Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Railroad Mini-Unit

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students watch a film about slavery. Students view a PowerPoint about the Underground Railroad and use various resources to make a timeline for the topic. Students research a historical figure from the Underground Railroad era and give a...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Reconstruction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
When slavery ended, what did the government do to help African American during Reconstruction? An interesting instructional activity uses primary sources such as newspaper articles to help scholars analyze Reconstruction policies and how...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Decision Making: Who Was Right?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Help your class explore the question "Is it ever right to disobey a law?" With a strong base of knowledge about the Civil War, anti-slavery movement, and Underground Railroad, your class explores civil disobedience in Marshall, Michigan...
PPT
Curated OER

American Life in the 17th Century: 1607-1692

For Teachers 10th - 12th
What was American life like during the 1600s? Help your class discover facts about the unhealthy conditions at Chesapeake Bay, the tobacco economy, Bacon's Rebellion, colonial slavery, the Salem Witch Trials, and colonial life. Slides...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Importance of Storytelling

For Teachers K - 5th
Students examine how African Americans escaping slavery used storytelling to communicate. They listen to and read the lyrics for the song, Follow the Drinking Gourd, view the Reading Rainbow video, and write and illustrate their own story.
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Women's Lives Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...
Lesson Plan
Tennessee State Museum

An Emancipation Proclamation Map Lesson

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves during the Civil War? Why was it written, and what were its immediate and long-term effects? After reading primary source materials, constructing political maps representing information...
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Finding Text Evidence: Frederick Douglass

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
After reading a very brief excerpt from Frederick Douglass' autobiography, learners cite textual evidence to support a main idea of the primary source about Douglass' humiliating experience with slavery. This is a brief exercise that...
Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Dred Scott v. Sandford

For Teachers 8th Standards
Who decides someone is not a real person? Scholars investigate the Dred Scott v. Sandford court case which deals directly with slavery and citizenship. After viewing a short video clip, classmates work in pairs to assess and discuss the...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Elijah of Buxton: Novel Study

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Most think Elijah in Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis gets famous for being the first African American child born free from slavery. However, his true fame comes from his adventures to capture a thief. Readers study...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fight for Freedom

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research examples of slavery in the world today, and explore some ways they can help current slaves gain their freedom. After students develop a plan for helping to fight slavery, they take action.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Terrible Transformation: Freedom Denied

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students learn about the legal foundations for slavery and explore autobiographical writings of slaves. Students trace the development of laws that enforced the slave status of Africans and their descendants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Did You Get Here?

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students create a picture/poster or write a letter demonstrating their knowledge of why slavery was wrong. They describe what they think the travel was like for the Africans coming to America.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

People, Not Numbers: Bringing 12 Million into Personal Ter

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students forge a compassionate link to the large numbers of people who were the victims of slavery as opposed to thinking of them simply in terms of numbers. They perform a math exercise to put the number of people in slavery into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take a Ride on the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the issues of American slavery, the abolitionist movements, and the pursuit of freedom that is found in art, literature, and music from that period in American history. Students determine the major personalities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Town Development

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students use a map of Kansas in the 1800s to discuss town development and issues related to slavery. They create fictitious towns to promote to outsiders.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Runaway Slaves, An American Experience

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study how one's personal experiences impact one's perspective and actions. They interpret ideas and events of slavery from the different perspectives of an abolitionist, slave owner, United States...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Quilts

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are introduced to new vocabulary associated with slavery and the Underground Railroad. In groups, they use the vocabulary to identify the various ranges of freedom and create their own vocabulary webs. To end the lesson,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Midnight Train To Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research, discuss and study about the Underground Railroad and examine the risks associated with escaping slavery by reading the article "North Toward Home." They create a museum book to accompany a teacher-created exhibit on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holding a Wolf by the Ears: Race, Economics, and the Complexity of Thomas Jefferson

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the era of slavery when Jefferson was President. In this United States History lesson plan, 11th graders participate in a class discussion that is led by the teacher.  A PowerPoint presentation on the topic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spirituals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review factors that contributed to the development of the spiritual, which reflects the influence of African religious and Christian traditions, and slavery. Students collect spirituals/songs of their heritage from family...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sectionalism and the Kansas-Nebraska Act

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students use their knowledge of Kansas history to support their position in support of or against slavery in Kansas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Missouri's Early Slave Laws: Missouri's Early Slave Laws:

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars analyze and discuss various documents relating to slavery in Missouri in the 1830's and 1840's. They learn why some records are deemed to be of permanent, historical value to the state.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time Is of the Essence

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners study the evolution of the Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present day. They make a timeline using the major events.

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