Lesson 2: Note Taking
Goal: Students will know and understand the Underground Railroad movement.
Benchmarks/Standards:
ELA I/Standard 1/ Benchmark 3
SOC I/ Standard 2/ Benchmark3
Objectives: The students will be able to identify important facts regarding the Underground Railroad via note taking.
Materials:
Book – The Secret to Freedom by Marcia Vaughan
Lee & Books Inc. New York. 1998
Procedures:
1. Instruct the students on the importance of note taking.
2. Show the students the cover of the book The Secret to Freedom and ask them to make predictions about the book.
3. Request students take notes about the story while it is being read.
4. Divide the students into groups of four. Instruct each group to answer a teacher-made list of questions based on the story using their notes. Their responses should both answer each individual question and identify whether the answer is an inference or fact.
Discussion questions:
- Who is the main character of the story?
- About how old was the main character when the story began?
- Where does the story take place?
- What job does the main character have in the story?
- What major event changed the lives of the characters?
- What is the secret in the story?
- Why was the secret necessary?
- Do we need to have knowledge and understanding of the secret today?
5. The class will conclude by reviewing the questions and answers.
Assessment:
The teacher will assess the success of the lesson via either teacher observation or a teacher- made quiz involving the discussion questions.
