GR 6 7 Wonders_TG.qxd
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LEVELS 13–28
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 2
H–M
SOCIAL STUDIES
Civic Ideals & Practices
Reader’s Theater
T E AC H E R ’ S G U I D E
Harriet Tubman and the Underground
Railroad
Total words: 1,033
Summary
Objectives LITERACY ! Students will: • Develop fluency and expression by practicing text at an appropriate reading level • Understand characters’ motives, actions, and feelings
!SOCIAL STUDIES
Students will: • Learn about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman’s role in it • Recognize the importance of personal freedom CHARACTER EDUCATION
!
Gran helps Tanya with a school speech about the Underground Railroad. Gran tells the story of her greatgrandfather John who was a slave in the South before the Civil War.The scene now shifts to the past. John and his fellow slave Mack learn that Harriet Tubman, who helps lead slaves north to freedom, will soon be in their area.They listen to Harriet’s song and the secret message in it and begin walking north. After several days, they stop at the shoe shop of Tom Garrett, a white man. Garrett gives the men shoes and sends a cart to take them farther north. Back in the present, Gran tells Tanya that John and Mack made it safely to Canada, where they lived freely, married, and had children.
Characters
Levels
Tanya
H
13–14
Thomas Garrett
I
15–16
Mack
J
18
Harriett Tubman
K
20
John
L
24
Gran
M
28
Students will learn about: • Courage—do the right thing, even when it is difficult • Perseverance—keep trying, even when a situation seems hopeless
Reader’s Theater for
Fluency and Comprehension
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BEFORE Reading 1. Build Background • Show students a map of North America and explain that until about 150 years ago, slavery was legal in the southern United States (from Virginia,Tennessee, and Arkansas south). Point out the northern United States and Canada where slavery was not legal. Show how far Maryland is from Canada. • Write the words underground and railroad on the board and discuss their meanings.Tell students that the railroad in the play does not have trains or tracks. Have them speculate what the Underground Railroad might be.
2. Introduce the Script • Give students a copy of the script and explain that they are going to read a play about slaves in the South in the 1860s and some people who helped them. Ask them to turn to the list of characters, and read through it with them. Have students speculate about how these characters might be connected to one another. • Explain that the play shifts between the present and the past and that Gran is the narrator. • Instruct the students to skim the text, looking at the organization and illustrations and identifying the characters. If students are unfamiliar with the format of a play, explain how the text is organized and how they can tell when a different character is speaking. For
English Language Learners
instruction on introducing the script, refer to page 6.
3. Discuss Vocabulary • Point out the word runaway on page 7. Have students identify the two words in the compound and explain what the compound means. • Read aloud these figures of speech on page 15: I feel like I’m in a coffin and Soon you will be tasting the sweet air of freedom. Ask students what a coffin is and discuss what John means by his comparison. Ask students if the sweet air of freedom is a real thing and discuss what John means by this description. For
2
English Language Learners
instruction on vocabulary and phonics, refer to page 6.
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DURING Reading 4. Read the Script • Familiarize students with the content and vocabulary of the script by having them read along with you as you model fluent reading. Informally assess students’ reading as you: • Note students’ level of participation. • Note any vocabulary words that are still challenging for students to read. When finished, address questions about word pronunciation or meaning. • Read the script chorally again, noting whether students’ interpretations of the characters show an understanding of the story. ther Reread toge the t u o through velop week to de and confidence cy. build fluen
3
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Page 5
AFTER Reading Building Character • Harriet Tubman helped many slaves escape even though she was free and could be punished for what she did. Tell about someone you know or have heard or read about who shows courage like this today. • John and Mack do not give up; they keep on trying, both when they are slaves and when they are escaping. What could you say to encourage the two men in each situation?
Staging and Performance Suggestions • Act out present-day scenes with Gran and Tanya in a small area at stage left. Use the rest of the stage for scenes from the past. • Students can paint stars on a large sheet of black paper to display during night scenes. • Props can include rakes for John and Mack as they work in the field. They can carry pillowcases filled with rags for their bundles as they escape. • John and Mack and some extras can walk in a line behind Harriet Tubman to dramatize the escape.
4
5. Interpret the Script Discuss Ideas and Issues • Harriet Tubman used to be a slave. What do you think this fact had to do with her role in the Underground Railroad? • Harriet says, “We got to go free or die.” What does she mean? • Why do you think people such as Thomas Garret were willing to help slaves on the Underground Railroad even though they could get into trouble for doing that?
