Created by: Jessica Greenen
Northern Illinois University
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This is intended for learning about the Underground Railroad in elementary
school (3rd-5th grade)
This Lesson includes:
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A short video clip to gain background knowledge about the Underground
Railroad
Vocabulary words dealing with the Underground Railroad
Important people on the Underground Railroad
An interactive Underground Railroad journey
Information about how slaves hid on the Underground Railroad
How people moved along the Underground Railroad (this part of the lesson
allows students to draw geographical conclusions)
 Worksheets & lesson outline are included below
Directions
Objectives: The students will be able to:
1. Explain the path that fugitives took on the Underground Railroad and how the
fugitives hid on the Underground Railroad
2. Identify and describe the physical landforms that affected overland travel on the
Underground Railroad
National Geography Standards (Geography for Life, 2nd edition):
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Geography Standard 9: The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human
population on Earth’s surface
3. People move for a variety of reasons
Geography Standard 17: How to apply geography to interpret the past
1. Geographic context (the human and physical characteristics of places
and environments) are the settings for events in the past
Assessment for the Lesson
1. Through students’ responses to the questions, students will be assessed on how
well they can explain the path that fugitives took on the Underground Railroad
and how the fugitives hid on the Underground Railroad.
2. Through students’ responses to the questions, students will be assessed on how
well they can identify and describe the physical landforms that affected overland
travel on the Underground Railroad.
Materials Needed:
1. Computers for each pair of students (or each student) with internet
2. Underground Railroad worksheets/packet for each student
3. Pencils/Pens for each student
Procedures:
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Pair students (if you desire to have students work in partners)
Pass out worksheets
Have students log into computers and load the internet
Have students access website
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=7a9a5ae18bcd4331bb39a9fcb1dead5
7
5. Students will see a map of the United States
6. Have students click on the red portion of the United States (example below)
7. Students will follow the directions on their worksheets to complete this lesson
After completing step 7, the directions will be on the provided handouts
(provided below)
Student worksheet with the remaining directions is shown below
Directions: Follow the instructions below in the order they appear. If there is a
space to answer a question use the provided lines and answer the questions in
complete sentences. Be sure to answer each question. You will be using GIS
technology to discover information about the Underground Railroad.
1. Log onto
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=7a9a5ae18bcd4331bb39a9fcb1dead57
2. Open the Underground Railroad map
3. Make sure the map is zoomed in so that you can only see the United States
4. Click on the portion of the United States that is RED
5. An information box should pop up. Read the information in the box.
6. Click on the link “URR Video Clip”
7. Watch the video and answer the questions below
Questions #1: In your own words, what was the Underground Railroad? Was it a
real railroad?
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Question #2: How did people travel on the Underground Railroad? How long did it
take?
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8. Exit the video screen and return to the information box
9. Click on the link “Background & Vocabulary”
10. Scroll down and click on the blue tab labeled “vocabulary”
11. Fill in the table below
Directions: Write the definitions of the provided words
Abolitionist
Conductor
Fugitive
Passenger
Route
Slave
Station
12. Exit the vocabulary page and return to the information box
13. Click on the link “People of the Underground Railroad”
14. Fill in the table below
Directions: Write a little bit about each person in the space provided. You will
need to find the person’s name and click on the link
Levi & Catherine
Coffin
Frederick
Douglass
Dred Scott
William Still
Harriet Tubman
15. Exit the people of the people of the URR page and return to the information box
16. Click on the link “interactive journey”
17. Start your journey by clicking on enter and following the directions on the page
18. Answer the questions below
Question #3: What types of troubles did you run into on your journey?
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Question #4: What happened at the end of your journey?
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19. Exit the interactive journey and return to the information box
20. Click on the link “Did you know?”
21. Answer the question below
Question #5: How and where did fugitives hide?
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22. Exit the did you know page and return to the information box
23. Click anywhere on the map to close the box
24. Now look at the GREEN arrows. These arrows represent how fugitives traveled
along the Underground Railroad. You may click on them to see the information
box with a title.
25. Answer the questions below
Question #6: What do you notice about how fugitives traveled along the
Underground Railroad? What might they have traveled through? Hint: They
probably didn’t walk for their whole journey. Look carefully at the maps and relate
to physical geographical features of the environments that fugitives were in.
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Question #7: What directions did fugitives travel when leaving the south? Hint:
Use N,E,S,W. Why did they travel in those directions?
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Question #8: What types of places did fugitives escape to? Hint: Look at the
types of places where the arrows point to.
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Question #9: Why would fugitives want to escape to the places you listed in
question 8?
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Question #10: How do you think peoples’ lives were influenced by living in the
south in this time period? Hint: Think of slaves, fugitive slaves, abolitionists, and
slave owners.
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