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Underground Railroad Lesson Plan: Minty
Subject: Language Arts & Social Studies
Topic: The life of a child in slavery, Minty
Grade Level: Kindergarten
Lesson Length: 1 hour
Objectives:
¸ The students will listen and recall details from the book, Minty.
¸ The students will compare/contrast Minty’s life in the book to their own life by completing a class Venn Diagram.
¸ The students will apply the information from the Venn Diagram to a picture depicting an aspect from Minty’s life and an aspect from their own life.
Materials: Minty by Alan Schroeder, Venn Diagram pocket chart, sentence strips, marker, student work page, crayons, and pencils.
Procedure:
1. The students will listen to a read aloud of the book Minty.
2. Throughout the read aloud and class discussion, students will make predictions about the story and gain an understanding of the life of a slave child.
3. After hearing the story, the students will recall details of how Minty lived her life (i.e., chores, clothing, toys, house, what she had to learn). Record on the Venn Diagram using sentence strips.
4. The students will compare these recalled details to the same aspects in their life (i.e., chores, clothing, toys, house, what she had to learn, etc.). Record on the Venn Diagram using sentence strips.
5. The students will discover the similarities and differences between themselves and Minty in the Venn Diagram
6. Individually, the students will complete a student page. The students will draw one aspect of Minty’s life and one aspect of their life. The students will dictate to the teacher what their pictures say.
Assessment:
¸ Students will participate in the class discussion by listening attentively and sharing ideas.
¸ Students will complete the student page by drawing one accurate aspect of Minty’s life and one accurate aspect of their life. The teacher will evaluate accuracy by talking with the student about their pictures as they dictate.
Internet Resources for Teachers:
Freedom Center: www.undergroundrailroad.org
PBS Teacher Resources: www.pbs.org/teachersource/
Lesson Plan for Minty
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The Stories
Harriet Tubman
Biographies
Time line
A Timeline of the Underground Railroad Since secrecy was crucial to the survival of the Underground Railroad freedom seekers, few facts were written down, and any personal journals that were kept were often destroyed. But by using historic facts, we can reconstruct the story of the Underground Railroad spanning three centuries. 1501 Portuguese explorers enslave fifty Indian men and women in Labrador or Newfoundland. 1608 Mathieu de Costa a "negro servant" to the Governor of Port Royal. 1632 Oliver Le Jeune is the first Black to appear in records as being brought directly from Africa and sold as a slave in New France. 1783 American Revolution ends and United Empire Loyalists, both White and Black, who wished to remain loyal to Britain, move to Canada — some accompanied by their slaves. 1793 Upper Canada's first Legislature passed a law prohibiting the introduction of more slaves and for the gradual emancipation of slaves born after that date. 1793 First Fugitive Slave Law passed in the U.S. providing for the return of runaway slaves. 1807 British parliament abolishes slave trade. 1808 U.S. Congress passes law prohibiting importation of slaves. 1812 War of 1812 to 1814 between the U.S. and British. Companies of Coloured Soldiers fought in several battles. 1819 The Lieutenant Governor offers land in Oro area, Simcoe County to Black veterans of the War of 1812. 1828 First African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) built in Amherstburg. 1829 Enforcement of oppressive Black Codes in Ohio led to the formation of the Wilberforce Settlement, near present day Lucan. 1831 William Lloyd Garrison began publishing anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator". 1832 Nat Turner Rebellion (slave revolt) in Virginia results in more oppressive laws against Blacks. 1833 Upper Canada refuses to extradite fugitive slaves Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, who were the principals in a mob rescue in Detroit, back to the U.S. 1834 Emancipation Act, passed in 1833 (effective August 1, 1834), abolished slavery throughout the British Empire, including Canada. 1837 Rebellion of 1837. Canadian Blacks from across Upper Canada joined the "Coloured Corps". 1838 Prompted by the Jesse Happy case, a fugitive slave who had escaped to Canada, the British government concludes that a slave extradition request from the U.S. must show evidence that the person committed a crime that was recognized in Canada. Slavery, and therefore escape, was not recognized here. 1840 Colored Company of Militia rescued two slaves from their master who was visiting Niagara Falls. 1842 Dawn Settlement surrounding the British North American Institute founded near Dresden by Josiah Henson and Hiram Wilson. 1844 Levi Coffin, one of the most famous of the Underground Railroad conductors, visits Canada West. 1847 Frederick Douglass begins publication of anti-slavery newspaper "North Star". 1849 Founding of Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission (commonly known as Buxton) as fugitive slave refuge. 1850 Fugitive Slave Law passed in United States results in flood of slaves and free Blacks to the safety of Canada.
