Take a Ride on the
Road to Freedom
Staci, Andrea, Alecia, & Chrissy
What do you think of when you
hear the term African American?
• Slavery?
• Oppression?
• Torture?
• Riots?
• Segregation?
• Inequality?
• Injustice?
What About …
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Strength?
Courage?
Bravery?
Determination?
Empowerment?
Peaceful defiance?
Follow the drinking gourd
The riverbank makes a very good road,
The dead trees will show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot, traveling on,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
The river ends between two hills,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
There’s another river on the other side,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
When the great big river meets the little river,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
For the old man is waiting for to carry you to freedom,
Follow the Drinking Gourd.
Spirituals
• Wade in the Water
• Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot
• Free at Last
• Go Down Moses
• Follow the Drinking
Gourd
• Many Thousand
Gone
• No Trouble at the
River
• Hold on Just a Little
While Longer
• Soon I Will be Done
Extensions
• Draw a map and locate the rivers along the
slave escape route.
• Have the class discuss how quilts were used to
guide slaves to freedom.
• Divide the class into small groups. Have them
discuss the pros and cons of helping slaves.
• Travel the road of an escape slave at
www.nationalgeographic.com
Primary Lesson
• Minty: The Life of a Young Harriet Tubman
–By: Alan Schroeder & Jerry Pinkney
»Students learn the childhood life of Harriet
Tubman.
»Compare & Contrast their lives to her.
»Language Arts & Social Studies
Primary Lesson
• Escape North
–By: Monica Culling
»Students learn about the
Underground Railroad and Harriet
Tubman.
»Students learn songs and code words
slaves used to communicate with
each other.
»Language Arts, Music, Social Studies
Intermediate Lesson
•
Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad
in the Sky
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by Faith Ringgold
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
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by Deborah Hopkinson
» Students learn about the importance of
quilts in the success of the Underground
Railroad.
» Students construct their own quilt squares
using cardinal directions to make a class
quilt.
» Language Arts & Geography
Intermediate Lesson
• Follow the Drinking Gourd
• by Bernadine Connelly
» Children learn the importance of spirtuals
and other oral traditions.
» Language Arts & Social Studies
Middle School Lesson
• Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
• by Ann Petry
» Students will search internet and other book
sources.
» Based on the information, students
internalize the meaning of being a slave on
the Underground Railroad and write a
narrative.
» Language Arts, Social Studies
Middle School Lesson
• Civil War Almanac by Justin Segal;
• Civil War A-Z by Norman Bolotin;
• The Civil War 1861-1863 by Rebecca Stefoff
» Students will use research texts and internet
sources to create a Civil War Timeline
focusing on the abolition of slavery.
» Language Arts, Social Studies
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Books
Picture Books
– Dinner at Aunt Connie’s House by Faith
Ringgold
– A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by
David Adler & Samual Byrd
Multicultural Books
– Freedom Crossin’ by Margret Goff
Clark
– If You Traveled the Underground
Railroad by Ellen Levine & Richard
Willams
Poetry
– Under the Quilt of Night by Deborah
Hopkinson & James E. Ransome
– Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette
Winter
Traditional Fantasy
– Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette
Winter
– Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by
Deborah Hopkinson
Fantasy
– Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in
the Sky by Faith Ringgold
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
– Stealing Freedom by Elisa Carbone
– Who Comes with Cannons by Patricia
Beatty
– Bright Freedom Song by Gloria
Houston
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Historical Fiction
– Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi
– Runaway to Freedom Barbara Smucker
Informational
– Civil War A-Z by Norman Bolotin
– Life on the Underground Railroad by
Stuart A. Kallen.
– The Civil War 1861-1863 by Rebecca
Setoff
– Get on the Board by Jim Haskins
– Many Thousand Gone by Virginia
Hamilton
– The Drinking Gourd by Ann Monjo
– If You Lived in the Time of Civil War by
Kay Moore & Anni Matsick
– The River Jordan by Henry Burke & Dick
Croy
– Great Black Heroes: Five Brave Explorers
by Wade Hudson
Biography
– Harriet Tubman by Kathie smith
– Walking the Road to Freedom by Jeri
Ferris
– Bound for the North Star by Dennis
Brindell Fradin
– Lincoln and the Abolition of Slavery by
Russell Roberts
– Let it Shine by Stephen Alcorn
– Sojourner Truth by Patricia C. McKissack
& Frerik McKissack
– Wanted Dead or Alive: The True Story of
Harriet Tubman by Ann McGovern