Curated OER
American Quilts
Third graders are introduced to new vocabulary associated with slavery and the Underground Railroad. In groups, they use the vocabulary to identify the various ranges of freedom and create their own vocabulary webs. To end the lesson,...
Curated OER
Midnight Train To Freedom
Students research, discuss and study about the Underground Railroad and examine the risks associated with escaping slavery by reading the article "North Toward Home." They create a museum book to accompany a teacher-created exhibit on...
Curated OER
All Aboard the Freedom Train!
Young historians identify Harriet Tubman, her character traits, and role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. They create an escape map using map legends and the Cardinal directions. This plan utilizes one of my favorite video...
Curated OER
Simulated Underground Railroad Experience
Students participate in a unit that focuses on the Underground Railroad of the Civil War Period of History. The intent of the unit is realized in the culminating activity of going to many different stations to interact for different...
Project B.A.S.I.C. Child Development Specialist and Child Care Consultation
Better Attitudes and Skills in Children
Little kids often have very big feelings, and need help expressing them. A set of social emotional lessons provide tangible ways for young elementary learners to visualize their emotions, focus on clear communication, and channel their...
National Park Service
Lesson 1: Journaling with Songs of Freedom
There's more to music than a memorable tune. The songs of those who were enslaved reveal the harsh realities of their lives. Using both songs and slave narratives, historians uncover this hidden history. The lesson incorporates a variety...
Facing History and Ourselves
Defining Freedom
The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate states. The Thirteenth Amendment banned slavery in the United States. However, neither document defined freedom. The second lesson in the Reconstruction Era series examines...
Digital Public Library of America
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Any classroom study of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved requires careful planning and scaffolding. A primary source set that includes a video, illustrations, photos of artifacts, and a broadside of the Fugitive Slave...
Mr. Nussbaum
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman is the focus of an interactive that challenges scholars to read an informational text and answer 10 questions about her.
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.
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman: Recognizing the Human Agency
Tenth graders examine the contributions of Harriet Tubman to the history of Canada. They read a handout, complete a handout in small groups, and write a speech evaluating how Harriet Tubman changed history.
Curated OER
In The Footprints of the Slaves and Conductors
Fifth graders research and examine the conductor sites to find routes to hide their slaves. They are given a map to map out a route to hide fifteen slaves. Each group is given three to four clues about their stations to pass on to...
PBS
Racial Equality: How Far Have We Come and How Far Do We Have To Go?
Is everyone treated fairly in America? The culminating fifth lesson from a series of five has pupils explore racial inequalities from the 1960s and decide whether or not society has changed over time. The lesson comes with a speech from...
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.)
Curated OER
Mapping the Many Underground Railroads
Students determine the beginning and the end points of the enslaved person's journey to freedom, noting landmarks mentioned along the way such as cities, towns, rivers, mountains, and other geographic features.
Curated OER
What Does This Song Really Say?
Students investigate communication by analyzing lyrics from a song. In this music arts lesson, students discuss slavery, the Underground Railroad and African American traditions while listening to a song called "This Train." Students...
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: Retelling History Through Dance and Drama
Scholars listen to several pieces of music in preparation for a discussion about how instruments and lyrics convey emotions. With Harriet Tubman as the focus, small groups create an original song or dance. A reflection piece concludes...
John F. Kennedy Center
Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Informational text and impressionistic art lead a lesson about Harriet Tubman. Working in teams, scholars examine a variety of resources. They analyze, compare, and contrast the work. Using their research findings, pupils create an...
Curated OER
Whispers from the Past
Students use various primary sources on the Internet to travel on the Underground Railroad
Curated OER
Reach for the Stars
Students investigate the Underground Railroad. In this slavery instructional activity, students read books about slavery, the Undeground Railroad, and how slaves escaped the south. Students develop knowledge about coded songs and...
Curated OER
North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement
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.
Curated OER
Quilt to Freedom
Students investigate the Underground Railroad. In this African-American history lesson, students listen to the book Clara and the Freedom Quilt and use map skills to identify the various locations in the book. Students create a freedom...
Curated OER
The Abolitionist Movement: A Fight for Freedom
Sixth graders investigate the Civil War by identifying famous figures of the era. In this slavery abolitionist activity, 6th graders read a text on the history of the Civil War and discuss heroes of the era such as Harriet Tubman and...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Build an Anemometer
Students determine what an anemometer is and how it measures wind speed. They decide on a place to put a wind turbine by using an anemometer. They examine the role that engineers play when using wind speed to determine a place for wind...