movement lesson, 4th graders read the story The Patchwork Path, and discuss the creation of the Underground Railroad. Students create...
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Keeping Warm with Fractions
Fourth graders study quilts and related activities to illustrate geometry, basic fractions, and patterning skills. They choose a precut piece of pre-cut color/shape construction paper to discuss the pattern, color, shapes, sizes,...
Curated OER
That's Not Fair!! Human Rights Violations during the 1800s
Learners explore the migration of African Americans into the Hoosier area. They develop a time line showing migration patterns in Indiana and explore reasons for African Americans to settle and/or travel through Indiana.