6. Assign Roles & Rehearse the Script • Use the reading levels provided to help you assign roles. • Decide whether to develop a simple reading of the script or a dramatization of it. • Discuss the staging. Use the suggestions provided here and in the Teacher’s Handbook. • Discuss rehearsal expectations. See the Teacher’s Handbook. • During the first rehearsal, offer suggestions for expression and voice. During the second rehearsal, act only as the audience. • Provide feedback at the end of the rehearsal. See the Teacher’s Handbook. For
English Language Learners
instruction on modeling the play, refer to page 7.
7. Perform the Script • Read the script as a Reader’s Theater or dramatize it as a play. For
English Language Learners
instruction on performing the play, refer to page 7.
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Content Connections Geography Runaway slaves traveled on foot, on horseback, and in horse-drawn carts. Sometimes they had to pay to take a boat or train.The routes of slaves on the Underground Railroad depended on where “safe houses” were located.The routes covered thousands of miles; most routes were on roads going from South to North.Today people can visit some of the safe houses used by the Underground Railroad. For example, Joseph Goodrich built a log cabin in Milton, Wisconsin. Later he built a hotel nearby. Escaping slaves would go into the log cabin and then through a tunnel to the hotel’s basement.There Goodrich and his family would give the runaways food and shelter. Try This! Make a map of Underground Railroad routes. 1. Find a map that shows the routes that escaping slaves took at the following Web site: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/under ground/routes.htm 2. Trace a map of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, or use an outline map that your teacher gives you. 3 On your map, use different colors to draw the routes shown on the web site. 4. Compare maps with several classmates. Discuss the kinds of transportation that people would have used on each route.
Literacy Extensions Song with a Mes sage Harriet Tubman’s song inc luded clues about the sun coming up and a bird calling. Write a song like Harriet Tubman’s. Use clues that give a friend a secret message about meeting at a cer tain time and place. Speech about th e Underground Ra ilroad At the end of the play,Tany a says she knows what her speech wil l be.With a par tner, prepare a speech about the Underground Railroad. On e person can describe the Underground Railroad’s purpose and how it worke d.The other can describe Harriet Tubma n’s role in the railroad.
on Character Educati Connection om and
ked her freed Harriet Tubman ris rs get their freeher life to help othe are a person who dom. Pretend you by taking the has escaped slavery e ad to Canada. Writ Underground Railro w ho Tubman.Tell her a letter to Harriet at she did for you. you feel about wh
For background information and other books of interest, refer to page 8.
5
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Page 7
English Language L Vocabulary
1. Introduce the Script
• Locate words that may cause difficulty such as escaped on page 4. Say: To escape means to get away from something or someone. Say: Some slaves escaped from slavery. Harriet Tubman helped slaves escape. • Review the words and have students work with partners to write and identify other possibly difficult words. • Help students predict the meaning of unfamiliar words using the following questions:
Comprehension
1. Does this word look like a word I know? (cognates) 2. Is this word formed by two smaller words? (compound words) Do I know the meaning of the smaller words? If I put the meanings together, can I guess the meaning of the original word? 3. Does this word have a smaller word I now know? (base word/prefixes/suffixes) What could the other part mean? 4. Does this phrase have some words I know? Who is using the phrase? Is this character answering a question or expressing something? What could this mean in the story?
Phonics • Write the and think. Underline the th in each word as you say it aloud. Have students repeat after you. Specify how the th in the makes a hard sound. The th in think makes a soft sound. • Practice pronouncing other words that highlight these sounds, such as then, that, they, thief, thank, third.
6
• Introduce the topic of slavery by asking students what they might know about it. Ask: Do you know what a slave is? Have you heard any stories about slavery? Invite volunteers to share any information. If necessary, say: A slave is a person who must do work for another person. Most slaves don’t get paid for their work. • Ask: Did you know that people were slaves here in the United States? Say: Many years ago, white people had slaves.They made the slaves work and didn’t pay them. This was called slavery. But some slaves ran away. The play we are going to read is about a woman named Harriet Tubman. She helped slaves become free.
2. Explain the Structure of a Play • Ask volunteers to point to and name characters pictured in the illustrations. Help students with unfamiliar names, such as Harriet Tubman. • Be sure students understand that some of the characters live in the present and others are from the past. Draw a T-chart on the board. Label the left column Present, the right column Past. Guide students to name the present-day characters. Write these names in the left column of the chart. Add the characters from the past to the left column.
