Take a Ride on the Road to Freedom: Summary
Staci Stawar, Andrea Streckfuss, Alecia Williamson, Chrissy Wilson
Ø “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” African American Spiritual
o Bury Me in a Free Land by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
Ø Our perceptions of African Americans, Slavery and the Underground Railroad
o What thoughts automatically “pop” into your mind?
o Are these thoughts positive or negative?
Ø Our Justification
o WE need to open the minds of students.
o WE should be teaching the Underground Railroad as African American empowerment.
o WE are responsible for how our students view African American history.
Ø Follow the Drinking Gourd: An In depth look
o Incorporates reading and music
o Great interactive lesson for all primary grades
o Lesson can be expanded by using other spirituals or traditional books
Ø Primary Lessons
o Minty: The Life of a Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder & Jerry Pinkney
· Children learn about the childhood of Harriet Tubman and are encouraged to compare their lives to her’s.
o Escape North by Monica Culling
· Children learn about the secret acts of the Underground Railroad
o Spirituals, code words, etc.
Ø Intermediate Lessons
o Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold; Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
· Children learn the importance of quilts in the success of the Underground Railroad.
· Children will also learn their cardinal directions as their construct their own quilt squares and make a class quilt.
o Follow the Drinking Gourd by Bernadine Connelly
· Discussed in detail previously
Ø Middle School Lessons
o Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry
· Students become familiar with research as they search the internet and this book for information on the Underground Railroad.
· Using the information they found, students internalize the meaning of being a slave and write a narrative.
o Civil War Almanac by Justin Segal; Civil War A-Z by Norman Bolotin; The Civil War 1861-1863 by Rebecca Stefoff
· Using these texts, students create a timeline that captures the major events of the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
Ø Overview of Books
Ø Overview of Bloom’s Taxonomy
Ø Incorporating Art – Underground Railroad Train
o An often forgotten subject, art allows students to express visually what they have learned mentally.
o This train is simple. It illustrates the three main components of the Underground Railroad: slavery, the journey, and freedom.
o Each component is illustrated on a different poster board and then connected.