1. Social Studies Resource Unit
Underground Railroad
Grade 3 By
Trish Fields, Keli Newman & Cara Wielgus

2. Table of Contents Introduction 3 Content 4-6 Objectives 7-8
Activities
Assessment
Instructional Resources:
Teacher resources 18
Student resources
Media resources

3. Introduction
Because personal rights and freedoms are a valued part of our democracy, it is essential that we understand the hardships of those in the past that fought hard and risked death to gain freedom. Learning from the past is the best way to improve the future. By addressing the courage and determination of those who traveled and established the underground railroad and examining the hardships of slavery, we gain a greater appreciation for the value of freedom and a greater respect for diversity which strengthens our nation.

4. Content Day One: Introduce the unit: Underground Railroad.
Read related picture books and sing related songs.
Day Two: Read a picture book about the Underground Railroad and discuss forms of communication the slaves used. Students will plot a course to freedom on a map.
Day Three: Students will compare and contrast common feelings and attitudes of slave owners and slaves using a Venn Diagram
Day Four: Students engage in a web journey as a slave then discuss and share what they discovered

5. Content
Day Five: Read about Harriet Tubman and discuss characteristics that Harriet Tubman possessed.
Day Six: Using information provided by
Students choose important dates that affected the issue of slavery and then create a time line labeling the sequential events to share with the class.
Day seven: Evaluation

6. Vocabulary slavery conductor passengers safe house Abolitionist
freedom
liberty
prejudice
lantern
civil rights
quilt
citizen
fugitive
underground
(related vocabulary on a quilt background-interactive)

7. Cognitive Objectives Students will be able to:
Place historical evens in sequential order on a time line
Use a map to answer questions
Use a compass rose and cardinal directions to describe the relative locations of places
Define and identify elements of the underground railroad and recognize communication systems- such as: quilts and songs

8. Affective Objectives Students will be able to…
Discuss and demonstrate compassion, perseverance, and persistence in achieving goals as rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Recognize how contributions of different cultures within the U.S. influence our common national heritage.
Compare and contrast the feelings slave owners and slaves might have experienced during times of slavery.
Demonstrate effective citizenship responsibilities:
Respect the rights and dignity of others

9. Activities: Day one
Day One: Introduction of the Underground Railroad. Discuss with children what they think it is.
Developmental: Read …If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine
Read Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
Culminating: Teach the song “Follow the Drinking Gourd” from:

10. Activities: Day two
Day Two: Introduction: Discuss what was learned on day one and what the drinking gourd is and the significance of “North”.
Developmental: Read Under the Quilt of the Night by Deborah Hopkinson and discuss forms of communication the slaves used. Discuss the difference between “slave” and “free” states.
Culminating: Use a blank U. S. map and have students plot a course to freedom.

11. Activities: Day three
Day Three: Introduction: Have the students imagine life as a slave owner and then a slave.
Developmental: Use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast feelings and attitudes that slave owners may have had vs. those of the slaves
Culminating: Students are assigned a status of slave owner or slave and write a short story describing how that would feel.

12. Activities: Day four
Day Four: Introduction: Students watch the movie: Underground Railroad on the Internet-Travel along Ohio's Underground Railroad from Ripley, OH, to Findlay, Toledo, Detroit and to the promise land in Canada. (2003) Visual Image Productions - 30 min - Sep 7, 2006
Developmental: Students engage in an interactive journey as a slave via
Culminating: Students participate in group discussion regarding their “fate” and share their experience.

13. Activities: Day five Day Five:
Introduction: Discuss the significance of courage and perseverance in facing hardships of slavery.
Developmental: Read Wanted Dead Or Alive: The True Story Of Harriet Tubman (Paperback) by Ann Mcgovern, and discuss the significance of her actions.
Culminating: Discuss the Undergound Railroad network and the roles of conductors, passengers, and “safe” houses and the risk involved.

14. Activities: Day six Day Six:
Introduction: Identify that significant changes occurred over time that affected personal rights and freedoms.
Developmental: Using information provided by
Students choose important dates that affected the issue of slavery and then plot them sequentially on a time line labeling the year and the event.
Culminating: Students will share their timeline with the class and explain the significance of the events chosen.

15. Assessment
1. What is the underground railroad?
A. a subway system C. a series of safe points when traveling toward freedom
B. a train that runs at night D. an early form of transportation
2. A famous conductor on the underground railroad was?
A. Harriet Tubman C. Abraham Lincoln
B. Betsy Ross D. George W. Bush
How were quilts significant to the Underground railroad?
they kept slaves warm C. many slaves quilted in their free time
B. they hid food for slaves D. colors signified safe houses

16. Assessment 4. Those in the North against slavery were …
A. Federalist C. Democrats
B. Abolitionists D. Republicans
In the story “Follow the Drinking Gourd” slaves
A. were reminded to eat C. followed the North Star
B. knew gourds meant safety D. Ran away during the day
Short essay:
Explain why slaves were of value in the South?
Describe what a conductor was and why it was risky?

