Owner of this site does not endorse the products, services, policies, practices of, or opinions expressed by any advertisers.
Lesson Plan: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Unit: Michigan, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad
Subject: Social Studies
Grade: 4th
Teacher: Amanda A. Thompson
Host Teacher/School: Mary Nelson, Bangor West Elementary School
Summary: Students will create freedom quilts to show routes on the Underground Railroad
Prior Knowledge Needed: Students should have a working knowledge of the Civil War and the Underground Railroad.
Materials
Book: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, by Deborah Hopkinson
Real Quilt or small quilted piece, if possible
Maps of Underground Railroad Routes
11”x14” white paper (1 per student)
Small squares of colored construction paper (appx. 3”x3”)
Pencils, crayons and markers
Glue
Michigan Benchmarks:
I.2 “All students will understand narratives about major eras of American and world history by identifying the people involved, describing the setting, and sequencing the events.”
V.1 “All students will acquire information from books, maps, newspapers, data sets and other sources, organize and present the information in maps, graphs, charts and timelines, interpret the meaning and significance of information, and use a variety of electronic technologies to assist in accessing and managing information.
Objectives:
Students will:
¨ Read and respond to a story about the Underground Railroad
¨ Analyze maps of Underground Railroad routes, discussing what slaves would encounter on their journey
¨ Create a “freedom quilt” similar to the one in the story, incorporating key concepts about the routes to freedom
Procedure:
1. Anticipatory Set: Show students a real quilt, if possible. Review the Underground Railroad lesson from the previous day. Show students maps of routes slaves took on the underground railroad, and discuss what they might have passed along the way (rivers, ocean, mountains)
2. Direct Teaching: Read the book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt to students.
3. Guided Practice: Review the quilt used by Clara in the book and discuss how it represented the route to freedom. Discuss how she represented rivers, etc with the quilt.
4. Independent Practice: Have students make their own “freedom quilt” by designing 3x3 squares and gluing them on a larger square of paper.
Assessment:
Teacher may assess the quilts as they are being made and after the lesson for accuracy in places mentioned in the text. A students quilt should include at least five of the following (in proper order): The North Star, Ohio River, smaller rivers, roads, plantations, and trees. A quilt also might include a boat and trees with markings.
Lesson Reflection
This lesson was very successful.
Student’s interest was obtained by sharing a quilt square I had made in a sewing class, and relating my knowledge that “Log Cabin” quilts were often hung on clotheslines of Underground Railroad stops. The red center of the “Log Cabin” square was often a signal to slaves on the underground railroad that the house was safe. The square was passed around before the story was read, and students were then able to turn their focus on a “quilt” story.
Students were engaged while reading the story, “Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt” and were able to make connections with previous knowledge. For example, students recalled their knowledge of the significance of the Big Dipper to slaves’ journeys when it was discussed in the story. They were also able to emotionally empathize with Clara and her family during the story of their desire for and journey to freedom
After the story, students demonstrated their understanding by creating their own “quilt” using pre-cut colored paper squares. As a group, students discussed what should be included in their quilt to show a “path” to freedom: Rivers, forests, the Big Dipper/North Star, a Plantation, etc. Students then created their quilts by gluing colored squares on a large sheet and adding pictures to signify the “way to freedom”
Students enjoyed creating and showcasing the quilts. Upon assessment, I found that all students had a satisfactory or above satisfactory understanding of the journey slaves took from South to North and what they encountered on the way.
Owner of this site does not endorse the products, services, policies, practices of, or opinions expressed by any advertisers.