Introduction to Slavery: Words I Need to Know
Young Adult Literature and the History of Slavery Unit
By Amy Lockhart

Overview

This lesson introduces elementary grade students to some of the vocabulary words that are important in understanding slavery and the Underground Railroad. Some of the words may be new to them, while some may consist of review terminology. This lesson will prepare students in grades three, four, or five for the collaborative unit with eighth or ninth graders.

Student Objectives

Students will:

• Work cooperatively in groups to fill out a KWL chart on their background knowledge about slavery.
• Respond through discussion to the book Now Let Me Fly.
• Compare their chart and the information they heard in the book.
• Record specific vocabulary words from the book in a packet. (Written definitions will also be in their packets.)

Skills Attained

Students will be able to:

• Work cooperatively.
• Listen and respond to literature.
• Follow directions.

Materials Needed

• Slavery Unit Packet (this will include the KWL chart, three-five pages of blank, lined notebook paper)
• KWL Chart
• Chart paper and colored marker
• The book, Now Let Me Fly
• List of vocabulary words

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

Have the students close their eyes, then listen and respond to the following: "You are very comfortable with where you are living right now. However, you will soon find out that someone is going to come and take you to an unknown land. Life is not pleasant where you are going now. Your family is always scared about whether or not they will be together, you don’t get much to eat, and you don’t have a warm, comfortable bed. What are your reactions? How do you think that you will feel about these changes in your life?"

Procedures

1. Have students fill out the KWL chart if they didn’t already do so in the previous lesson. Ask them what they THINK they KNOW about slavery, and what they WANT to learn? (They will fill in the final column after the slavery unit. This will include what the students LEARNED.) Have the class briefly discuss some of the perceptions students have of slavery. If you choose, write the perceptions on a large piece of chart paper to display in the room during the unit.



2. Before reading the story to the students, share the author’s notes covering different issues in the book with them.



3. Read the book Now Let Me Fly.



4. Following the reading, discuss some of the feelings that the students have about the story. For instance, how did the story relate to the imagery they discussed before reading the story? What are some of the difficult things that slaves went through?



5. Using the prepared list of vocabulary words, ask students to think about each word’s definition. Students will have the written definitions in their packet to use with the collaborative unit with the eighth-ninth graders.

Assessment

The students can make vocabulary "flash cards" of the words from the list to help them review the words they have just learned. They also can do any other vocabulary development activity with the words before taking the matching vocabulary quiz. Students should be able to receive 85% on their quiz.

Vocabulary List

Grades Three-Five

• Plantation
• Conductor
• Patrollers
• Passengers
• Safe Houses
• Station Masters
• Abolitionist
• Overseers
• Slave Catchers

Amy Lockhart teaches Fifth Grade Language Arts and Social Studies at Price Laboratory School at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Return to the main unit page.

Name: ____________________________________

Date: __________________

Period: __________________