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For Teachers:
Activities and Lesson Plans:
Standards-based
lesson plans in
Language Arts: Grades 7-12
Grades 7-8
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THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD by Charles T. Webber. Credit:
Cincinnati Art Museum, Subscription Fund Purchase |
Lesson 1: Lifting the Fog: What is the Underground Railroad?
The documentary
Safe
Harbor
tells us that “in the same way fog envelops a town, the Underground
Railroad is shrouded in myth and obscured by legend.” This classroom
activity is designed to serve as an introduction to a mini-unit on the
Underground Railroad. Instruction will generate classroom discussion
and, later, small group presentations. The students will be divided
into groups of 3-4 students (depending on class size) to brainstorm
ideas about their perceptions of the Underground Railroad. Included
in the lesson plan is a list of questions to spark the students’
interest and a glossary of Underground Railroad terms.
Lesson 2: Discovering History: Internet Resources on the Underground
Railroad
This lesson is an
effective follow-up lesson to the introductory activity described
above. The students will be asked to build upon their initial
discussions by conducting internet research about the Underground
Railroad. Students will gain experience searching for primary
documents online and uncover a treasure trove of historical
photographs. This lesson will begin to focus on the significance of
local history and its relationship with larger national issues. The
lesson plan outlines one approach to this activity, and includes
content information the instructor can use to provide background
knowledge.
Grades 9-10
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The Erie County
Historical Society & Museums |
Collection of
Anne Simpson |
Lesson 1: Weighing the Risks: Would You Have Been an Abolitionist?
This lesson can span two to three days of instructional time,
depending on the length of each class period. After viewing a
segment of
Safe Harbor, the instructor will provide direct instruction about the circumstances
surrounding the abolitionist movement as it existed in western
Pennsylvania. Highlighted will be the courageous efforts of
people like Robert Vosburgh, Cynthia Catlin Miller and William Himrod.
Students will be asked to write a two-part response to the
documentary. First, they will be asked to react and respond to
the importance of the local (geographic) area on the Underground
Railroad – Were the students surprised to learn how close the
Underground Railroad Stations were to their homes? Did students
know that escape routes to Canada involved stops in and around their
own communities? Second, the students will be asked to write and
discuss a brief reflection on the courage of the northern
abolitionists. What risks were involved in supporting,
harboring, and helping fugitive slaves? What were the benefits?
Would the students have been willing to defend the rights of humanity,
even in the face of grave consequences? The students can then
share their work and discuss the impact of local people involved with
the Underground Railroad.
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Harriet Beecher
Stowe Center |
Lesson 2: Making it Real: Telling the Story from a Fugitive Slave’s
Perspective
This lesson will require considerable
instructional time, as the core content to be addressed is the novel
Uncle Tom’s Cabin. However, if it is impractical to cover the
entire novel, the instructor can use her or his discretion in
selecting excerpts for the students to read. The lesson plan
represents a mere framework of suggested activities for this topic –
students can explore the impact of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel as a
piece of abolitionist propaganda that, because of the brutally
realistic portrayal of a slave’s life, did more to bring on the Civil
War than any other event, according to President Abraham Lincoln.
Additionally, teaching this novel provides countless topics to discuss
in terms of civil rights and the plight of fugitive slaves. Later
interpretations of “Uncle Tom” will also be discussed. The novel can
be accompanied by several writing assignments, as mentioned in the
lesson plan.
Grades 11-12
Lesson 1: My Days as
a Fugitive: A Creative Writing Activity
After viewing the “Shrouded in Fog”
introduction and the “Oh Freedom” segment of Safe Harbor,
students will discuss the obstacles fugitives faced on their arduous
journey north. They will read excerpts from slave narratives and a
letter written by Joseph
Taper, a runaway slave who worked as a farm hand in western
Pennsylvania for two years before moving on to Canada. Students
will be asked to write a creative, fictional piece detailing their own
experiences as a “fugitive slave”. This activity will bring the
past to life and allow students to explore the rugged terrain, rivers
and streams leading to Lake Erie and the small acts of kindness they experienced along the way.
Further, asking the students to complete a writing assignment of this
nature will allow the instructor to cultivate feelings of empathy and
cultural awareness. Following the writing activity, students can
share their work and discuss the importance of the network of
abolitionists that helped them on their personal journey.
Lesson 2: Shine the
Spotlight on Courage: A Research Project and Presentation
The Underground Railroad shows how
ordinary people can do extraordinary things when faced with human
need. This research project and culminating presentation will
enable students to gain an appreciation of civic engagement and social
responsibility. Students will work in small groups (2-3
students, depending on class size) to explore the biographical and
situational information about local individuals who were associated
with the Underground Railroad (e.g. Hamilton Waters, John Brown,
Captain Titus, and Frank Henry). Students will be asked to
complete library and internet research on one of the many important
figures in Pennsylvania’s Underground Railroad. After completing
a 3-4 page biography on
their
subjects, students will present their information to the class.
Lesson plans developed by Emily
Johnson, a 10th grade language arts teacher in Dubois,
Pennsylvania. |
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