The Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass & Harriet Tubman: Conductor of the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry

Douglass Background These paragraphs are excerpted from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, a seminal example of a slave narrative and a pivotal text in the American abolitionist movement. This autobiography details Douglass’s life as a slave and his journey to freedom. The book was published in 1845; Douglass fled to Europe for two years after its publication to avoid recapture or retribution.

Tubman Background The text passage that follows is from a biography of Harriet Tubman. Born a slave, Harriet Tubman gained her own freedom by escaping to Philadelphia. She then used the Underground Railroad to lead more than 300 others to freedom in Northern states and Canada.

First Reading: First Impression Read the passage silently. Your focus is on understanding the meaning of the passage. Think about the words that are unfamiliar to you. Use context clues to try to figure out their meanings. Circle words you don’t know Paraphrase meaning of the chunks of text on the left hand side

Rate Your Understanding of the Text 1- No idea what the passage is about 2- Kind of understand what the passage is about 3- Have a fairly good understanding of the passage 4- Have a solid understanding of the passage 5- Completely understand everything in the passage

Second Reading: Metacognition Listen and follow along. As you read along with the video, use the Metacognitive Markers that have been provided to you. Remember if you make a mark, you should make a note. _____________ IMPORTANT ! Aha moment; now I get it * I have a comment to make ? I don’t understand this

Rate Your Understanding of the Text 1- No idea what the passage is about 2- Kind of understand what the passage is about 3- Have a fairly good understanding of the passage 4- Have a solid understanding of the passage 5- Completely understand everything in the passage

Third Reading: Author’s Craft Now read the passage again, this time with the focus on the author’s craft. Choose a power verb and describe what the author is doing on the right side.

Rate Your Understanding of the Text 1- No idea what the passage is about 2- Kind of understand what the passage is about 3- Have a fairly good understanding of the passage 4- Have a solid understanding of the passage 5- Completely understand everything in the passage

Accountable Talk Stems Linking Contributions I would like to build on what _____ said… I respectfully disagree. This is how I am thinking… I’d like to follow up by saying… I’d like to piggy-back on that thought…   Clarifying So, are you saying… What did you mean when you said…? Explain that some more… Let’s make sure we understood what you said… Pressing for Reasoning Why do you think that? How can we check that? I want to push back a little about that… I’m having trouble understanding that point…. How does this connect…?  

Sample ACED Answer Sample Answer A. In paragraph 1 Douglass compares slaves going to the Great House Farm to imply that being a slave selected to work at Great House Farm was similar to being a politician elected to Congress. C. Douglass writes, “The competitors for this office sought as diligently to please their overseers, as the office-seekers in the political parties seek to please and deceive the people.” E. This comparison contributes to the reader’s understanding by highlighting that just as politicians seek to “please and deceive the people,” slaves tried to be more pleasing to the overseer. D. In essence, the slaves campaigned to be selected to work at Great House Farm the way politicians campaign to be elected.

Group Questions: Douglass Referring to paragraph 2, what is the contradiction between the meaning and the tone in the slaves’ songs? How could this contradiction confuse an outside observer?   In paragraph 3, how does Douglass’s choice of words help reveal his feelings about the institution of slavery? Which examples of powerful diction best reveal his tone? In paragraph 5, according to Douglass, what mistaken conclusion do people make from the singing of slaves? What simile does he use to illustrate his point?

Group Questions: Harriet Tubman In paragraph 2, how do the specific examples help illustrate the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law? In paragraphs 3 & 4 how does the author contrast Tubman’s internal doubts and fears with the words of support and encouragement that she gives to her followers? What details does the author include to build suspense and foreshadow the disappointment that Tubman and her followers will face at the first farmhouse? In paragraph 10, why and how does Tubman maintain a delicate balance so that her followers will experience just the right amount of fear? In paragraphs 11 – 13, how and why does Tubman act differently when approaching this second farmhouse?

Synthesis Question How did Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman each contribute to the struggle to end slavery in the United States? How did their different perspectives determine the manner in which they contributed to this struggle?