A Timeline of the Underground Railroad Since secrecy was crucial to the survival of the Underground Railroad freedom seekers, few facts were written down, and any personal journals that were kept were often destroyed. But by using historic facts, we can reconstruct the story of the Underground Railroad spanning three centuries. 1501 Portuguese explorers enslave fifty Indian men and women in Labrador or Newfoundland. 1608 Mathieu de Costa a "negro servant" to the Governor of Port Royal. 1632 Oliver Le Jeune is the first Black to appear in records as being brought directly from Africa and sold as a slave in New France. 1783 American Revolution ends and United Empire Loyalists, both White and Black, who wished to remain loyal to Britain, move to Canada — some accompanied by their slaves. 1793 Upper Canada's first Legislature passed a law prohibiting the introduction of more slaves and for the gradual emancipation of slaves born after that date. 1793 First Fugitive Slave Law passed in the U.S. providing for the return of runaway slaves. 1807 British parliament abolishes slave trade. 1808 U.S. Congress passes law prohibiting importation of slaves. 1812 War of 1812 to 1814 between the U.S. and British. Companies of Coloured Soldiers fought in several battles. 1819 The Lieutenant Governor offers land in Oro area, Simcoe County to Black veterans of the War of 1812. 1828 First African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.) built in Amherstburg. 1829 Enforcement of oppressive Black Codes in Ohio led to the formation of the Wilberforce Settlement, near present day Lucan. 1831 William Lloyd Garrison began publishing anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator". 1832 Nat Turner Rebellion (slave revolt) in Virginia results in more oppressive laws against Blacks. 1833 Upper Canada refuses to extradite fugitive slaves Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, who were the principals in a mob rescue in Detroit, back to the U.S. 1834 Emancipation Act, passed in 1833 (effective August 1, 1834), abolished slavery throughout the British Empire, including Canada. 1837 Rebellion of 1837. Canadian Blacks from across Upper Canada joined the "Coloured Corps". 1838 Prompted by the Jesse Happy case, a fugitive slave who had escaped to Canada, the British government concludes that a slave extradition request from the U.S. must show evidence that the person committed a crime that was recognized in Canada. Slavery, and therefore escape, was not recognized here. 1840 Colored Company of Militia rescued two slaves from their master who was visiting Niagara Falls. 1842 Dawn Settlement surrounding the British North American Institute founded near Dresden by Josiah Henson and Hiram Wilson. 1844 Levi Coffin, one of the most famous of the Underground Railroad conductors, visits Canada West. 1847 Frederick Douglass begins publication of anti-slavery newspaper "North Star". 1849 Founding of Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission (commonly known as Buxton) as fugitive slave refuge. 1850 Fugitive Slave Law passed in United States results in flood of slaves and free Blacks to the safety of Canada.
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Archaeology
Stevens Dig
Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith Historic Site
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Hiding Place
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Student Activites
Participate in Activities
National Geographic Activities
1. The Slave Escape Route
Introduce students to The Underground Railroad by reading to them, or having them read, some of the background text on the subject at nationalgeographic.com/features/railroad. Show them the map of The Underground Railroad routes and explain that slaves often had to find their own way to the North, at which point they would meet people working on The Underground Railroad who assisted them on their way to Canada. Even though they were in the North, they had to remain in secrecy or they might be caught and returned to their lives as slaves in the South.
Ask students how they think the escaping slaves would have known how to get to the North if they had never been off their plantations or slave homes. What signs would they look for? What would your students do if they wanted to start walking north? Since slaves didn’t have compasses, they needed another method of finding their way north.
Ask students if they’ve ever seen the Big Dipper, which points to the North Star. They can look at the Big Dipper athttp://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1364/Constellations.html. Point out that the two outer stars that form the bowl of the Big Dipper point to Polaris, the North Star, which is always in the north.
Read to the class, or have them read, the lyrics to “Follow the Drinking Gourd” at http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/gourd.htm. Ask students if they have figured out what the drinking gourd is. How did it help slaves find their way north? Explain the background and importance of this song (for your reference, read the “History of the Drinking Gourd” athttp://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/gourd1.html).
