Browse lesson plans

Freedom with Harriet: Life on the Underground Railroad

This lesson for grades 6–8 will help students understand the experiences of slaves in the South who sought freedom via the Underground Railroad. Students will analyze a painting and create a living tableau that reflects the issues and emotions the painting evokes.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Dianne Harlow.

Inside and outside: Paradox of the box

This lesson serves to introduce students to symbolism (the box), to the literary element paradox, and to the abstract notion of ambiguity (freedom vs. confinement). It is designed for 2nd and 3rd graders, but may be adapted for use with upper elementary or early middle school grades.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–6 English Language Arts)

By Edie McDowell.

Underground Railroad quilts: Fact or folklore?

In this lesson, students explore the controversy surrounding a book entitled Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad, which was published as a non-fiction account of fugitive slaves sending coded messages through quilt patterns. Students evaluate numerous sources and assess the validity of each in an attempt to determine if the quilt codes are fact or folklore.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Abby Stotsenberg.

Resources on the web

Historical fiction: Using literature to learn about the Civil War

In this lesson, the teacher reads aloud a section of Connie Porter's Meet Addy, a book from The American Girls Collection® that tells the story of a young girl who escapes from slavery during... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

John Brown and the Underground Railroad

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students will analyze John Brown's attitudes and actions against slavery. They will then compare Brown's views with those of other people who were active in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. They will... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Quilting: The story of the Underground Railroad

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students use the Internet to research the dangers that escaping slaves faced along the Underground Railroad and the factors that helped the slaves make it to freedom. They'll conclude by designing quilts describing what they've... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Would you have helped out?

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students will investigate the dangers faced by escaping slaves and their helpers on the Underground Railroad. Pretending to live back in the time of slavery, students consider whether they would have helped the escaping slaves.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions