SETON HILL UNIVERSITY

Lesson Plan Template Explanation

TOPIC Underground Railroad- The Secret Letter CK
Name Miss Swiger
Subject Social Studies- Civil War
Grade Level 5th grade
Date/Duration 1 Class periods, 40 minutes ea.
Big Ideas Who are some important women from the Civil War Era?
How did people help each other during times of turmoil?
Essential Questions Who was Harriet Tubman?
What was her significance in the Civil War?
What is the Underground Railroad?
How has communication changed over time?
Common Core Standard-8.1.U.A. Evaluate patterns of continuity and change over
Standards time, applying context of events.
Standard-8.3.5.A Compare and contrast characteristics of the
social, political, cultural, and economic groups in United States
history.
Standard-8.3.5. B Illustrate concepts of historical documents,
artifacts, and places critical to United States history.
Standard-8.3.U.A. Compare the role groups and individuals played
in social, political, cultural and economic development of the U.S.
Standard CC.1.3.5.I. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown
and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading
and content, choosing flexibility from a range of strategies and
tools.

Objectives After interactive activity, students will write their own secret letter
A-udience using at least 3 terms from provided sheet and orally report on it
B-ehavior with 90% accuracy.
C-ondition
D-egree
Formative & Formative: Class discussion on symbolism ,students will make
Summative connections between past and current text, students will
Assessment Summative Assessments : teacher will observe students working
EVIDENCE independently and with peers and monitor student activity
21ST CENTURY SKILLS Information about Harriet Tubman-
TECHNOLOGY http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html
Interactive Underground Railroad Game-
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/underground-railroad-
interactive/?ar_a=1#
YouTube Follow the Drinking Gourd-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6N_eTZP2U


ACCOMMODATIONS Adaptive writing utensils for students
MODIFICATIONS Provide computers/tablets for students to do online work
ADAPTATIONS Word banks
Graphic Organizer of writing process
 Worked examples of a secret letter

SUPERVISING
TEACHERS
SIGNATURE
Note:

LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES

RATIONALE for the Students will learn facts about Harriet Tubman and the Underground CK
Learning Plan Railroad to gain a better understanding of how during times of
trouble humans would find a way to help each other out.
Introduction Activating Prior Knowledge
Students will listen to a recording of the Follow The Drinking
Gourd while following along to a lyric sheet. Students will
highlight any words or terms that might not make sense to
them, or seem to be symbolism.
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
After watching the video, students will discuss their thoughts
and findings. This discussion will lead into learning about the
Underground Railroad, and who Harriet Tubman was.
Explicit Instructions Big Idea Statement
How did people of the Civil War Era communicate through
symbols to show places of safety?
Who was an important figure in Civil War History?
Do we use symbolism in writings today?
Essential Question Statement
Who was Harriet Tubman?
What is the Underground Railroad?
What was the purpose of secret letters?

Objective Statement
We will create our own secret letters using what we have
learned about secret codes, the Underground Railroad,
and what times were like during the Civil War.
Transition
Students will be given a copy of a handout to read along to
about Harriet Tubman
(http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1535.html)
Key Vocabulary
Heroine, underground railroad, agent, conductor, drinking
gourd, operator, station
Lesson Procedure PreAssessment of the Students
Students will discuss any prior knowledge of the
Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, or their own
experiences with secret codes/letters.
Modeling of the Concept
After the discussion, the class will participate in an
 interactive Underground Railroad game
(http://education.nationalgeographic.org/underground-
railroad-interactive/?ar_a=1#) . After, students will
review a guide of secret terms and codes used to write
letters during the Underground Railroad, as well as how it
was used in songs too.

Guiding the Practice

Students will first decode Follow the Drinking Gourd
song from earlier in the lesson. Then, given a word bank,
students will fill in a mock secret letter that may have
been written during the Civil War Era.
Providing the Independent Practice
Students will then indendently write their own letter using
the secret code terms they have learned as if they were on the
Underground Railroad.

Transition
After students have finished, they will share their work in
groups and then to the whole class. Students will add any
connections between writing secret codes during the Civil War
era to today, what its purpose and significance was, and did it
help the people from the South?
Reading Materials Handouts
Technology Equipment iPads or Computers for website
pencil and paper
graphic organizer (if needed)
Supplies lyric sheet
mock letter

Evaluation of the Formal Evaluation
Learning/Mastery of During lesson, teacher will check in with students with
the Concept scaffolding questions to assess comprehension. Students will
create their own coded letters, and should be able to decipher
theirs and their peers.
Informal Evaluation
Observation of student participation and work during
experience will be noted. Teacher will interact with students
while task is being completed, and prompt further thinking of
what life would have been like for those in the South.
Closure Summary & Review of the Learning
Students will restate the big idea and objective, and how we
answered the essential questions. Ask students why
symbolism was important then, and how are we using it now?
Ask students what was significant about Harriet Tubman?
Students will connect secret code to songs and letters written
in the South
Homework/Assignments
Students will continue letter if not completed in class.
Teacher Self-reflection Were students able to relate personal experiences with the
music or the secret code?
Were students able to successfully complete the task of writing
a letter?
Were students able to understand the importance of the
Underground Railroad?