Unit of Study Template

Fall Semester 2015

ED449e
Beatrice and Kim
Discipline to be covered in the unit of study: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th
Unit theme: Underground Railroad
Big Idea: Freedom
Desired Results

Established Goals:
Students will be able to:
SL.5.2: Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.5.4: Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at
an understandable pace.
W:5.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the
topic
Common Core and/or NJCCCS
Students will be able to:
6.1.8.D.4.c Explain the growing resistance to slavery and New Jerseys role in the Underground
Railroad
6.1.8.D.5.d Analyze the effectiveness of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the United States
Constitution from multiple perspectives.
Understandings
Students will understand that
there is an innate desire for freedom on
the part of human beings
throughout history, slavery has remained
a controversial topic
slavery has its roots in the theory of
economics
the issue of slavery has caused serious
disagreement among many groups of
people
the Underground Railroad helped in
gaining freedom for slaves

Essential Questions:
1. How does a denial of human rights affect a
community?
2. Where does the practice of slavery have it
roots?
3. Does slavery exist today?
4. How did the issue of slavery affect the
United States of America?
5. What were the after effects of slavery in the
United States?
6. Who is John Brown and why is he important
to the abolitionist movement?
7. How is John Browns Raid relatable to the
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendment significant?

Students will know: (content knowledge)

the following people and terms:

Abraham Lincoln

Fredrick Douglass

Harriet Tubman "Moses"

John Brown

Harpers Ferry

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

conductor

Dred Scott decision

Thomas Garret

John Fairfield

free states

fugitive slave law

indentured servant

Missouri Compromise

slave code

slave states

slave trade

three-fifths compromise

the underground railroad

Plessy v. Ferguson

Students will be able to: (demonstrate)

1. recognized the importance of:

Abraham Lincoln

Fredrick Douglass

Harriet Tubman

John Brown

underground railroad
2. Recognize four key people who
were involved with the
Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman

Fredrick Douglas

Thomas Garret

John Fairfield
3. explain the importance of the
following:

Harpers Ferry

13-15th Amendments

Dred Scott Decision

Plessy v. Ferguson
4. define the following terms:

conductor

fugitive slave law

slave code

slave trade

three-fifths compromise
5. define and explain how they are
connected:

indentured servants and slaves

free states and slave states

Stage 2----Assessment Evidence

Performance Assessment:

You have learned about fictional and nonfictional characters (Day 3). Now it is your turn
to choose a non-fictional character that played
an important role in the Underground Railroad,
some examples are: Harriet Tubman, Thomas
Garret, John Brown, or John Fairfield. This
person can be African-American or a Caucasian
individual who was sympathetic toward those
who were slaves in America. After picking your
important person you will then go to the library
and begin your research. Keep in mind these
essential questions:

Other Assessment Evidence:

Formative:

teacher observation

student participation
class discussion
SMART Board Bingo
small group discussion
small group projects
homework assignments

Summative:

performance assessment
research product

1. Where were they born?

2. What year were they born?
3. Were they captured into slavery or born into
slavery?
4. What were there positions on the plantations?
(cook, field hand, etc)
5. What were the main motives for slaves to run
away from their slave owners or plantations?
6. In full detail explain the conditions and
situations that fugitive slaves may have faced.
7. Were there any safe havens that fugitive
slaves could escape to? If so tell us why.
8. In your opinion based on class discussions
only, how did slavery impact America?
After completing your research and answering
the questions, you are to create a PowerPoint
presentation. The PowerPoint must contain at
least 8 slides (not including cover page), a photo
per slide with a brief explanation, and bullet
points. To help explain each slide you are
allowed to elaborate on a note card. There is no
slide limit. Please remember to put the
information you have in chronological order.
This assignment will be due from one week
today, October 26, 2015 therefore the due date
is November 2, 2015. During the presentations
students will share their PowerPoint and explain
their slides. This is different than the Thank
you letter which will be on day 7.

