DESTINATION: SWEET CLARA and THE FREEDOM QUILT

THE BIG QUESTION: What important people, strategies, and  tools helped the Underground Railroad provide an escape route to freedom for Black slaves?

 

  • STATION 1: MAP MAKER
  • STATION 4: TAKE THE JOURNEY
  • STATION 2: WRITER'S CHOICE
  • STATION 5: GEOMETRIC SHAPES
  • STATION 3: QUILT MAP
  • STATION 6: QuIP

EXIT TICKET:

On notebook paper, answer these in complete sentences:

Name 1 important person used to free slaves and what he/she did.

Name 1 strategy used to free slaves and how it worked.

Name one tool used to free slaves and how it helped them.

 

STATION 1: MAP MAKER

If you want to go somewhere, you need directions.  A map is directions in a picture.  Slaves followed maps of the Underground Railroad to get to free states.  You will use this site to draw freedom routes on your own map. 

Copy this link in a new tab to help you draw the routes.

https://eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u6/index.html

  • Map elements: remove grid lines and locator map
  • Drawing tools: free-form line tool
  • Markers: identify landmarks
  • Drawing tools: attach labels to important points
  • Print

STATION 2: WRITER'S CHOICE

With a partner, choose 1 writing project:

Flip Book: You will create a secret message that runaway slaves would be able to use to find the Underground Railroad.

Letter Generator: You will write a letter to another slave about your own experiences traveling the Underground Railroad as a slave 

ReadWriteThink Printing Press: You will publish 1) a one-page newspaper written to slave owners OR 2) a one-page underground newspaper for slaves.

  • Prewriting: Organize your thoughts for writing on notebook paper.
  • Go to your publishing tool above and write your project.
  • Peer edit your project with your partner.
  • After you have edited your project, print and place in folder.

RUBRICS:    CODED MESSAGE        LETTER        NEWSPAPER

 RUBRICE

To earn an A, your project:

  • Is easy to understand
  • Clearly addresses the topic in complete sentences (newspaper/letter)
  • Features correct information about the Underground Railroad
  • Contains few mechanical errors (grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.)
  • Includes pre-writing notes

 

STATION 3: QUILT MAP

You will need: paper tangrams, 1 piece of construction paper, glue stick, scissors, markers, pencil

You will be creating your own quilt map.  Review the story and think about symbols you can use to represent different landmarks and directions.  Your map will show the route you take from home to school.

1) On your construction paper, label your house and the school

2) Draw the roads from your house to the school

3) Add landmarks such as stores, parks, ponds, trees, fields, railroads, roads, etc.  Use creative code symbols.

4) Using paper tangrams, create your own quilt map.

5) Be sure to include a key and directional compass. For example:

KEY

BLUE            water

GREEN        fields

BROWN        roads

6) You will have to explain your key and "read" your map to the class. RUBRIC

STATION 4: TAKE THE JOURNEY

Sometimes it's hard to understand someone until you 'walk a mile in their shoes.' Pretend you are a slave. Your body, your time, your very breath belong to a farmer in 1850s Maryland. Six long days a week you tend his fields and make him rich. You have never tasted freedom. You never expect to. And yet . . . your soul lights up when you hear whispers of attempted escape.

Freedom means a hard, dangerous trek. Do you try it?

Take the journey here

STATION 5: GEOMETRIC SHAPES

You will need: pattern blocks, pencil, graph paper

Have you ever wondered how the slaves communicated and shared secret messages about the Underground Railroad? Learn how different quilt block patterns had a special coded message.  Threads of Freedom explains 11 different block patterns and their meanings. 

  • Click 'Learn More'
  • Click 'The Hidden Message'
  • Click 'Go to Quilt Squares' and click on each pattern
  • With pattern blocks, re-create that geometric shape
  • What shapes did you use?
  • Click 'Fun and Games': Complete the Quiz and Fill-in-the-Blank
  • Using the pattern blocks, create your own quilt block
  • What does it look like?  What could it represent?  What could it mean?

To make tessellations means 'to fit together without leaving any spaces.'  Quilt patterns were tessellations with fabric.  Read cool facts about tessellations.  Now try making your own at this site.  Using graph paper, create your own tessellation/quilt pattern OR print and color one of these.

STATION 6: QuIP

You will need: QuIP chart, pencil

On your QuIP chart, you will answer questions about the Underground Railroad. 

Include your sources and answers must be at least 3 complete sentences.

1) How and why might slaves have used songs to help guide them on the Underground Railroad? Follow the Drinking Gourd

2) What was Harriet Tubman's childhood like? Follow this site

3) You choose the question.

These sources have some great information or you may use library books to find your answers.