Teacher Resources: Lesson Plan - Middle School

The “Abolitionists” lesson plan is designed for grades 5-8. This lesson plan takes a comprehensive look at the UGRR. Students will learn about abolitionists and their role in the UGRR. Students will learn the differences of the experiences of enslaved and free blacks lives during this time. Core Democratic Values are also explored in this lesson plan.

“Fredrick Douglas and the North Star" lesson plans is designed for grades 6-8. This lesson plan gives students the opportunity to be North Star reporters. Students are given research assignments to learn about people in the UGRR with mock interviews. Students also read and study the life of Fredrick Douglass.

"Images of the UGRR" lesson plan is designed for grades 5-8. This lesson explores the visual images produced by artists to depict the Underground Railroad. Art works by period artists such as Thomas Nast and Henry Louis Stephens are features in the lesson. Students are introduced to a humanities/ Art History approach to learning about the UGRR. Library of Congress pictures are used in this lesson with guides on Narrative Image writing.

“Voices of the UGRR” lesson plan is designed for grades 6-8. This lesson plan introduces four literature narratives and memoirs from the UGRR (Clarissa Davis, Rev J.W. Lougen, Charles A. Garlick, and Levi Coffin). Students will have the opportunity to analyze the narratives and explore the backgrounds of the authors. Students will gain a greater understanding of the UGRR.