Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson plan, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Events

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders make predictions about the story Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt based on what they know about slavery. In this predictions lesson plan, 4th graders finish reading the story to see if they were right.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students take a closer look at the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. In this slavery lesson, students examine an image and read excerpts from Uncle Tom's Cabin as well as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Students discuss their analysis of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad Activity

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders practice their interviewing skills as they learn about the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, 8th graders discuss the existence and operation of the railroad. Students then interview one another in the personas...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad Tic-Tac-Toe

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students discover details about the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, students read primary documents about fugitive slaves and analyze the sources using the provided worksheets. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Underground Railroad Before and After the Fugitive Slave Law

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students consider the impact of the Fugitive Slave Law on the activity of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery lesson, students examine primary documents that describe the role of the Underground Railroad during the fight for...
Lesson Plan
American Evolution

Virginia Runaway Slave Ads

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
What does an ad reveal about a culture, or about the values of its intended audience? Class members examine a series of runaway slave ads—one of which was written by Thomas Jefferson—and consider what these primary source documents...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Uncle Tom’s Cabin: George’s Speech

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Sometimes it takes a work of fiction to demonstrate nonfictional tragedies and events. George, an escaped slave, describes to Mr. Wilson the hardships of his life in a short passage from Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle...
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Group Project: Freedom Parade

For Students 5th Standards
Parades are a great way to celebrate. Get young historians into the festivities by asking them to create an informational float for a Freedom Parade. Picking a topic from the provided list or suggesting one of their own, class members...
Unit Plan
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Slave Narratives: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and the Columbian Orator

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Young historians practice in-depth, quality analysis of primary source texts in this three-lesson unit, which examines excerpts from the slave narratives of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, and Caleb...
Lesson Plan
Crafting Freedom

The Self-Empowerment of Harriet Jacobs

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In a hands-on learning activity, pupils read about and recreate the experience of Harriet Jacobs, author of one of the most famous slave narratives of all time in which she describes her years of hiding from her master in a confined...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Through Picture Books and Photographs

For Teachers 1st
First graders become familiar with historical figures central to the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Two: An Overview of Modern-Day Slavery

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students discuss the aspects of modern-day slavery. They investigate where slavery is located, what causes it, who is involved and ways to eliminate it. They write a journal entry based on their investigation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Six: Types of Modern-Day Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students examine the geography of modern-day slavery. They locate where slavery exists and what type it is on a world map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Four: Understanding the Personal Reality of Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the four types of modern-day slavery: forced, debt bondage, chattel and child labor. They create a piece of art depicting their feelings after reading a case study about slavery.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Uncle Tom's Cabin as Anti-Slavery Argument

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Pupils read and discuss how African- Americans are depicted in slave auction announcements. They research how Harriet Beecher Stow responds to the sale of slaves.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery in Colonial America

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners examine the experience of the middle passage of slaves. They review slave songs and discuss their common themes. They develop a monologue in which they integrate a fragment of an actual slave song into a poem they have written.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Woodlawn Plantation

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders engage in a series of pre and post visit activities to the Woodlawn Plantation in order to enhance their learning experience there. Writing and art activities are part of the lesson plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurative Language in Toni Morrison's "A Mercy"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In order to read and respond to Toni Morrison's A Mercy in this figurative-language lesson, learners discuss the differences between a literal and a figurative interpretation of a text.  They explore figures of speech using a...
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: The Second War for Independence and the Upsurge of Nationalism

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Use this series of bright, informative maps to illustrate important events of America's infancy. Detailing the Missouri Compromise, the Battle of New Orleans, and the Presidential Election of 1812, this presentation would be a good...
PPT
Curated OER

The American Civil War: A Nation Divided (1861-1865)

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Intended for use with atlases, this presentation details the causes and effects of the Civil War. It includes historical pictures of battles and discussion points about the technology which emerged during (and for) the war. The final...
PPT
Curated OER

Atlantic Slave Trade

For Teachers 7th - 9th
The horrors of the Atlantic slave trade are covered in this presentation. Intended as an accent to a lecture, learners will see images, answer questions, and engage in an activity intended to help them understand the conditions of Middle...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

“Twelve Years a Slave”: Analyzing Slave Narratives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Readers of Solomon Northup's brutally frank slave narrative Twelve Years a Slave examine passages that support the argument that slavery "undermined and corrupted" the institution of marriage. Background information is...
PPT
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Curated OER

A Brief History of Women in America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The story of women throughout American history is fascinating. Travel the path from domestic slave to the modern day with advocates such as Susan B. Anthony, the Grimké Sisters, and Gloria Steinem. A wonderful presentation that...

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