Ideas for Teaching the Underground Railroad

in the Multi-grade Classroom

They were the original creators of "virtual reality". They had a complex system of an imaginary railroad that we are still struggling to prove its existence. Its secrets are buried in time and the ground. The code was out in the open and hidden in plain view. The closer you were to the South, the more secretive you were. The closer you were to slave states, the more you seem to trust the family secrets. With a topic based on secrets, how do you learn the truth, the facts?

Because the amount of time I can spend on this topic is as limited as my workshop was, I have chosen to follow the format we did and to use many of their links and ideas. There is very lilttle original work in this project, and I am eternally grateful to all those presenters and to Dr. Tracey Weis for sharing their knowledge in a multi-media, unselfish way.

Let's begin by stepping outside our slave hut, looking up into the night sky and begin dreaming on the North Star. We are about to follow the "drinking gourd".

Dr. Tracey Weis, instructor
Dr. Weis was the professor of my course, EDW 562. She has an incredible depth of knowledge on the subject, unending patience, and a strong desire to see UGRR "stuff" done in the classroom, in spite of PSSA's.


DAY 1

What do we know? Why did this happen? (Explore the idea of enslavement-escape-emancipation.) What happened where we live? What does the ground tell us?

This is the day to look at where the UGRR went, both nationally and locally. This would be a good time to do map reading, figuring of distances on a map. Also, you could talk about how long it takes to walk/run that far. Talk about the fact that most movement was done at night.

My last question refers to the role of archeology in learning about the UGRR. You will probably need to talk about what "trash" was 150 yrs. ago, and where you dumped it. That is what makes digging in the dirt so much fun when you're an archeologist.

Kelly Brit, archeologist (presenter)

Lancaster Cty and UGRR
This is a local county that has put a UGRR site/info together.

York Cty and UGRR
This is a local county that has put a UGRR site/info together.

DAY 4

To truly wrap-up this topic, a study of Canada is necessary. Look at the UGRR and where in Canada it would lead to. Look up the areas of SW Ontario where the settlements were developed. Look at well-known people who came and went from there.

Buxton National Historic Site & Museum
Great site! Make sure you take the time to look into the "Follow the North Star" segment of the site.

Ontario's Underground Railroad
This site is similar to the Buxton site.

The antislavery movement in Canada

DAY 2

Artistic approaches to UGRR could include posters, art projects, story telling, dramatizations, possibly learning songs. Posters could look at a simple social message your students are currently concerned about. Art projects could "show" feelings/emotio ns that a runaway slave would feel at the beginning and then end of the journey. This would be a comparative study in colors. Storytelling could be done by a character you have been studying, you want your students to learn more about, or from different points on the UGRR.

Donna Wilcox, rostered artist from South Central PA

Columbia Panels
These are some examples of work that college students did. They are not professionally done, but they can give examples.

Photo resources
This is an excellent resource of places to go that feature pictures of blacks (free & slave). A good place to go if you want students to look at pictures and write captions, write what they think the person is feeling, write how it makes them (the student) feel.

ETC...

Web sites we used in class that either a teacher or a student would find useful.

National Park Service
Researching and interpreting the UGRR.

Slave narratives from Canada
Very powerful!

North American Slave Narratives

Menare Foundation's North Star Webstie
Anthony Cohen follows a "track" of the UGRR into Canada. He writes about the experience, his feelings, the physical aspect of it.

Histsory Channel's UGRR

National Park Service
Great lesson plans on lots of stuff!

Historical US census browser
Probably better used by older students. Could help you track where slaves were located

Local (lanc. cty.) student project
They created a virtual tour of some of the UGRR sites in Lanc. Cty. Well done!

DAY 3

Look at the world around you. What happened there? What was the world like while these events were happening? Make sure your students realize what would not be in their world 150+ years ago.

Get out! Work with the local historical society, talk to neighboring societies. Look in the local paper (esp. in Feb.) to learn who is involved in the local black history. See if anyone can come to your school. Or, see if you can go to them. If you can't get out, maybe you can create a path for some runaway slaves to find and follow in your school and throughout the playground.

And, if all else fails, and you just can't get out or bring anyone in, try getting involved in the preservation of a local historical site. This could include letter writing, researching, looking for links to history.

Randy Harries, tour guide of S. Lancaster Cty.
Mr. Harris is a journalist in the Lancaster area. He has become very involved in the preservation of local historical sites. A strong proponent of children becoming involved in the saving of local history.


"Footsteps to Freedom" depicts the UGRR as it moves through OH & MI into Canada.

This electronic portfolio was created using the KML Snapshot Tool™, a part of the KEEP Toolkit™,
developed at the Knowledge Media Lab of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Terms of Use - Privacy Policy