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Asking Questions
Middle schoolers examine a painting that depicts a scene from the Underground Railroad. They discuss the painting and write journal entries and poems in response to the painting's themes and their impressions.
Anti-Defamation League
Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill: The Power of Symbols
How important are symbols and symbolic gestures in society? Middle schoolers have an opportunity to analyze the importance of symbols on American currency with a lesson that investigates the controversies surrounding redesigning the $5,...
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Whispers of Angels: Buffalo and the Underground Railroad
What role did Buffalo, New York play in the Underground Railroad? Young historians investigate the Underground Railroad ties to Buffalo and western New York. They create a web site or multimedia presentation based on the research. If...
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Chapter 3 Test: Civil War
Although specific to a certain book, this test and review relating to the Civil War could used in any classroom. The questions asked are appropriate for students learning about this era in U.S. History. Questions could be altered, or...
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The Underground Railroad as an Act of Civil Disobedience
Students write an essay from rough draft to final copy about the Underground Railroad. Civil disobedience is researched from a variety of sources. There is a prewriting exercise that is included in the lesson. The whole writing process...
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Landmarks of the Underground Railroad
Students explore Civil Rights by reading several books in class. For this Underground Railroad lesson, students discuss The Story of Henry Box Brown and identify the location and functionality of the Underground Railroad. Students answer...
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Underground Railroad
Fourth graders read about Harriet Tubman and develop vocabulary lists. For this Underground Railroad lesson, 4th graders find similarities and differences in primary and secondary sources, create a timeline and recognize important...
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Underground Railroad: Henry "Box" Brown
Students build Henry's box. In this historical perspective lesson students listen to the story Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine about an escape using the Underground Railroad. Students also read and discuss The Deliverer of Box Brown...
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Art -- The Secret to Freedom
Fourth graders create a coded message in a quilt. In this art lesson students demonstrate the communication used by the Underground Railroad. Students work in a group to make a quilt with a code in it.
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Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Learners examine artwork depicting Harriet Tubman. In this Harriet Tubman lesson, students review her life and how she impacted the Underground Railroad. Learners view impressionistic artwork showing her life. Students then create their...
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Music-Follow the Drinking Gourd
Fourth graders study the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd." In this dance lesson, 4th graders listen to the book by the same name, listen to the music, and in small groups create a short dance illustrating a stanza from the song.
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
In this literature activity, 3rd graders refer to the book entitled Follow the Drinking Gourd. Students respond to 15 short answer reading comprehension questions.
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Underground Railroad
Students navigate the Scholastic Underground Railroad site and listen to journey of the Underground railroad. In this Underground Railroad lesson, students use maps and compare and contrast the differences between the North and...
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Quilting Through the Civil War and Underground Railroad
Students design a quilt. In this Civil War and Underground Railroad lesson, students discuss the Civil War and Underground Railroad. Students look at quilts from the Civil War and discover how they were used to help slaves escape....
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The House of Dies Drear
Learners read The House of Dies Drear and understand how he filled a need and helped people. In this philanthropy lesson students understand how the people who helped on the "Underground Railroad" filled a need and helped others....
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Literature Focus Unit: Civil War
Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...
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Integrated Social Studies and Art Lesson
Fourth graders study the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. In groups, they create coded quilts like those used in the Underground Railroad. They review secret codes used, plan a phrase they would like to use, and paint quilt...
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Minty, A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
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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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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Landmarks of the Underground Railroad
Eighth graders explore Louisville, KY area Underground Railroad museums. In this Underground Railroad instructional activity, 8th graders read Day of Tears by Julius Lester as well as other listed articles. Students discover how the...
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Underground Railroad
Eighth graders explore the Underground Railroad. In this American History lesson, 8th graders create a song about the railroad. Students analyze various symbols used during the Underground Railroad.
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Harriet Tubman: Dancing on the Freedom Trail
Students observe a dance interpretation about Harriet Tubman. For this art/social studies lesson, students explore how their emotions can be expressed through movement and create their own dance or dramatic interpretation.
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Music: Follow the Drinking Gourd
Fourth graders use movement to express a concept. In this interdisciplinary lesson, 4th graders listen to the book, Follow the Drinking Gourd, which demonstrates the types of 'communication' used by slaves traveling the Underground...
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Guide Me "Home"
Young scholars find how freedom quilts helped free slaves. In this American History lesson, students read the story Sweet Clara and The Freedom Quilt and discuss the Underground Railroad. They use their map skills to...