Curriculum planning chart Generative Topic : The Underground Railroad

Concept* ("The student will understand") The Big Idea Slavery was so brutal, the uncertainty of making it all the way north was more desirable for many than staying in bondage. 5.1.4.C. Explain the principles and ideals shaping local and state government. Liberty / Freedom, Democracy, Justice, Equality 5.2.4.A. Identify individual rights and needs and the rights and needs of others in the classroom, school, and community 5.2.4.B. Describe the sources of conflict and disagreement and different ways conflict can be resolved. 6.1.4.B.Recognize the difference between basic needs and wants. Standard Assessment (How will you have evidence that they know it?) Observations of how students are responding to the informational literature Discussions/present ations in groups regarding the impact of the laws on individuals Persuasive essay calling for the President to lift the Fugitive Slave Act using three key reasons Re-write of the law to make it just for everyone North Star and constellation graphic representation Illustration of double-meaning lyrics found in freedom songs

Subject: Social Studies/Literacy/Science

Facts ("The students will know") The Compromise of 1850 tightened peoples ability to escape and/or to help others escape. Despite the risks, people escaped anyway. People were routinely captured along the way and brought back to their masters, subjected to harsh penalties, even death. People listened to secret codes through songs to navigate escape routes. People had to be familiar with a variety of ways to navigate along their journey north Skills ("The students will be able to") Analyze how laws affected many key players in the freedom movement of the Underground Railroad and produce arguments to present their case Create a petition in the form of a persuasive essay calling for the president to lift the Fugitive Slave Act Interpret the hidden meanings of songs and create illustrative representations of those meanings Create a graphic organizer depicting all of the constellations in the sky that would be important to know for locating the North Star

Name: Allison Archer

Activities:

Problems to pose ("Guiding questions" or "unit questions") If you had been a/an , how would this law have affected your life? The government wanted to appease the South to prevent them from seceding. Was this law fair? Is it possible to come up with a compromise with people who are bent on taking away others rights? When was it safest for people to travel and why? Was the light of the moon useful or harmful as someone traveled? How would you communicate direction to someone if you couldnt use actual words? How would you know they understood your intended meaning?

Students will read a version of the Fugitive Slave Act to decipher its effect Students will present the ideas of their group to members of other groups Students will engage in a gallery walk to recognize the reasons of their peers for why the law should be overturned. Students will watch an audio reading of The Drinking Gourd Students will be shown transparencies of constellations in relation to the North Star Students will interpret songs using terms and phrases

Central Question How did people escape from the bondages of slavery?

* It is important to note that the concept might remain the same across subjects (e.g., the concept on the math curriculum table might be the same as the concept on the social studies curriculum table), OR it might be different.