42495_TG.qxd:New Reader th TG rev
7/22/08
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Page 8
ge Learners 3. Model the Script
Multilevel Strategies
• Read the play aloud as students follow the text in their books.You may use gestures and dramatic expression to help students follow the story.
Review the characters in the play by asking students questions like the following.
• Reread sections or lines as needed. Ask students to identify illustrations of characters and actions in the play.
Beginner
• Check for comprehension. Some appropriate pauses and comments for this play are: Page 2 • Ask: What must Tanya do for school? Who answers her questions about the Underground Railroad? Was the Underground Railroad a train? (No, it was a way for slaves to become free.) Pages 3–4 • Ask: How does Gran know about the Underground Railroad? Who is Harriet Tubman? Does she live in the present? How did she help other slaves? Pages 5–6 • Ask: Who are John and Mack? Do they live in the present? What did Mack dream about? Pages 8–10 • Ask: Was it easy to get to a free state? What secret way did Harriet tell the slaves what to do? Pages 14–15 • Ask: Did John and Mack get to Canada? How do you think they felt when they got there?
4. Perform the Script • Assign roles to students depending on your assessment of their reading and speaking levels, their comprehension, and how comfortable they feel representing each character.
Point to the picture of John and Mack on page 4. Ask: Was John a slave? Then point to the picture of Harriet Tubman on page 13. Ask: Is this Harriet Tubman? Did Harriet Tubman help John escape from slavery?
Intermediate
Point to a picture of Tanya. Ask: Who told Tanya about the Underground Railroad—Gran or Harriet Tubman? Point to Harriet Tubman. Ask: Did Harriet help slaves or hurt slaves? Name one slave Harriet helped.
Advanced
Point to the picture of Tanya on page 3. Ask: Who is this? Who told Tanya about the Underground Railroad? Then point to the picture of Harriet Tubman on page 13. Ask: Who is this? How did Harriet Tubman help slaves? Say: Point to two slaves Harriet helped. Ask: Who are they?
For ordering information, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465 or visit our Web site at www.benchmarkeducation.com. Copyright © 2005 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada.
7
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Page 1
Other Books of Interest
Background Information
BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY
A Seat on the Bus
The Underground Railroad Between 1810 and 1850, about 100,000 slaves escaped from the South by the Underground Railroad. Safe houses along the routes were called stations or depots; the people who ran the houses were stationmasters; and the people who helped lead slaves on their journey, such as Harriet Tubman, were conductors. Slaves left their owners’ houses in the middle of the night, often with a black conductor posing as a slave. They traveled ten to twenty miles at a time, always at night. Harriet Tubman had many ways to avoid capture. For example, when pursued by a slave hunter, she would turn around and head back South. She would start the trip on Saturday nights; notices of missing slaves couldn’t be posted until Monday morning. Underground Railroad workers besides Tubman included Thomas Garrett, a Quaker businessman in Wilmington, Delaware. He helped slaves escape for about forty years. Levi Coffin, also a Quaker, helped more than 3,000 slaves escape. Black “railroad workers” included William Still, a prominent merchant from Philadelphia, and Frederick Douglass, the freed slave who published an abolitionist newspaper. (Abolitionists were the people who worked to abolish, or get rid of, slavery.)
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in 1820. As a young field worker, she was hit in the head by a weight thrown by a white overseer at another worker. She had collapsing spells for the rest of her life. She ran away in 1849 with the help of a white woman and returned over the next few years to help her sister, brother, and parents escape. Over a span of ten years, Harriet made nineteen trips into the South, helping over 300 slaves escape. She worked as a cook, nurse, and spy for the Union during the Civil War. She died in 1913.
E N C H M A R K
by Faith Ringgold. Dragonfly Books
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards. HarperTrophy
Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad by F. N. Monjo. HarperCollins
Journey to Freedom: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Courtni C. Wright. Holiday House
The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Barbara Greenwood. Rebound by Sagebrush
Life on the Underground Railroad by Sally Senzell Isaacs. Heinemann Library
Web Sites
Harriet Tubman
B
Trade Books Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
E
D U C AT I O N
C
www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/ www.beavton.k12.or.us/greenway/leahy/ugrr/
O M PA N Y
LEVELS 13–28
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 2
H–M
SOCIAL STUDIES
Civic Ideals & Practices
Reader’s Theater
T E AC H E R ’ S G U I D E
Harriet Tubman and the Underground
Railroad
Total words: 1,033
Summary
Objectives LITERACY ! Students will: • Develop fluency and expression by practicing text at an appropriate reading level • Understand characters’ motives, actions, and feelings
!SOCIAL STUDIES
Students will: • Learn about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman’s role in it • Recognize the importance of personal freedom CHARACTER EDUCATION
!
