Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

Quilts of the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders work as a class to create a quilt mapping a route on the underground railroad. Each student create one quilt block using quilt symbols to contribute to the quilt.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Journey on the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students use Indiana and Michigan state road maps to trace a route to Canada from Madison, IN. with the many possible stops along the way. They make a picture book that depicts a runaway slave's journey on UCR.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils research the underground railroad and create a journal as if you were either a slave running away or the "railroad operator". They then draw a map detailing the escape routes and stops of African-American slaves on the underground...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Follow the Drinking Gourd

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hidin' Out

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders draw three major Underground Railroad routes crossing Indiana on an outline map and include habitats and towns. They produce an oral history involving at least three natural habitats and one human habitat.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People and Places in Indiana's Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use an Indiana map to explain why Indiana's geographic location was important to its role in the UGR. They experience personal stories and feelings of the people involved in UGR through role-play and literature.
Worksheet
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

Escape - Civil War

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders role play the Underground Railroad in this lesson. They review the Underground Railroad and how people used it during the Civil War. They then are divided into groups, and role play with each group taking a different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Activity: Build an Anemometer

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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...
Graphic
New York Public Library

Aame: Network of Routes Through Greene, Warren, and Clinton Counties, Ohio

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting map showing not only Underground Railroad routes through southern Ohio, but also showing the names of the people whose houses were stations along the way. From the Schomburg Center for Research.
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Is This a Map of the Underground Railroad?

For Students 9th - 10th
In this segment from History Detectives, Anne Zorela, a map collector, believes she's found a map that outlines the routes of the Underground Railroad.
Interactive
National Geographic

National Geographic: Underground Railroad: The Journey

For Students 2nd - 8th
Interactive resource in which students choose their fate by making their own decisions as they travel the Underground Railroad.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Underground Railroad

For Students 5th - 8th
A brief look at the Underground Railroad and how it operated. Find some of the code words used to help runaway slaves find their way, and read about some of the "conductors" who led slaves along the routes to the North.
Graphic
Curated OER

Aame: Runaway Journeys: The Underground Railroad in the 19th Century

For Students 9th - 10th
A great map showing the pathways of escape on the Underground Railroad throughout the United States. From the Schomburg Center for Research. You can also find a map of routes in the 18th century.
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Road to Freedom

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart takes students on a virtual trip on the Underground Railroad and introduces them to some important people who acted as conductors. It discusses how quilts were created with secret codes...
Primary
Other

House Divided Project: Letters and Diaries: Thomas Garrett to William Still #3

For Students 9th - 10th
Transcript of an original letter written from Thomas Garrett to fellow abolitionist William Still regarding particular routes of the Underground Railroad.