from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Feature Menu
by Ann Petry
Introducing the Selection
Literary Focus: Biography and
Coherence
Reading Focus: Finding the Main
Idea
Writing Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
by Ann Petry
How much should a person sacrifice for freedom?
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
by Ann Petry
Click on the title to start the video.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Introducing the Selection
In 1851, Harriet Tubman
led a group of eleven
slaves to freedom. During
the month-long journey,
she struggled to avoid
capture on the trip from
Maryland to Canada.
As the fleeing slaves traveled on foot by night, they
encountered many difficulties and dangers.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Introducing the Selection
As you read the selection,
think about how the system
Tubman used to lead slaves to
freedom came to be called the
“Underground Railroad.”
[End of Section]
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Literary Focus: Biography and Coherence
A biography is the story of someone’s life written
by another person.
Biographers
work hard to
make their
subjects
come to life
on the page.
I want my
readers to
experience
what it’s like to
walk in my
subject’s shoes,
so I use lots of
details.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Literary Focus: Biography and Coherence
The biography writer helps us “meet” the people
in a biography. We observe
• actions and
motivations,
• values, and
• interactions with
others.
Civil rights leader
Dr. Teresa
Martin
Humanitarian
Mother
President
and Mrs.
Kennedy
greet fans
Luther
King,
Jr.
leads
a
peace
for anBowl
orphan
in Calcutta.
at cares
the Orange
in Florida.
rally.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Literary Focus: Biography and Coherence
In nonfiction, a text is coherent if the important
details support the main idea and connect to one
another in a clear order.
MAIN IDEA
detail 1
detail 2
detail 3
detail 4
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Literary Focus: Biography and Coherence
A good biography has coherence. Its details come
together in a logical order . . .
infant
toddler
child
teen
. . . making the biography easy to understand.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Literary Focus: Biography and Coherence
Biographers use details to help us feel we know
the people about whom they are writing.
I feel like I
know what this
person’s life
was really like.
born in a farmhouse
in 1823
attended a oneroom schoolhouse
started a newspaper
married childhood
sweetheart at 24
became an awardwinning reporter
[End of Section]
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Reading Focus: Finding the Main Idea
The main idea is the central idea or message of a
nonfiction text.
Main Idea
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Reading Focus: Finding the Main Idea
To find the main idea, look for key statements made
by the writer and for details that point to an important
idea.
Main Idea
detail
detail
key statement
key statement
detail
detail
detail
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Reading Focus: Finding the Main Idea
Read the following passage, looking for key
statements and details.
Language can be tricky. For example, the word salsa has
more than one meaning. Salsa commonly describes a sauce
that’s used as a dip for chips or a dressing on vegetables.
The sauce ranges from mild to very hot. However, salsa also
refers to a popular form of Latin American music. This music
tends to be a combination of fast blues, jazz, and rock.
key statement
detail
Looking at the key statements and details, state the
main idea of the passage.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Reading Focus: Finding the Main Idea
To find the main idea, look for key statements made
by the writer and for details that point to an important
idea.
The same word can
have
two
very
Main
Idea
different meanings.
a dip for chips
Salsa is a kind
of sauce.
a dressing
for veggies
mild to hot
Latin
American
Salsa is a style
of music.
blues, jazz,
& rock
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Reading Focus: Finding the Main Idea
Into Action: As you read the biography, write down
details that seem important. When you have
finished, write the main idea.
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Important
detail:
“It was the largest group that she had ever
conducted.”
Important
detail:
[End of Section]
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
Find It in Your Reading
In this biography, Ann Petry turns historical facts into
a dramatic story.
As you read, record in a notebook
objective, or factual, passages and
subjective passages, which reveal
the writer’s feelings and opinions.
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
fugitives n.: people fleeing from danger or
oppression.
incomprehensible adj.: impossible to
understand.
incentive n.: reason to do something;
motivation.
dispel v.: get rid of by driving away.
eloquence n.: ability to write or speak gracefully
and convincingly.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
Fugitives are people who are trying to escape
oppression or danger.
Those who traveled the
Underground Railroad were
fugitives from the unjust
system of slavery.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
The campers became fugitives when
a. they built a campfire.
b. they set up their tent.
c. they ran away from
an angry bear.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
The campers became fugitives when
a. they built a campfire.
b. they set up their tent.
c. they ran away from
an angry bear.
What hardships might fugitives
face while escaping oppression?
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
To some adults, teenage activities may seem
incomprehensible.
For example, they may find it impossible to
understand why teens enjoy certain sports.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
“I don’t get algebra,” complained Michael’s little
brother. “It’s incomprehensible!”
Michael’s brother thinks algebra is
a. easy and straightforward.
b. too difficult to understand.
c. useful and valuable.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
“I don’t get algebra,” complained Michael’s little
brother. “It’s incomprehensible!”
Michael’s brother thinks algebra is
a. easy and straightforward.
b. too difficult to understand.
c. useful and valuable.
How do you tackle a subject that
seems incomprehensible?
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
An incentive encourages someone to do something.
Driven by his motivation to earn a new bike, Keith
promised to do his chores all summer: The incentive
was enough to convince him to put in the extra work.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
What is most likely Jamal’s incentive for practicing
the clarinet every day?
a. He wants to be a rock star.
b. He wants to play in the school
band.
c. He wants to get his homework
done early.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
What is most likely Jamal’s incentive for practicing
the clarinet every day?
a. He wants to be a rock star.
b. He wants to play in the school
band.
c. He wants to get his homework
done early.
What might be a student’s
incentive to babysit after school?
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
Patrick wanted to dispel his
fear of reptiles.
Bravely picking up the lizard,
he hoped the hands-on
experience would drive away
his fear.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
When Alexis heard some nasty gossip about her
best friend, she decided to dispel the rumor. Alex
decided to ____________.
a. pass along the rumor to
someone else
b. refuse to listen to the
gossip
c. explain why the rumor
isn’t true
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
When Alexis heard some nasty gossip about her
best friend, she decided to dispel the rumor. Alex
decided to ____________.
a. pass along the rumor to
someone else
b. refuse to listen to the
gossip
c. explain why the rumor
isn’t true
What’s the best way to dispel a feeling of worry?
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
LeShawn spoke with eloquence at graduation.
His impressive speaking ability brought the audience
to its feet.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
Because Mariella is an eloquent writer and speaker,
her guidance counselor suggested that she try out
for
a. the track team.
b. the band.
c. the debate team.
from Harriet Tubman:
Conductor on the Underground Railroad
Vocabulary
Because Mariella is an eloquent writer and speaker,
her guidance counselor suggested that she try out
for
a. the track team.
b. the band.
c. the debate team.
Name someone who is an eloquent
speaker.
[End of Section]
The End