Gran helps Tanya with a school speech about the Underground Railroad. Gran tells the story of her greatgrandfather John who was a slave in the South before the Civil War.The scene now shifts to the past. John and his fellow slave Mack learn that Harriet Tubman, who helps lead slaves north to freedom, will soon be in their area.They listen to Harriet’s song and the secret message in it and begin walking north. After several days, they stop at the shoe shop of Tom Garrett, a white man. Garrett gives the men shoes and sends a cart to take them farther north. Back in the present, Gran tells Tanya that John and Mack made it safely to Canada, where they lived freely, married, and had children.
Characters
Levels
Tanya
H
13–14
Thomas Garrett
I
15–16
Mack
J
18
Harriett Tubman
K
20
John
L
24
Gran
M
28
Students will learn about: • Courage—do the right thing, even when it is difficult • Perseverance—keep trying, even when a situation seems hopeless
Reader’s Theater for
Fluency and Comprehension
42495_TG.qxd:New Reader th TG rev
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 3
BEFORE Reading 1. Build Background • Show students a map of North America and explain that until about 150 years ago, slavery was legal in the southern United States (from Virginia,Tennessee, and Arkansas south). Point out the northern United States and Canada where slavery was not legal. Show how far Maryland is from Canada. • Write the words underground and railroad on the board and discuss their meanings.Tell students that the railroad in the play does not have trains or tracks. Have them speculate what the Underground Railroad might be.
2. Introduce the Script • Give students a copy of the script and explain that they are going to read a play about slaves in the South in the 1860s and some people who helped them. Ask them to turn to the list of characters, and read through it with them. Have students speculate about how these characters might be connected to one another. • Explain that the play shifts between the present and the past and that Gran is the narrator. • Instruct the students to skim the text, looking at the organization and illustrations and identifying the characters. If students are unfamiliar with the format of a play, explain how the text is organized and how they can tell when a different character is speaking. For
English Language Learners
instruction on introducing the script, refer to page 6.
3. Discuss Vocabulary • Point out the word runaway on page 7. Have students identify the two words in the compound and explain what the compound means. • Read aloud these figures of speech on page 15: I feel like I’m in a coffin and Soon you will be tasting the sweet air of freedom. Ask students what a coffin is and discuss what John means by his comparison. Ask students if the sweet air of freedom is a real thing and discuss what John means by this description. For
2
English Language Learners
instruction on vocabulary and phonics, refer to page 6.
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7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 4
DURING Reading 4. Read the Script • Familiarize students with the content and vocabulary of the script by having them read along with you as you model fluent reading. Informally assess students’ reading as you: • Note students’ level of participation. • Note any vocabulary words that are still challenging for students to read. When finished, address questions about word pronunciation or meaning. • Read the script chorally again, noting whether students’ interpretations of the characters show an understanding of the story. ther Reread toge the t u o through velop week to de and confidence cy. build fluen
3
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7/22/08
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Page 5
AFTER Reading Building Character • Harriet Tubman helped many slaves escape even though she was free and could be punished for what she did. Tell about someone you know or have heard or read about who shows courage like this today. • John and Mack do not give up; they keep on trying, both when they are slaves and when they are escaping. What could you say to encourage the two men in each situation?
Staging and Performance Suggestions • Act out present-day scenes with Gran and Tanya in a small area at stage left. Use the rest of the stage for scenes from the past. • Students can paint stars on a large sheet of black paper to display during night scenes. • Props can include rakes for John and Mack as they work in the field. They can carry pillowcases filled with rags for their bundles as they escape. • John and Mack and some extras can walk in a line behind Harriet Tubman to dramatize the escape.
4
5. Interpret the Script Discuss Ideas and Issues • Harriet Tubman used to be a slave. What do you think this fact had to do with her role in the Underground Railroad? • Harriet says, “We got to go free or die.” What does she mean? • Why do you think people such as Thomas Garret were willing to help slaves on the Underground Railroad even though they could get into trouble for doing that?
