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Lesson Miss. Shostak

Lesson One- Underground to Canada r:
Title/Focus March 10
Date:

GENERAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

Social Studies
5.2.8 examine, critically, ways of life of non-European immigrants by exploring and reflecting upon
the following questions and issues:

SPECIFIC LEARNER OUTCOMES

Social Studies:

What do stories of Underground Railroad tell us about the history and presence of Black
communities in community?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Students will understand the concept of racism
2. Students will understand how prominent racism was and the extremity of slavery
3. Students will build knowledge on the Underground Railway
ASSESSMENTS
Observations: Class Discussion
Student Questioning
KeyQuestions: Whatisracism?
Whatisdiscrimination?
Whyisthislanguagenowinappropriate?
Doesracismexisttoday?
WhatwastheUndergroundRailway?
Products/Performances: JournalExitSlip
LEARNINGRESOURCESCONSULTED MATERIALSANDEQUIPMENT
AlbertaProgramofStudies TeacherResources:
UndergroundtoCanadabyBarbaraSmuckers PostitNotes
OurLandOurPeople StudentJournal
PROCEDURE
Introduction Time
AttentionGrabber Explaintostudentswewillbetalkingaboutaveryimportantandserioustopic.
Inappropriatebehavioursandcommentswillnotbetolerated.
TransitiontoBody
Body Time
LearningActivity#1 LetstalkaboutRespect:
TwoPostitNotesarehandedouttoeachstudent.Studentswillasktowrite
downononepostitnotewhatrespectlookslikeandwhatrespectdoesnot
looklike.Theywillputtheirpostitnoteundertheproperheading.
Studentwilldiscusssomeoftheimportantpointsthatstudentswroteon
theirpostitnotes
KeyQuestion:Whyisrespectimportant?
Assessments/ Arestudentsengagedandparticipating?Arestudentstreatingthetopicwith
Differentiation seriousness?
FormativeAssessment:Teacherwillbeusingclassroomdiscussionandstudent
questioningforformativeassessment.
LearningActivity#2 Racism:
Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe 1

LearningActivity#3
AssessmentDifferentiation
LearningActivity#4
Assessment/Differentiation
Assessment of
Learning:
Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe
Remindstudentstowearetakingwithrespect.
Doesanyoneknowwhatracismmean?
Howdoesracismaffectpeopleslives?
Arestudentsengagedandparticipating?Arestudentstreatingthetopicwith
seriousness?
Ensurestudentsaretalkingwithrespectandthatthediscussionisappropriate?
FormativeAssessment:Teacherwillbeusingclassroomdiscussionandstudent
questioningforformativeassessment.
ThebookwewillreadingiscalledUndergroundtoCanadabyBarbara
Smuckers.ThisbookisbasedontrueeventsandtheUndergroundRailway.
Duringthe1600sthousandofblackpeoplefromAfricawerebroughttoNorth
America.Theywereforcedtobeslavesandworkonfarms.Manyofthese
farmswerecottonandtobaccofarms.Thesepeoplehadnorightsorfreedoms.
Whatisarightandfreedom?
TherewasslaveryinCanadabutin1793theypassedalawcalledActAgainst
Slaveryandby1833thereslaveryendedinCanada.
Duringthistime,slaverywasstilllegalintheUnitedStates.Manyslaves
escapedtofreedominCanada.Theyuseddifferentroutescalledthe
UndergroundRailway.Thiswasntarealrailroadbutasystemofpeoplethat
helpedpeopleescapetoCanada.Slavestryingtoescapewerehelpedontheir
journeybypeoplewhodidnotbelieveinslaveryorotherescapedslaves.They
usedcodesandsignaltosaywhenitwassafetotravel.Secretcodeslike
pilotsforpeoplewhowentSouthtofindslavesseekingslavery.And
conductorsthathelpguideslavestoslavery.Secrethomeswhereslavescould
hidesafelywerecalledstations.Itisestimatedthat30000slavesescapedto
CanadathroughtheUndergroundrailway.
KeyQuestions:Howisthisaformofracism?Howdoesthismakeyoufeel
hearinghistory?
Arestudentsengagedandparticipating?Arestudentstreatingthetopicwith
seriousness?
FormativeAssessment:Teacherwillbeusingclassroomdiscussionandstudent
questioningforformativeassessment.
RulesWhenReadingandDiscussingtheBook:
Inthebook,thenwordisused.Doesthismakeitappropriatetouse
inclass?Whataretheimplicationsandconsequencesofusingracist
language?SowhenreadingthebookoutloudIwillnotbeusingthis
wordandyoushouldnotbeusingthiswordaswell.Wewillbe
skippingoverit
Sowhendiscussingracistlanguageandlearningaboutthestruggles
duringthistimewhatsomerulesshouldwesettomakesureeveryone
feelssafeandnoonegetshurt.
Whataresomeruleswecanthinkof?
Dotheserulesworkforeveryone?
Geteveryonetocomeupandsigntheposter.Thismeansthateveryone
isexpectedtofollowtheserulesandbeaccountablefortheiractions.
Arestudentsengagedandparticipating?Arestudentstreatingthetopicwith
seriousness?
FormativeAssessment:Teacherwillbeusingclassroomdiscussionandstudent
questioningforformativeassessment.
Cliffhanger/Closure Time
Has our perception of respect changed? How?
Has our perception of racism changed? How?
Exit Slip:
Students will be journaling how they felt throughout the novel.
Their journals will be used as exit slips. The first prompt will be
given to them and then I will read and continually respond to
2

Transition:
How does this individual
lesson scaffold learning
opportunities for
students?
What assumptions does
this lesson make about
what students already
know?
In what ways is this
lesson connected to the
next lesson?
Adapted from a template created by Dr. K. Roscoe
student thoughts. This is for formative assessment and does
not need to be shared with anyone else.
Prompt: What does the Underground Railroad tell us about
history? How do you feel about this?
Students will hand in their journals and wait for further
instructions
Rationale
Students will be reading Underground to Canada by Barbara Smuckers.
This novel study will be used for students to learn new vocabulary, listen
to reading, and to build on comprehension skills. This topic is also
included in their Social Studies providing a natural cross-curricular
opportunity. Students will be reading, discussing, and learning about the
events that created the underground railroad and how these stories tell us
about history.
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