Slavery and the Underground Railroad with American Girl Addy
In this one-time course, students will learn about the life of a slave on a tobacco plantation and how the Underground Railroad worked.
Olivia Lewis
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:(55)
What's included
1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hoursClass Experience
Addy is a slave living on a tobacco plantation in 1864 with her mother, father, and brother. She works in the fields and as a house slave. One night, she overhears her parents discussing running away to freedom, but her mother thinks that the Civil War will free them soon. When Addy's brother and father are sold to another plantation, she and her mother decide to escape. Using the north star and the aid of a white woman, Mrs. Caroline, the two make it to the North and freedom, but racism still continues to affect their lives. This course will begin with an understanding of 1864, defining the Civil War and the North versus the South. The course will then focus on the slave experience on a tobacco plantation, looking at their jobs, their lives, and their treatment. Next, it will focus on the Underground Railroad, looking at the roles of symbols, music, conductors, and the risks of running away. This course will be taught mainly through a lecture and PowerPoint, with student discussion incorporated through opportunities to answer questions throughout, share Addy's stories, if they know them, and ask questions. Students are encouraged to bring their dolls to class, as this course is intended to be a fun space for your student to meet new friends, while also gaining some real-life history knowledge.
Learning Goals
Students will be able to describe elements of the slave experience on a tobacco plantation. Students will be able to explain that the Underground Railroad did not relate to literal train tracks. Students will be able to identify symbols and songs that helped slaves get to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Slavery is an incredibly intense topic and a topic that requires a lot of nuance and respect. I always want to make my classes as appropriate as possible, but I also feel it is necessary to honestly represent a moment in history. As such, there will be mention of the brutality of slavery, including the use of whipping as a form of punishment because I feel it is necessary to understanding the slave experience. When approaching the topic of race relations during the time period, I will focus on the arguments made by both sides during that time period. I will do my best to communicate this moment in history without terrifying or horrifying students, but it is likely that they may have questions about what will be discussed in class.
Supply List
Students will be provided a fill-in-the-blank style worksheet ahead of class. This tool can be used to help students follow along with powerpoints and stay engaged and cal also be used as a way for students to record what they learned so parents can later ask questions and see what was taught in class. The worksheet will be emailed the day before class, please look it over and use your discretion to decide if it would be a helpful tool for your student.
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Sources
The presentation and worksheet used in class are my own, but I used the American Girl website and my university coursework to inform both. Additionally, I consulted resources and interviews of prominent African American studies historians that are experts in the field.
Joined June, 2020
4.8
55reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am a history major at Gonzaga University and a secondary education teacher candidate. My course work to this point has included classes such as African American Religion that focused on the music of slaves and the role religion played in arguments for and against slavery, and US history classes covering from pre-Columbian times to modern-day. My education courses have taken a heavy focus on diversity in the classroom, further, I have worked in local schools, teaching first, second, and seventh grade. This semester, I am teaching ELD in a mostly seventh-grade level 2 classroom. For this class, I have created several lessons surrounding the Civil War and slavery appropriate for ELD students.
I am also an avid Civil War historian. I have spent most of my life reading books surrounding this time period and then completing research to find out how true to reality the books were. As such, I have done ample reading from leading African American historians in the US to find to the best of my abilities the realities of slavery, the Civil War, and the Underground Railroad. When engaging with this topic, I approach it from the lens that it is important history to be taught but not something to be celebrated. As such, all discussions will focus on what people believed in 1864 and how they acted in 1864. Reviews
Live One-Time Class
$10
per classMeets once
45 min
Completed by 6 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-11
1-8 learners per class