6. Assign Roles & Rehearse the Script • Use the reading levels provided to help you assign roles. • Decide whether to develop a simple reading of the script or a dramatization of it. • Discuss the staging. Use the suggestions provided here and in the Teacher’s Handbook. • Discuss rehearsal expectations. See the Teacher’s Handbook. • During the first rehearsal, offer suggestions for expression and voice. During the second rehearsal, act only as the audience. • Provide feedback at the end of the rehearsal. See the Teacher’s Handbook. For
English Language Learners
instruction on modeling the play, refer to page 7.
7. Perform the Script • Read the script as a Reader’s Theater or dramatize it as a play. For
English Language Learners
instruction on performing the play, refer to page 7.
42495_TG.qxd:New Reader th TG rev
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 6
Content Connections Geography Runaway slaves traveled on foot, on horseback, and in horse-drawn carts. Sometimes they had to pay to take a boat or train.The routes of slaves on the Underground Railroad depended on where “safe houses” were located.The routes covered thousands of miles; most routes were on roads going from South to North.Today people can visit some of the safe houses used by the Underground Railroad. For example, Joseph Goodrich built a log cabin in Milton, Wisconsin. Later he built a hotel nearby. Escaping slaves would go into the log cabin and then through a tunnel to the hotel’s basement.There Goodrich and his family would give the runaways food and shelter. Try This! Make a map of Underground Railroad routes. 1. Find a map that shows the routes that escaping slaves took at the following Web site: www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/under ground/routes.htm 2. Trace a map of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, or use an outline map that your teacher gives you. 3 On your map, use different colors to draw the routes shown on the web site. 4. Compare maps with several classmates. Discuss the kinds of transportation that people would have used on each route.
Literacy Extensions Song with a Mes sage Harriet Tubman’s song inc luded clues about the sun coming up and a bird calling. Write a song like Harriet Tubman’s. Use clues that give a friend a secret message about meeting at a cer tain time and place. Speech about th e Underground Ra ilroad At the end of the play,Tany a says she knows what her speech wil l be.With a par tner, prepare a speech about the Underground Railroad. On e person can describe the Underground Railroad’s purpose and how it worke d.The other can describe Harriet Tubma n’s role in the railroad.
on Character Educati Connection om and
ked her freed Harriet Tubman ris rs get their freeher life to help othe are a person who dom. Pretend you by taking the has escaped slavery e ad to Canada. Writ Underground Railro w ho Tubman.Tell her a letter to Harriet at she did for you. you feel about wh
For background information and other books of interest, refer to page 8.
5
42495_TG.qxd:New Reader th TG rev
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 7
English Language L Vocabulary
1. Introduce the Script
• Locate words that may cause difficulty such as escaped on page 4. Say: To escape means to get away from something or someone. Say: Some slaves escaped from slavery. Harriet Tubman helped slaves escape. • Review the words and have students work with partners to write and identify other possibly difficult words. • Help students predict the meaning of unfamiliar words using the following questions:
Comprehension
1. Does this word look like a word I know? (cognates) 2. Is this word formed by two smaller words? (compound words) Do I know the meaning of the smaller words? If I put the meanings together, can I guess the meaning of the original word? 3. Does this word have a smaller word I now know? (base word/prefixes/suffixes) What could the other part mean? 4. Does this phrase have some words I know? Who is using the phrase? Is this character answering a question or expressing something? What could this mean in the story?
Phonics • Write the and think. Underline the th in each word as you say it aloud. Have students repeat after you. Specify how the th in the makes a hard sound. The th in think makes a soft sound. • Practice pronouncing other words that highlight these sounds, such as then, that, they, thief, thank, third.
6
• Introduce the topic of slavery by asking students what they might know about it. Ask: Do you know what a slave is? Have you heard any stories about slavery? Invite volunteers to share any information. If necessary, say: A slave is a person who must do work for another person. Most slaves don’t get paid for their work. • Ask: Did you know that people were slaves here in the United States? Say: Many years ago, white people had slaves.They made the slaves work and didn’t pay them. This was called slavery. But some slaves ran away. The play we are going to read is about a woman named Harriet Tubman. She helped slaves become free.
2. Explain the Structure of a Play • Ask volunteers to point to and name characters pictured in the illustrations. Help students with unfamiliar names, such as Harriet Tubman. • Be sure students understand that some of the characters live in the present and others are from the past. Draw a T-chart on the board. Label the left column Present, the right column Past. Guide students to name the present-day characters. Write these names in the left column of the chart. Add the characters from the past to the left column.
