Lesson Plan Template

History Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Contributor: Terry Hingell and Patty Taverna; Pocantico Hills School; Sleepy Hollow, NY

Grade Level/subject area:6-8; Information Technology, Language Arts, Social Studies, Multimedia Education, Writing (Composition), United States History, African American History

Prerequisite skills:the use of Internet, word processor, power point and multimedia software

Time: The project as a whole is going to take about a month, but the students in the class should get at least one hour a day, especially if they have no other access to the materials

Goal: Teach students how to use other resources, besides books, libraries, and magazines. Give the students practice writing a descriptive paragraph, proper grammar, punctuation, and the main idea.

Objectives for lesson:

Write character sketches as a result of a thorough examination of the life of

Harriet Tubman.

Create a powerpoint presentation, with clip art, based on the character

sketches using pictures from the internet.

Create a timeline based on the life of Harriet Tubman.
Write a quiz about Harriet Tubman.
Create a crossword puzzle using vocabulary pertaining to Harriet Tubman's

life history.

Teacher Activities:

Begin with a book about Harriet Tubman. Read the story and discuss in groups in class. Encourage students to read on their own other biographies of Harriet Tubman and web sites about her.

The students should begin by thinking about the kind of person Harriet Tubman was, and what she did for the slaves during the Civil War. In their groups, they will discuss and list character traits along with events in her life that illustrated these traits.

Teach the students the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd," (resources to find the words and in depth information about the song can be found at the bottom of the page, and on my website). Show the students how the song contained hidden directions to help the slaves find their way. If possible, visit the local planetarium to see a presentation on using stars to navigate. This will help the students see how the slaves escaped by using the "Drinking Gourd."

Discuss the important dates and events in Harriet's life and the country around her, and as a group choose the ten or twelve important ones. Ask the students to write a paper that chronicles the important dates they picked. Included in the paper, there should be at least two pieces of clip art. they are to turn in this paper. From the paper that each student wrote, have each group make a power point presentation, which to be saved on a disk. From the power point presentation, have each group devise a quiz, which will be saved on the same disk. Question form is totally up to you, whether you want all the groups to have the same form or let each group choose their own question form.

Each group will also have to come up with an evaluation form, which will be saved on the same disk. Included in the evaluation form should be the following, and any others that may pertain:

The group's name

The group's power point presentation name

The group's understandability

Whether or not the presentation was thorough

If the quiz was clear and to the point

At the end of the evaluation, there should be space where the student can give the group a grade.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills covered (including TA and other content areas):

Chapter 126 subchapter B deals with Middle Schools

126.12:

Demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections

1A ? Demonstrate knowledge and appropriate use of operating systems,

software applications, and communication and networking components 1B ? Compare, contrast, and appropriately use the various input, processing, output, and primary/secondary storage devices 1C ? Demonstrate the ability to select and use software for a defined task according to quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency 1E ? Use technology terminology appropriate to the task

1F ? Perform basic software application functions including, but not limited to,

opening an application program and creating, modifying, printing, and saving documents 1H ?Use terminology related to the Internet appropriately including, but not limited to, electronic mail (e-mail), Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), electronic bookmarks, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks

(WANs), World Wide Web (WWW) page, and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

1I ? Compare and contrast LANs, WANs, Internet, and intranet

Uses data input skills appropriate to the task

2A ? Demonstrate proficiency in the use of a variety of input devices such as

mouse/track pad, keyboard, microphone, digital camera, printer, scanner, disk/disc, modem, CD-ROM, or joystick 2B ? Demonstrate keyboarding proficiency in technique and posture while building speed 2C ? Use digital keyboarding standards for data

input such as one space after punctuation, the

use of em/en dashes, and smart quotation

marks

2D ? Develop strategies for capturing digital

files while conserving memory and retaining

image quality

Complies with laws and examines issues regarding use of technology in society

3B ? Demonstrate proper etiquette and

knowledge of acceptable use while in an

individual classroom, lab, or on the Internet

and intranet

3D ? Identify the impact of technology

applications on society through research,

interviews, and personal observation

3E ? Demonstrate knowledge of the relevancy

of technology to future careers, life-long

learning, and daily living for individuals of all

ages

Uses a variety of strategies to acquire information from electronic resources, with appropriate supervision

