Writing a Research Paper: Slaves and New Bedford Whaling
Grade Level: 9-10
Subject Matter: English, United States History
Time Allotment: 5 weeks
Topic: Research Paper on New Bedford & its Connection to Runaway Slaves .
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to:
 Enhance their understanding of the history of American Slavery, especially
relating to local connections.
 Locate, evaluate, and incorporate both primary and secondary (print, visual, and electronic) source
documents into their own written histories.
 Develop their own thoughtful, original analyses that are well-supported by historical evidence.
 Continue to develop their abilities in writing analytical papers.
STANDARDS
From the English Language Arts Standards » Reading: Informational Text » Grade 9-10
KEY IDEAS & DETAILS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course
of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text.
CRAFT & STRUCTURE
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.5 Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by
particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an
author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE & IDEAS
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.8 Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and
fallacious reasoning.
RANGE OF READING AND LEVEL OF TEXT COMPLEXITY
By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literacy nonfiction in the grades 9-10 text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9-10 text complexity
band independently and proficiently.
Prep for Teachers
Check computers for internet access.
For the class:
Students will need access to internet and word processing software. Students should bring their own USB to
save their work or send it to their email account.
For each student:
Copy of Walking Tour Handout
Copy of
Introductory Activity
Tour of New Bedford Underground Railroad \
Modified from the New Bedford ECHO Project’s Learning Experience 2 & 3
Students participate in a community-based exploration of the New Bedford
Underground Railroad by visiting sites and routes of escaped slaves. The tour
may be a self-guided tour or it may be guided by a knowledgeable local historian.
As an alternative to the walking tour, or as background for the tour, students may
take a virtual tour using this website:
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
The Underground Railroad, New Bedford PDF Version
http://www.nps.gov/archive/nebe/undergrnd.htm
Materials
• Notepads
• Pens
• Cameras (optional)
• Tote bags for gathering brochures and other literature
• Walking Tour Handout
Procedure
• Students participate in the Walking Tour. They should be encouraged to ask questions and to pause for
photographs. Be prepared for weather conditions; and, of course, follow school procedures for field trips.
• During the walking tour, discuss ideas for photographs
Evaluation:
Discussion of what students added to their Walking Tour Worksheet
Students add to their worksheet
Teacher collects worksheet
This activity should give most students clear ideas for the focus of their research paper.
Learning Activity:
Research Paper
Modified from:
Kashatus, William C. "4: Writing the Railroad-Local History Research Papers." In Pursuit of Freedom:
Teaching the Underground Railroad. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2005. 78-85. Print.
1. Research papers must address New Bedford’s connection to the Underground Railroad and describe the
importance of that connection and how it relates to important events that took place during the time
period 1800-1865. Students will address this connection through the “I-search” method (Living History
Project by Mike Larson and written by Cindy Heckenlaible).
2. Papers must explain what students have learned about race relations from their research and how we can
apply that knowledge to race relations in our country today.
3. Papers must contain at least four bibliographic sources, three of which must be primary sources and
contain at least one photograph that relates to the thesis statement of the paper.
4. Students will observe the following process in the research and writing of the paper:
 Identify libraries, special collections, and/or historical societies for information and visit them.
 Find primary source documents relating to the topic and complete a Document Analysis
Worksheet.
 Choose a narrative for the paper (paper’s point of view). See worksheet
 Find a photograph relating to the topic and complete the Photo Analysis Worksheet.
 Create an outline.
 Take notes using note cards either online or on paper. Remember point of view needed. Need at
least 20 facts within paper.
 Write a first draft narrative based on outline.
 After peer/teacher review, edit and write the final draft.
Each step of this process MUST be approved before students may go on to the next step
5. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, and a minimum of six pages, or about fifteen hundred words in
length, not including title page, outline, endnotes, photographs, or bibliography.
Research Sites
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New Bedford Free Public Library
New Bedford Historical Society
New Bedford Whaling Museum
New Bedford Whaling Museum Collections (Kendall Library, Maritime Curator Michael Dyer)
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom at www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio
at www.undergroundrailroad.com
 Archive.org
 Whaling Museum at http://www.whalingmuseum.org/learn
 The Underground Railroad Map of New Bedford
 Nathan and Mary Johnson Property at http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/ma6.htm
 What Was the Underground Railroad and How Did It Work?
at http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=5947
 Whaling Archives – comprehensive index of men and ships on whaling voyages from the New
Bedford Customs District from 1807 through 1925
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http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/Library/Whaling/Whaling.html
Extracts of Whaling Records at http://history.vineyard.net/dukes/sailors5.htm
Underground Railroad Digital Classroom at http://housedivided.dickinson.edu/ugrr/
Class web site at http://newbedfordundergroundrailroad.weebly.com/
Thesis Statement at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/1/
Outlining at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/01/
Note Taking
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Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/
Paraphrasing at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/02/
Narrative writing at http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/describe.html and
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/04/
Understanding Peer Editing at http://www.colby.edu/writers.center/peerediting.html
Students should try to complete the paper with a number of days to spare before handing it in so that they can
read it over at least 5 times:
• Re-read for effectiveness of thesis statement –overall and within sub-parts and paragraphs – probably 2
readings
• Re-read for logical consistency
• Re-read for repetitive ideas and vocabulary
• Re-read for verb tenses and overall style.
Culminating Activity/Assessment:
 Rubric Assessment