42495_TG.qxd:New Reader th TG rev
7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 8
ge Learners 3. Model the Script
Multilevel Strategies
• Read the play aloud as students follow the text in their books.You may use gestures and dramatic expression to help students follow the story.
Review the characters in the play by asking students questions like the following.
• Reread sections or lines as needed. Ask students to identify illustrations of characters and actions in the play.
Beginner
• Check for comprehension. Some appropriate pauses and comments for this play are: Page 2 • Ask: What must Tanya do for school? Who answers her questions about the Underground Railroad? Was the Underground Railroad a train? (No, it was a way for slaves to become free.) Pages 3–4 • Ask: How does Gran know about the Underground Railroad? Who is Harriet Tubman? Does she live in the present? How did she help other slaves? Pages 5–6 • Ask: Who are John and Mack? Do they live in the present? What did Mack dream about? Pages 8–10 • Ask: Was it easy to get to a free state? What secret way did Harriet tell the slaves what to do? Pages 14–15 • Ask: Did John and Mack get to Canada? How do you think they felt when they got there?
4. Perform the Script • Assign roles to students depending on your assessment of their reading and speaking levels, their comprehension, and how comfortable they feel representing each character.
Point to the picture of John and Mack on page 4. Ask: Was John a slave? Then point to the picture of Harriet Tubman on page 13. Ask: Is this Harriet Tubman? Did Harriet Tubman help John escape from slavery?
Intermediate
Point to a picture of Tanya. Ask: Who told Tanya about the Underground Railroad—Gran or Harriet Tubman? Point to Harriet Tubman. Ask: Did Harriet help slaves or hurt slaves? Name one slave Harriet helped.
Advanced
Point to the picture of Tanya on page 3. Ask: Who is this? Who told Tanya about the Underground Railroad? Then point to the picture of Harriet Tubman on page 13. Ask: Who is this? How did Harriet Tubman help slaves? Say: Point to two slaves Harriet helped. Ask: Who are they?
For ordering information, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465 or visit our Web site at www.benchmarkeducation.com. Copyright © 2005 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada.
7
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7/22/08
12:55 PM
Page 1
Other Books of Interest
Background Information
BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY
A Seat on the Bus
The Underground Railroad Between 1810 and 1850, about 100,000 slaves escaped from the South by the Underground Railroad. Safe houses along the routes were called stations or depots; the people who ran the houses were stationmasters; and the people who helped lead slaves on their journey, such as Harriet Tubman, were conductors. Slaves left their owners’ houses in the middle of the night, often with a black conductor posing as a slave. They traveled ten to twenty miles at a time, always at night. Harriet Tubman had many ways to avoid capture. For example, when pursued by a slave hunter, she would turn around and head back South. She would start the trip on Saturday nights; notices of missing slaves couldn’t be posted until Monday morning. Underground Railroad workers besides Tubman included Thomas Garrett, a Quaker businessman in Wilmington, Delaware. He helped slaves escape for about forty years. Levi Coffin, also a Quaker, helped more than 3,000 slaves escape. Black “railroad workers” included William Still, a prominent merchant from Philadelphia, and Frederick Douglass, the freed slave who published an abolitionist newspaper. (Abolitionists were the people who worked to abolish, or get rid of, slavery.)
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in 1820. As a young field worker, she was hit in the head by a weight thrown by a white overseer at another worker. She had collapsing spells for the rest of her life. She ran away in 1849 with the help of a white woman and returned over the next few years to help her sister, brother, and parents escape. Over a span of ten years, Harriet made nineteen trips into the South, helping over 300 slaves escape. She worked as a cook, nurse, and spy for the Union during the Civil War. She died in 1913.
E N C H M A R K
by Faith Ringgold. Dragonfly Books
Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad by Pamela Duncan Edwards. HarperTrophy
Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad by F. N. Monjo. HarperCollins
Journey to Freedom: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Courtni C. Wright. Holiday House
The Last Safe House: A Story of the Underground Railroad by Barbara Greenwood. Rebound by Sagebrush
Life on the Underground Railroad by Sally Senzell Isaacs. Heinemann Library
Web Sites
Harriet Tubman
B
Trade Books Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky
E
D U C AT I O N
C
www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/ www.beavton.k12.or.us/greenway/leahy/ugrr/
O M PA N Y
