Underground Railroad Projects for Middle School
The underground railroad was a secretive network of passages to help move slaves to the free states and Canada before the abolition of slavery. Safe houses were marked by lanterns on hitching posts and one of the most famous leaders of the freedom path was Harriet Tubman. Middle School students study the history and meaning of the underground railroad and teachers can incorporate many different subjects such as art, math and literature into lessons.
Other People Are Reading
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Journal
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After studying the underground railroad, have the students engage in a language arts activity by creating a journal in the first person. Students have gathered and learned enough background information to imagine that they are a "passenger" on the underground railroad. They will complete a daily journal of their travels and the different people that they have met along the way, explain different experiences and describe emotions that these experiences provoked. Each entry will need to be at least two to three paragraphs long and the journals should include at least a week's time period.
Map of the Underground Railroad
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Have students work in groups and use prior knowledge that they have gained throughout the unit to create a map of stops on the underground railroad. Students should first complete 10 note cards that lay out the route they are going to map out. Each card should contain as much specific information about the stop as possible, including names of people living at the various stops, description of the stops and location. Children will then label the different stops on the map to correspond to a number that they assign each note card.
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Diorama
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Using a shoebox, have students create a diorama of a hiding place contained within a stop on the underground railroad. If possible, have students model their diorama after a specific place on the underground railroad. All elements should be labeled to give the viewer an accurate description of the condition of the various hiding places. Include dimensions and location within the house of the hiding place. All of the information on the diorama will be contained within a short report that the student writes.
Speech
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Divide students into two groups -- one pro-slavery and one against it. Have the first group of students write a speech addressing the Confederate government that slavery is wrong. The student should prepare a speech that will last approximately three to five minutes. Some topic suggestions are what is wrong with the institution of slavery, how it feels to be a slave, and different points of view from people of that time on the issue. Instruct the second group of students to prepare a speech citing the positive aspects of slavery from the government point of view. Topics could include economic advantages and opinions of the slave owners who had amicable relationships with slaves. After the two groups have prepared their speeches, have them deliver them and discuss the two points of view.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit lantern image by protagainst from Fotolia.com
