For Teachers: Activities and Lesson Plans: Language Arts 7-12:
 Lesson 2: Discovering History: Internet Resources on the Underground Railroad

Language Arts:  Grades 7-8
Research and Discussion

Context and Content Knowledge

This lesson builds upon the foundation that was established in the previous introductory lesson (Lifting the Fog:  What is the Underground Railroad”).  Students will use the internet as a tool to research topics of interest with regard to United States history in the early- to mid-1800’s.  Specifically, students can explore web sites that provide images and text about the Underground Railroad, so that they may experience an interactive account of this important part of history.  Helpful and relevant websites are listed later in this lesson plan.

Rationale

The internet is a great means to explore the history of the Underground Railroad. The students can access information quickly and begin to fortify their growing knowledge of history.  The instructor can suggest specific sites and search engines so that the students can gain familiarity with internet resources while continuing to learn about the Underground Railroad.  This activity allows students the opportunity to discover history through innovative means; using technology will provide the students with opportunities to visualize the routes that fugitive slaves took on their escape to the North.  Further, the internet is an effective medium through which students can learn biographical information about such people as Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Abraham Lincoln, John Brown, and many ordinary people in their own local communities.

Standards

Research          1.8.8 A, B, C
*taken from the Academic Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, as established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education           

Educational Goals     (what/how will students learn?)

  1. Students will gain familiarity with internet functions and capabilities.
  2. Students will further develop their knowledge of the Underground
  3. Railroad by exploring web sites that offer information about escape routes, UGRR stations, and significant figures in the abolitionist movement.
  4. Students will synthesize the information they find on the internet and write a brief summary on a topic of their choice that relates to the Underground Railroad.  These summaries can be later presented to the class.

Activities/Procedures

  • Provide introduction to internet research (present a list of relevant websites, inform students about search engines, and explain how to perform a general and advanced search using Boolean terms)
  • Circulate to monitor students’ progress in the computer lab, while stopping to discuss with the students the information learned in the previous lesson
  • Allow students time at the end of class to begin writing summaries of the information they found while exploring various websites

*There are numerous variations in the procedure for this lesson; students can continue working in small groups, work individually, or work as a whole class under the step-by-step instruction of the teacher.

Materials/References Needed

            List of relevant websites (see online resources)

Power Library Information Center
Pennsylvania Online World of Electronic Resources is a public service of Pennsylvania’s public libraries, school libraries and the State Library.  Find thousands of full-text periodical articles, newspapers, a major encyclopedia, plus photographs, pictures, charts, maps, reference materials for young people and more.

List of topics and names of important historical figures

            Computers

Online Resources

Lesson plans developed by Emily Johnson, a 10th grade language arts teacher in Dubois, Pennsylvania.