Daily Objectives for Ten Lessons

Day 1

SWBAT to explore the topic of freedom by having a classroom discussion after the teacher
introduces the students to History Alive: Americas Past, written by Bert Bower.
Day 2

SWBAT identify three key terms (free slave, indentured servant, and plantation) that correlates to
the Underground Railroad after the teacher has read Candle Star by Michelle Isenhoff and led a
class discussion about life as a slave on a plantation in the southern part of the United States.

Day 3

SWBAT list five important characteristics and five important historical facts about Harriet Tubman
after the teacher reads the non-fiction story I am Harriet Tubman by Grace Norwich In addition,
students will be able to define the following vocabulary terms: conductor, fugitive slave law, slave
code, slave trade, and three-fifths compromise.
Day 4

SWBAT read chapter 8 in their textbook History Alive: Americas Past, written by Bert Bower to
gain better knowledge through primary and secondary sources.
Day 5

SWBAT continue with Day 4 of History Alive: Americas Past, written by Bert Bower followed by
class discussion on slave trade. After discussion, students will be able to play Bingo based on
vocabulary words.
Day 6

SWBAT create their own quilt patch after reading Clara and the Freedom Quilt. The teacher will
provide vocabulary and key people like freedom, free state, Missouri Compromise, Dred Scott,
and underground railroad on the board. Teacher will hand out all the necessary material that will
be used for this project like crayons, a cut out patch from a brown bag, pencils, erasers, and rulers.
Day 7

SWBAT finish their quilt patch after completing their thank you letter to a non-fiction
individual. The letter is to be typed on their Chrome books. They are to save their work in Google
Drive for the teacher to leave comments and edits. The letter needs to be double-spaced using
Times New Roman, size 12 font. Once the students are done with their quilt patch, the teacher will
then take individual photos and upload them into an app called SnapFish to make a collage.
Once the collage is made on the phone, the teacher will bring the final product to a local printing
store to have the collage printed onto a beige quilt, which will be hung in the schools library. To
prevent a duplicate quilt patch, the teacher will have their students take out their Office Folders to
ensure there will be no copying.
The class will collaborate ideas on many freedom symbols that should be incorporated in their
quilt patch. Examples includes:
candles
rivers
path
compass
stars
trees
plantation
Day 8

SWBAT read any related book that correlates with Chapter 7 History Alive: Americas Past written
by Bert Bower with their reading partners silently after their quilt patch and thank you letter is
complete.

Day 9

SWBAT present their paper and quilt patch by giving an oral presentation after all editing has been
completed.
Day 10

Continuation of the previous day.

Technological Applications Applied to Unit of Study

SMART Board

YouTube

Clara and the Freedom Quilt Book: http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-ClaraFreedom-Reading-Rainbow/dp/0679874720

I am Harriet Tubman book: http://www.amazon.com/I-Am-6-Harriet-Tubmanebook/dp/B00APPKJCE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446411700&sr=11&keywords=i+am+harriet+tubman

History Alive textbook: http://www.amazon.com/History-Alive-Americas-BertBower/dp/1583710523

Example of a Freedom quilt patch: https://www.bing.com/images/search?

q=freedom+quil
t+patch&view=detailv2&qpvt=freedom+quilt+patch&id=8402D65C2C3EF1B5219D4
20D1EF7069CC451A277

Rubric
This is where the rubric will be inserted. Copy and paste your rubric table into this cell or attach it
to the final document.

Categories
Effort

4
Effort is present
with no mistakes
or sloppiness

Quilt Patch Project

3
2
Effort is shown,
Effort is shown with
minor carless
some careless and
mistakes
sloppy mistakes

1
No effort is
shown

Organization

Oral
Presentation
Creativity

Organization is
present with
easy fluency
Spoke in a clear
and loud tone
Paper and Quilt
patch are neatly
completed

Organization is
present needs minor
improvements
Spoke in a clear tone
at times sometimes
too soft-spoken
Paper and Quilt Patch
are completed and
lacked creativity

Lacks organization and

ideas somewhat stated
Spoke in a choppy
manner
Paper and Quilt are not
fully completed

No organization
and difficult to
understand
Speech is
inaudible
Paper and Quilt
Patch are
incomplete