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Unionism versus Secessionism in Virginia

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders, in groups, analyze newspaper articles and then debate and discuss if Virginia should succeed from the Union or not.
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Counting the Miles To Freedom

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research Harriet Tubman via an Underground Railroad website in cooperative groups. They identify Tubman's first route to freedom and organize information gleaned from the research in a visual display (created in KidPix.)
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To Compromise or Not to Compromise: The Missouri Question

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students evaluate the fairness of the Missouri Compromise. They read the Missouri Compromise and discuss how it reflected the North-South, anti-slavery and pro-slavery division in the country. They work in groups to debate the Missouri...
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Growing a Nation

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the major events and inventions that changed American families and communities.  In this US History lesson, 11th graders analyze various documents dealing with the changes.  Students create a project on...
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Signs in the Stitching

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students exercise their creativity by designing an original quilt and a written explanation of its meaning. They use primary sources to develop an understanding of Underground Railroad routes through Indiana.
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Powerful Memories, Powerful Words

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and describe the influence slavery had on Mark Twains writing, and then determine the status of race relations and ethnic differences in contemporary life.
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They're Only Children

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders compare how the lives of African American slave children differed from children's lives today.  In this analysis of slavery lesson, 3rd graders evaluate and discuss the conditions of slavery in collaborative groups....
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The Slave Market: Slavery, Not Just a Southern Institution

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine how slavery was related to the economic development of New York.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders analyze the primary and secondary sources on the New York Slave Market.  Students create a...
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Underground Railroad Role Play

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students experience what the Underground Railroad was really like by role-playing as escaping slaves. They must travel to the North Star until they cross an imaginary line into Canada.
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The Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore the Underground Railroad routes. In this map skills and Civil War lesson, students use map and globe reading vocabulary and skills to track the routes the slaves followed from the Bahamas to the United States and from...
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Exploring the Life of a Slave

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore importance of abolitionists who worked to advance freedoms of black Americans prior to/during Reconstruction era, read and identify key concepts in Frederick Douglass's narrative, recognize how Douglass's slave...
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Danger on the Underground Railroad

For Teachers 7th
Student examines the role of the Underground railroad. In this Post-Civil War lesson, 7th graders read and analyze primary sources. Students create a timeline that details the events of the stories.
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The Great Debate Lesson Plan: Slavery in the U.S. Constitution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the U.S. Constitution to see what has been writte about slavery. Then, students, in groups, research the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to explore slavery compromises.
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Push and Pull Factors: Tug O' War

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners analyze the factors that led to migration in the 19th century including the forces that drew people to resettle as well as to return a place where they previously lived.
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Carolina Gold and the Gullah

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the physical geography of South Carolina to explore how it was suited for growing rice. They examine how slave labor contributed to a plantations success and compare Gullah culture from now to the past.
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The Secret to Freedom Teacher’s Guide

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students read the story "The Secret to Freedom" and participate in active reading to personalize what they have read. In this reading lesson, students follow  several writing activities and discuss their work . Students integrate...
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Inventors & Trailblazers

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
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Underground Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore the Underground Railroad.  In this U.S. history and technology lesson, students research an assigned topic related to the Underground Railroad, such as "abolitionist," "conductor," or "station houses." ...
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African American Community and Culture

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the community of enslaved African Americans.  For this American History lesson, 8th graders evaluate the importance of cultural expression in the black community.  Students study the contributions made by...
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Attitudes Toward Emancipation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read the Emancipation Proclamation and investigate steps that led to its signing. They read and discuss period news articles from both sides of the argument and create portfolios of documentation supporting both sides.
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Perspective on the Slave Narrative

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine narratives of two slaves: iam W. Brown and Frederick Douglas. They produce an essay explaining how Brown's narrative challenged the prejudices of readers in his own time and how it challenges prejudices today.
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Abraham Lincoln

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discuss key events of Abraham Lincoln's life. In this Civil War lesson, students discuss the major events of Abraham Lincoln's life and role during this time through a song.
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Who is Robert M. Glass? - Black History Month

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Pupils research the role of African Americans during the each of the United States' wars. For this African American history lesson, students research information and statistics about the role of African Americans in the following wars:...
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MANY REASONS TO LEAVE

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, how slavery hindered the emergence of capitalist institutions and values, and slavery both prior to and after the Civil War.