Ask students to pretend that they’re living back in the time of slavery and want to help slaves reach the North. Divide the class into five groups and assign each group one verse of “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” Then have each group illustrate the lyrics to its verse on a piece of construction paper. How would they draw the pictures to make it even easier for the slaves to understand where they needed to go? After they’ve finished drawing, have each group come to the front of the class and show its poster while the class recites the lyrics to that verse.
Explain to the class that once slaves made it to the North, they were by no means free. Have them look at the three posters athttp://education.ucdavis.edu/new/stc/lesson/socstud/railroad/SlaveLaw.htm to see that escaped slaves still faced danger in the North due to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and explain the implications of these signs. Discuss as a class the various difficulties that confronted the escaping slaves, and ask students to explain why the slaves were willing to tolerate these difficulties in order to find freedom.
2. Heroes of The Underground Railroad
Ask students to list the qualities of a hero. Who are their heroes? What makes these people special? Do they think that there were many heroes working on The Underground Railroad? What qualities do they think these workers would have needed to possess? Discuss these questions and list student responses on the board.
Have students go through the journey on nationalgeographic.com’s Underground Railroad site (nationalgeographic.com/features/railroad) to gain an idea of what it was like to be traveling along the Underground Railroad. Ask them to describe the conditions in which slaves lived and some of the dangers that an escaping slave faced. Do students think that slaves could have successfully made it over this route all by themselves, or did they need help?
What helpers appear in this online journey? List on the board the names that they encounter: Harriet Tubman, Thomas Garrett, William Still, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony. Explain that all of these individuals, plus many more, helped the slaves on their journey over The Underground Railroad. Were each of these people heroes? What dangers did they face while doing their secret work? Have students discuss these questions as a class. Students can find more information on Harriet Tubman at the Pocantico Hills School Harriet Tubman page: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html. Have them go through the time line of Tubman’s life, created by second graders.
Have students imagine that they are living in the time of slavery. Ask them to think about the things they know about slave life and about the heroes who helped the slaves. Then, either orally, in writing, or in pictures, ask them to explain what they would have done to help the slaves. How would they have made themselves heroes for the slaves?
constellations
National Geographic Activities
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Maps of Lancaster The Underground Railroad Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Background For thousands of men and women fleeing the opression of slavery, the Underground Railroad became their lifeline, their passage to freedom. Known alternatively as the Freedom Line, the Lightning Train, the Freedom Train, Mysterious Tracks, or the Trackless Train, the Underground Railroad wasn't a system of rails or trains but a loose organization of freed slaves and abolitionists -people- who harbored fugitives often at great peril to themselves. The federal Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 made assisting of fugitives a crime, and anti-abolitionist sentiment made life unsafe for freed blacks and white sympathizers alike. The entire movement was shrouded in mystery, but the place of its birth has been alternately placed in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Even the origin of the term "Underground Railroad" is much disputed. Some sources indicate that as slave catchers came north, their quarry seemed to disappear underground and the term "Underground Railroad" was born. The road to freedom was paved - with acts of heroism and courage. Three of these hard-made paths made their way through Lancaster County. The county's location along the Mason-Dixon line, its residents' devotion to freedom, and its proximity to other free Northern states made it ideal as a pathway to freedom. Some fugitives made their way to Columbia, others crossed the Susquehanna River into Southern Lancaster County at Peach bottom, and still others followed a path that lead them along the Octoraro Creek in the eastern portion of the county. Regardless the path, their destination was often Christiana and eventually, Philadelphia or Canada. As many as 50,000 to 100,000 men and women escaped to freedom using the Underground Railroad network, but the exact number will never be known - many of the ledgers documenting their flight were destroyed. Oral histories and some records did survive, however, and these are enough to give us an idea of how slaves made their way north. Songs like Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Brother Moses Gone to de Promised Land, Wade In The Water and Follow the Drinkin' Gourd served as directions for fugitives to follow. Using ingenious disguises and creative ploys (like one slave who mailed himself to freedom or others who hid in the false bottoms of wagons), slaves made their way out of bondage. Yet no story of the Underground Railroad would be complete without mention of the men and women who acted as "conductors" and "Stationmasters" along the pathway to freedom.
Pilgrim's Pathway Map
Maps of UGRR
UGRR in the Southern End of Lancaster
Interactive Map
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