Lesson Plan
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Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Landmarks of the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
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...
Lesson Plan
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The Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a literature circle after reading a book about the Underground Railroad. They discuss their selected book with their literature circle group, and complete a handout about their role in the circle. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Literature Focus Unit: Civil War

For Teachers 4th
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."...
Lesson Plan
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Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
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Look for Patterns: Quilts in Two Faith Ringgold Stories

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. In this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...
Lesson Plan
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Quilting: The Story of the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars 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...
Lesson Plan
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Spirituals

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders realize the significance in the Negro spirituals concerning the Underground Railroad. They choose a position, either for helping slaves or ignoring the slaves. They describe, in a paragraph, their position.
Lesson Plan
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Choose Your Own Adventure

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the historical underground railroad. They also access technology to conduct research and write stories with the railroad as part of the historical fiction. The cumulative assessment is the creation of a book that...
Worksheet
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Follow the Drinking Gourd

For Students 3rd
In this literature activity, 3rd graders refer to the book entitled Follow the Drinking Gourd.  Students respond to 15 short answer reading comprehension questions.  
Lesson Plan
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Bridges for All

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners describe how the brave word of one female Quaker served as a lifeline for fugitives before the Civil War. In this research lesson, students research several examples of the philanthropic work of individuals and organizations...
Lesson Plan
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Literature Circles

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...
Lesson Plan
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Utilizing Art, Literature and Film to Teach Black History

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are introduced to different aspects of African-American history through literature, art, and films. As a class, they are read a story about the Underground Railroad, identify the main characters and put the events into...
Worksheet
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Follow the Drinking Gourd

For Students 2nd - 3rd
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read the story Follow the Drinking Gourd and then answer short answer questions about it. Students complete 6 questions.
Lesson Plan
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Year of the Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze Korean culture from their literature piece. They investigate the theme of oppression by an occupying army. Students encounter courage, resistance movements and explore the underground railroads.
Lesson Plan
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Color My World

For Teachers K - 3rd
Pupils examine colors and describe how colors contribute to the way a person may feel after listening to several books. Students also survey class for favorite colors and graph results, as well as discover how different colors are made...
Lesson Plan
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Freedom Train North

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders conduct a novel study of the book Freedom Train North. They identify the parts of a story that include beginning, middle, and end. Students also recognize the setting, plot, and theme after reading a part of the book daily.
Lesson Plan
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Lines Of Connection

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
We need the help of your history detectives! After giving them a set of questions to answer, reading groups must create their own timeline of the events. Then, as a class, have each group present their timelines. What is different? Why...
Lesson Plan
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Quilt Codes

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students list criteria to evaluate credible historical sources and defend their criteria in an essay. In this historical sources lesson plan, students review information of historical sources as well as the facts and pictures.
Lesson Plan
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Women's Words of Wisdom

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Learners collect and discuss quotes by famous women and display them on a Women's History Month bulletin board.
Lesson Plan
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Quilts: Patterns of Our Past Leading Us Into Our Future

For Teachers K - 6th
Young scholars 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...
Lesson Plan
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Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore poems of African Americans. They research a famous African American, write a report, create a timeline of events in African American history, create a map of the New World, and research Molly Walsh. After...
Lesson Plan
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Kwanzaa Language Arts: The Tambiko

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars read or hear about famous African Americans to learn about the ways in which they exemplify one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
Lesson Plan
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Narrow Road to the Interior

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the life and work of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho as the Japanese poetic forms are studied. Nature, symbolism, and history are probed as the lesson is developed.