17. Assessment True/False
The Ohio River played an important role in getting slaves to freedom.
Ohio was a slave state.
All conductors were men.
Slaves went to jail if caught.
Songs and quilts often had hidden meaning to the slaves.

18. Teacher resources
(classroom resources)
(songs)
(Song Follow the Drinking Gourd)
SLAVERY (Power point)
SLAVERY POSTERS
ESCAPE: A Simulation of the Underground Railroad and Accompanying Unit on Slavery - includes maps, detailed historical information, and documents needed for teachers to develop a classroom simulation journey from slavery to freedom. available at
(teaching resources, materials, lesson plans, etc. developed by teachers)

19. Student resources
. . . If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad (Paperback) by Ellen Levine, Scholastic Paperbacks, Reissue edition, 1993,
In a question-and-answer format, the reader is introduced to what the underground railroad was and how it was used between 1830 and 1860 to help slaves in America escape to the North.
. . . If You Lived When There Was Slavery in America (Paperback) by Anne Kamma, Scholastic, Inc.,2004 ,
With compassion and respect for the enslaved, this book answers questions children might have about this dismal era in American history.
Follow the Drinking Gourd (Paperback) by Jeanette Winter , Dragonfly Books; Reprint edition, 1992
This story focuses on the journey of one group of runaways who travel according to the directions of the song to reach the Ohio River, where Peg Leg Joe a white sailor is waiting with a boat.

20. Student Resources
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad (Graphic History) (Paperback) by Michael Martin , Capstone Press, 2006 Nonfiction topics in graphic novel format! Eye-popping artwork and easy-to-read text offer an appealing experience for all readers. An additional information section provides key facts and further understanding. 32 pages.
Wanted Dead Or Alive: The True Story Of Harriet Tubman (Paperback) by Ann Mcgovern, Scholastic Paperbacks; Reissue edition (1991) Born a slave on a Maryland plantation, Harriet Tubman dreamed of following the North Star to freedom. When she did escape, she risked her life many times to lead 300 slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
Meet Addy: An American Girl by Connie Porter, Pleasant Co. Publications, The story is about a nine-year-old girl, a slave on a North Carolina plantation during the Civil War. After Addy's father and older brother are sold she and her mother runaway and begin a harrowing journey on foot to a "safe house."

21. Student Resources www.questforfreedom.org
Fun website that students can use to get to know the family of Addy. Students are able to play games and learn about the life of Addy.
Webquest that students will use to explore the information about the Underground Railroad.
Interactive map that students will use to explore the route that slaves used to get their freedom.
Web sight that students will use to find out what path they would take if they were a slave. See how the choices you make determines what happens to you.

22. Media resources
(video) CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR Plantation slavery; the rise of King Cotton; the industrial North; the Missouri Compromise; free blacks and the abolition movement; black resistance to slavery; Nat Turner's Rebellion; the underground railroad and more...
(movie) ENSLAVED (-found on
(movie)THE SELLIN' OF JAMIE THOMAS (found on
(video) Harriet Tubman - The Animated Hero Classics
(video) Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
(video) African American Life
(poster) Harriet Tubman- available at

23. Media references
Reproducible, Read-Aloud American History Plays :
on Key Topics That Help Struggling Readers Learn the Content They Need to Know : The Underground Railroad
available at
Transparencies and E-book:THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT Lesson titles: "Slavery: Reality and Myth," "Runaways & Resistance," "The Abolitionist Cause," "Slavery Divides the Nation”
Websites:
(interactive journey as a slave)
(web quest)
(important dates related to the issue of slavery and civil rights)
(Harriet Tubman information)
(Underground Railroad Music Video)

24. Media references
Webvideo: Underground Railroad: Travel along Ohio's Underground Railroad from Ripley, OH, to Findlay, Toledo, Detroit and to the promise land in Canada. (2003) Visual Image Productions - 30 min - Sep 7, via
Powerpoint
Slavery available at
Activity Books
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR KIDS: From Slavery to Freedom With 21 Activities available at
THE CIVIL WAR FOR KIDS: A History With 21 Activities available at
15 Primary Source Activities: American History Available at
History Unfolding: The Abolitionsit Movement
Available at

25. Acknowledgements Clip art from www.microsoftclipart.com
Book graphics and publication information provided by