Lesson Plan - A Historic Home Found

Watch a Video: The Underground Railroad

Ask: What was the Underground Railroad? Why was traveling along it difficult?

Preview Words to Know 

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

• abolitionist 
• artifacts

Set a Purpose for Reading

As students read, have them think about why the cabin was an important place in Harriet Tubman’s life.

1. How does the author support the claim that Tubman’s time in the cabin helped her achieve her goal of freedom?
The author notes that while Tubman lived there, her father taught her survival skills—like how to find her way in the woods and find food. She later used those skills on the Underground Railroad.
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2. What was a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad?
A conductor was someone who led enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
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3. What artifacts have been found at the site of Tubman’s former home?
What could we learn from them? Discovered artifacts include coins, bricks, pottery, glass, and buttons. They could help us know what the cabin looked like, how Tubman or her father dressed, and more.
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FEATURED SKILL: Integrating Information
Use the skill builder “Watch and Read” to have students integrate the video and article. Download it as Google Slides or a PDF.
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