American History, Eight Grade
Three Day Lesson Plan
1. Students will learn about the Underground Railroad and Freedom Quilts.
2. Students will learn about the role of Abolitionists in the pre Civil War Era.
3. Students will use the computer to go to various web sites and perform specific activities that will strengthen their understanding of slavery and the anti-slavery movement.
4. Students will learn how quilts were used to aid runaways on the Underground Railroad.
5. Students will learn to analyze and recognize quilt patterns and symbols that were used on the Underground Railroad. Emphasis will be place on web search research.
6. Students will create quilt tiles in the Underground Railroad that will use clip art and quilt block photos.
7. Students will work in groups of three or four and present their quilt maps to the rest of the class.
Computer Functions:
1. “Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad”
2. The National Geographic Underground Railroad Journey at http:www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/j1.html
3. Computers with internet access to research quilt designs, patterns, and symbols.
4. Microsoft Photostory 3 to use in photo presentations.
5. Clip Art Capability, and the ability to save and create images.
6. Data Projector to run the storyboard.
7. Speakers to Play Accompanying Music.
8. Writing Materials.
1. Students will need to read “Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad”.
2. Students will take the journey to freedom through the eyes of a runaway slave, by navigating to http:www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/j1.html
3. Students will go to other sites to determine how to identify the quilt panels and interpret their message. These sites are: http://gauleybridge.faye.k12.wv.us/HotPotato/QuiltCodes.htm http://www.carolinacountry.com/storypages/ourstories/quilt/quilt4.html http://home.columbus.rr.com/bradshaw/UNDERRR/quilt/underground_railroad_quilt.htm
4. Students will need to design their own quilt on the computer that will lead them from one assigned spot in their neighborhood to a finish point at the school. All groups will have the same finish point, and all will have a different starting point.
1. The students will start by gathering data on The Underground Railroad and Freedom Quilts by doing internet queries and library searches.
2. If some groups fall behind, the instructor can suggest several web sites that will help get them back on the right track.
3. As the students come across pictures of quilt blocks that were used in The Underground Railroad, they should scan or save them for later use in the Photostory presentation.
4. While there is no need for spreadsheet or database work in this project, there is a lot of opportunity for outside reading of oral history’s and autobiographies.
5. Students will have to draw a map using quilt blocks that will lead someone form their starting point, to their assigned finish spot.
1. Students will have to pull together all of their pictures and images to use in their Photostory Presentation.
2. If the class does not have access to a data projector, the student can substitute an old fashioned poster board for their presentation.
3. Students should be able to arrange the images within Photostory to make a map that will lead to their objective.
4. Student should be able to interpret other groups’ maps to reach objectives during presentations.
5. All students in the group should learn to put images into Photostory.
Activities During Computer Use:
1. Student groups should use the internet to gather data on Freedom Quilts and The Underground Railroad.
2. Students should copy all photographs or images of quilts that they find into a folder for later use in Photostory.
3. Students should each go through the National Geographic Underground Railroad interactive learning site to learn how it must have felt to be a slave who was trying to escape captivity and travel all the way to Canada.
4. Students should go to the web site that I will provide to find the answer key that will help them interpret the quilt panels.
5. Students should be able to assemble all of their data a put together a Photostory presentation.