Teaching American History Grant
American Tapestry
Lesson Plan Template
Teacher: Heidi Fredricks & Rae Shelton
Grade: 4
Unit Topic: Harriet Tubman & The Meaning of Freedom
History Essential Questions:
Who was Harriet Tubman and how did she impact freedom?
Standards of Learning:
History SOL: Students will
Develop awareness of historical context; enhance their observation and interpretive skills; and
develop conceptual learning techniques.
Reading SOL: Students will
Analyze the contributions of the historical figure Harriet Tubman; draw conclusions about the
meaning of freedom based on the hardships faced my slaves on the Underground Railroad.
Lesson Objectives:
Content: Students will
Investigate through children’s literature the concept of freedom as related to the life of Harriet
Tubman.
Process: Students will
Read the tradebook, Minty by Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney, and analyze their meaning of
freedom and develop a paragraph citing specific examples from their everyday lives.
Create a 4-column chart that conveys their ideaz of freedom.
Materials:
 Tradebook: Minty by Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pinkney
 Additional Tradebook: A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David A. Adler
 Books: Harcourt Social Studies textbook
 Handout: “To me, Freedom means…” Worksheet, Web Hunt Question Sheet (Use with
Harriet Tubman Web Hunt Extension Activity)
 Primary Source Document: FlipChart: Harriet Tubman & The Meaning of Freedrom (see
attached PDF)
 Index cards, chart paper, markers/crayons, construction paper
 Internet Resources:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/harriet_tubman.htm
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/index.htm
http://pathways.thinkport.org/library/stills_diary.cfm
Assessment/Evaluation: Students will
Complete the “To me, Freedom means…” writing worksheet with at least 80% accuracy as
outlined by the assessment rubric.
Lesson Procedure
Background Knowledge and Purpose Setting: The teacher will:
1. Give students a blank index card. Have them go to a place in the room by themselves and
write what makes them different from everyone else in the room. Tell students not to put
their name on the card.
2. Read through cards and discuss the differences in the people in our room. Talk about how
people should not be treated badly just because they are different. For example, how would
you like to have to drink from a different water fountain or sit in the back of the room just
because you wear glasses or have green eyes?
3. Talk about how, in the past, people were treated badly because they were different. Discuss
who slaves were and how they were treated.
Before Reading: The teacher will:
Introduce children’s book Minty by Alan Schroeder and Jerry Pikney. Briefly discuss the
background of the story and explain how the students will learn about a little girl that is about
their age.
During Reading: The student will:
Make a Venn-diagram to compare how he/she is like Harriet Tubman when she was his/her age
and how the student is different from Harriet Tubman when she was his/her age. Think about
what freedom means to them.
After Reading: The student will:
1. View/discuss the flipchart “Harriet Tubman & The Meaning of Freedom” which contains
several primary source documents and photos of Harriet Tubman.
2. Working in small groups, students will create a freedom chart to help them understand what
freedom really means to humankind, to understand that with freedom comes certain limits
and responsibilities (citizenship), and comprehend why Harriet Tubman would work so hard
and risk her life to free herself and others from slavery:
 Groups divide a poster into four equal columns

Label the first column FREEDOM and have students list simple but important freedoms
they enjoy. These may be freedom to be part of their family, freedom to make friends,
freedom to go to school and learn, eat, sleep, work, etc

Label the second column IMPORTANCE and have each student tell why each freedom
in the first column is important to them

Label the 3rd column SLAVERY. Students describe what happened when slaves were
deprived of the freedoms listed in columns 1 and 2. Example-slaves could not leave the
plantation, slaves were often sold and separated from their families.

Label the last column FEELINGS. Students describe how they would feel if each
freedom listed was taken away from them.
3. After each group completes its freedom chart, discuss the idea that having freedom involves
being able to make basic choices and decisions about life. Ask students if they interpret
being free as doing whatever they want, whenever they want. Referring back to the freedom
chart, as a class brainstorm a list of some ways in which their freedoms are limited, i.e.
having a bedtime, not being able to eat everything you want, limited T.V. time… Then, as a
class, make a list of ways that an adult’s freedom may be limited.
Closure:
Finally, students draw conclusions about the reason for these limitations as well as reflect on
what freedom means to them. Explain to students that they will be writing about and illustrating
their definition of freedom. Provide students with the following writing prompt: “To me,
Freedom means…”
Using the assessment rubric, review with students the expectations for the assignment. Be sure
to stress to the students that they will need to include three specific examples from their everyday
lives to support their definition of freedom.
After students have completed the assignment, allow them to share their work.
Assessment Rubric:
Excellent
Content (25 pts.):
Definition of freedom
Example #1
Example #2
Example #3
Illustration (15 pts.):
Related to Written
Definition
Conventions (10 pts.):
Paragraph Format
Spelling
Punctuation
Neatness
Teacher Comments:
Good
Fair
Extension/Differentiation: The student could:
Diary Entry: Student will write a diary entry for December 18, 1865, the day slavery was
officially outlawed in the U.S. Students will write the entry from 45 year-old Harriet Tubman’s
point of view.
 Students will focus on describing how she felt when she heard the news and why she felt
these ways
 Students will consider what hopes she may have had for the future of freed slaves.
Passwords to Freedom: The Underground Railroad had “passengers,” “conductors,” and
“stations.” Read the tradebook, Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman. Ask student to
suppose that they were conductors on the Underground Railroad. Have them think of code words
and passwords for different situations they might encounter, such as “danger” or “all clear.”
Students create a code book and write their passwords and definitions.
Portrait of Harriet Tubman: Who was Harriet Tubman? What prompted her to help others?
Tell students to research the life of Harriet Tubman. They can present their findings in the form
of a short story, a play, a poem, or a song.
Harriet Tubman Web Hunt: Using the following website,
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/harriet_tubman.htm, to
explore and learn more about Harriet Tubman’s remarkable life. Complete the Web Hunt
Question Sheet to keep track of what you learned.