4A ? Use strategies to locate and acquire

desired information on LANs and WANs,

including the Internet, intranet, and

collaborative software

4B ?Apply appropriate electronic search

strategies in the acquisition of information

including keyword and Boolean search

strategies

Acquires electronic information in variety of formats, with appropriate supervision

5A - Identify create, and use files in various formats such as text,

bitmapped/vector graphics, image, video, and audio files 5B - demonstrate the ability to access, operate, and manipulate information from secondary storage and remote devices including CD-ROM/laser discs and on-line catalogs 5C - Use on-line help and other documentation

Evaluates acquired electronic information

6A - Determine and employ methods to evaluate the electronic information

for accuracy and validity 6B - Resolve information conflicts and validate information through accessing,

researching, and comparing data

6C - Demonstrate the ability to identify the source, location, media type,

relevancy, and content validity of available information
Uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions

7A - Plan, create, and edit documents created with a word processor using

readable fonts, alignment, page setup, tabs, and ruler settings 7D - Demonstrate proficiency in the use of multimedia authoring programs by creating linear or non-linear projects incorporating text, audio, video, and graphics 7F - Differentiate between and demonstrate the appropriate use of a variety of

graphic tools found in draw and paint applications

7G - Integrate two or more productivity tools into a document including, but

not limited to, tables, charts and graphs, graphics from paint or draw programs, and mail merge 7H - Use interactive virtual environments, appropriate to level, such as virtual

reality or simulations

7I - Use technical writing strategies to create products such as a technical

instruction guide

Uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge

8A - Participate with electronic communities as a learner, initiator, contributor,

and teacher/mentor

8B - Complete tasks using technological collaboration such as sharing

information through on-line communications

8E - Integrate acquired technology applications skills, strategies, and use of the

word processor, database, spreadsheet, telecommunications, draw, paint,

and utility programs into the foundation and enrichment curricula

Uses technology applications to facilitate evaluation of work, both process and product

9B - resolve information conflicts and validate information through research

and comparison of data
Formats digital information for appropriate and effective communication

10A - Use productivity tools to create effective document files for defined

audiences such as slide shows, posters, multimedia presentations, newsletters, brochures, or reports 10B - Demonstrate the use of a variety of layouts in a database to communicate information appropriately including horizontal and vertical layouts 10D - Demonstrate appropriate use of fonts, styles, and sizes, as well as effective use of graphics and page design to effectively communicate
Delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision

11A - Publish information in a variety of ways including, but not limited to,

printed copy, monitor display, Internet documents, and video 11B - Design and create interdisciplinary multimedia presentations for defined audiences including audio, video, text, and graphics 11C - Use telecommunication tools for publishing such as Internet browsers,

video conferencing, or distance learning

ISTE Standards

Apply strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems

that occurs during everyday use 4. Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing

calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to

support learning and research

5. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity,

group collaboration, and learning throughout the

curriculum

6. Design, develop, publish, and present products (e.g., Web pages, videotapes) using

technology resources that demonstrate and communicate

curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the

curriculum

7. Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative

tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues,

and information, and to develop solutions or products

for audiences inside and outside the classroom

8. Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks

and solve problems

9. Demonstrate an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and

connectivity, and of practical applications to learning and

problem solving

10. Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and

bias of electronic information sources concerning real-

world problems

Materials/media required:

computer with internet access
power point
Electronic Encyclopedia (such as Encarta)
MS Internet Explorer
MS Front Page
MS Bookshelf

Assessment:

Have each group hand in a copy disk of their project, which includes the power point presentation, the quiz, and the evaluation form.. Each day of class, one group will present their presentation. At the end of their presentation the group presenting will pass out their quiz. Once the quiz is graded, the group will pass out their evaluation form. Depending on the grades of the quiz and the grades on the quiz will determine the grade of the group.

References:

This lesson exists in slightly different form at

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html, with useful Web links at http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/links.htm

Encarta Africana Articles:

In addition to the supporting Encarta Encyclopedia lessons below, the following articles from the Encarta Africana CD-ROM will also enrich this lesson. NOTE: The articles in Encarta Africana are not identical with the ones in Encarta Encyclopedia)

Tubman, Harriet

Underground Railroad

Encarta Encyclopedia:

Tubman, Harriet

Underground Railroad

Slavery in the United States (includes photo: Escaped Slaves with

Harriet Tubman

For additional online information and media, view the following Encarta articles:

Tubman, Harriet

Underground Railroad

Slavery in the United States

Also include any worksheets or websites that are a part of the lesson.