Childrens Historical Literature (4th Grade Lesson Plan)

Materials:
Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York:
Knopf.
Map of North America
Journals
Maps containing example slave routes
Computers/headphones
Interactive Online Activity Scavenger Hunt sheet
Readers Theater scripts (2): Underground Railroad Readers Theater,
Under the Freedom Tree Readers Theater
Exit Slip
Independent reading book
1. Name of Childrens Book:
Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Knopf.
2. Summary of Childrens Book (2 paragraphs)
This book is about a young girl named Clara, who is a slave on a
plantation. Clara began to work in the cotton fields as a field worker but her
Auntie Rachel wanted her to work in the house with her so she taught young
Clara how to sew. While working in the house, she overheard two men talking
to the cook about escaping to Canada and them needing a map to get there.
Clara told Auntie Rachel what she overheard and Auntie Rachel quickly told
her to forget everything that was said. Of course Clara couldnt, and decided
to take matters into her own hands.
Clara began to take scraps of cloth from projects that Missus gave her
to complete. She used the scraps to construct a map; a map that wouldnt
get washed away in the rain so many people could use it to get to Canada.
Over time, other slaves on the plantation found out about Claras project and
gave her little tips to help her complete the map. After months, Clara finally
finished the quilt and escaped the plantation with her friend Jack. She was
later told that her quilt helped so many people make it to Canada so they
would be forever free.
3. Questions you would ask children after reading the book (9-10 with
summary and higher level, thought provoking questions). List questions.
Bring questioning to closure. May use pre-readingduring readingand post
reading format from your literacy courses.
Pre-reading questions:
Looking at the cover, what do you all think this book is about?

What are this boy and girl doing? What do you all think theyre
running from?
o Do they look happy or sad? Why?
What is a quilt? What is interesting about it?
What is a slave? What kind of people were slaves?
During reading questions:
Where do you think Claras mom is? Do you think its fair that
Clara had to be separated from her mom? Why?
You all are just a little younger than Clara. How would you feel if
you had to work in fields like shes doing? Can she quit if she
doesnt like it?
Whos Missus and why is she so scary?
Do you think its strange that Clara said she hasnt seen a white
person up close before? Do you think she would say that if she
lived in 2015? Why?
Who has heard of the Underground Railroad? Turn to a partner
and discuss what you think that is and then well share out.
Why are they talking about Canada? Why do they need to go all
the way to Canada to be free forever?
Why are people telling her things about cornfields and other
plantations? Why is this important information for Clara to know?
Why do people come to look at the quilt? Do they just want to
see the pretty designs?
After reading questions:
Why do you think slaves needed a map to get to Canada? Why
wasnt the path just marked for them?
What couldve happened to Clara if anyone found out that she
escape Home Plantation?
Do you think real slaves made maps like Clara did? What do you
think they were made out of?
ACTIVITY ONE
a. Content Discipline: Geography
b. What NCSS strand(s) fits this activity? Tell why (one sentence)
Time, Continuity, and Change: This strand fits this activity because
students are taken back to another time period while reading this book,
where life is very different.
c. State the goal or objective of what you plan to accomplish in this activity?
(May have more than one)

Fourth grade students will be able to listen to story and answer

questions, concluding with recalling three pieces of information that
they learned from the book with 100% accuracy.

d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)

Students will be gathered around on reading carpet and listen to story
being read aloud
Teacher will ask students questions (see above) before, during, and
after reading is complete
Teacher will then use maps (see attached) to explain the routes that
slaves took
Teacher will led discussion about the Underground Railroad, slavery,
and escaping to the North
o What exactly is the Underground Railroad?
o After reading this book, what do you think life was like for
slaves?
o What do you think was the hardest part about escaping? Do you
think many slaves tried to escape? Why or why not?
o What does the word discrimination mean? Can someone come
write it on the board?
Discrimination: the unjust treatment of different categories
of people and things
o Can someone raise their hand and tell me how Black people and
slaves were discriminated against?
Differentiation:
o Challenged: students will be given a copy of the book that they
can look back at while writing their exit slip. They also will be
assisted by the teacher to help them comprehend the book/maps
and finish the exit slip.
o Gifted: students will be asked to make 3 connections on their exit
slip. The connections that they make from the book read in class
will be either to other texts that theyve read or connections to
other settings where theyve learned about the Underground
Railroad or slavery in the south.
e. How would you assess this activity? INCLUDE the rubric or checklist with
specific performance expectations.
EXIT SLIP: Describe three things you learned today either while reading
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt or while looking at the maps:

________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.

________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________.

ACTIVITY TWO (Choose a different content discipline)

Geography, history, creative writing or reading/language, drama, music,
expressive arts, science, math, science, OR economics, etc.
a. Content Discipline: History
b. What NCSS strand(s) fits this activity? Tell why (one sentence)
Culture: This strand fits this activity because students are learning
the culture that was prevalent during the Civil War era and how the
culture affected the people and environments that lived during this
time period.
c. State the goal or objective of what you plan to accomplish in this
activity? (May have more than one):
Fourth grade students will be able to complete the Underground
Railroad: Escape online activity independently while also
completing the Scavenger Hunt sheet with 90% accuracy.
d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)
Students will be given the Interactive Activity Scavenger Hunt sheet
(see below under Assessment) and taken to the computer lab to
begin assignment
Students will log onto the website and begin working on the
scavenger hunt independently
Teacher will instruct students to read the directions at the top of the
page, emphasizing that students must read everything on the
screen before continuing onto the next part of the activity
While on the website, the students will complete activity sheet and
turn it in once complete
Students will be instructed to read an independent reading book
until everyone has completed the online activity and scavenger
hunt sheet
Differentiation:
o Challenged: students will be told to work on the scavenger
sheet with me so I will be able to help them finish it. They also
will be able to have as much time as they need to finish it, if
the allotted time isnt enough
o Gifted: students will be asked to complete the scavenger hunt
sheet as well as the other students. They will also be asked to

come up with 3 more questions that I couldve asked on the

sheet and answer them correctly.
e. How would you assess this activity? INCLUDE the rubric or checklist
with specific performance expectations.
Students will be assessed on their answers on the scavenger hunt
activity sheet. Their answers should be similar to mine.
Name:__________________________________
Interactive Underground Railroad Activity Scavenger Hunt
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/index.h
tm

Directions: Complete the Underground Railroad: Escape from Slavery

activity from start to finish. As you go along, fill out the questions listed
below. Be as detailed as possible and do not skip around. Read everything on
the page and answer the questions before moving onto the next screen. You
may use headphones to listen along while you read.

1. What is an overseer and why were slaves probably scared of them?

An overseer is a person who would make sure the slaves are doing
their jobs. Slaves were afraid of them because sometimes they would
get beaten or punished even if they werent doing anything wrong.
2. Where did the slaves sleep? Where did the owners of the plantation
sleep?
Slaves slept in small cabins on the plantation. Most times, many people
would have to share the same cabin and sleep on the floor. Owners of
the plantation lived in their house that was often referred to as The
Big House.

3. What did slaves use to help them get to the North? (Hint: they are in
the sky, but just at nighttime!) Use specific names please:
Slaves would use the stars in the sky to help them get to the North.
They would look for the North Star, The Big Dipper, and the Small
Dipper to tell them where to go.
4. What served as a compass when the _______ Star was out of sight?
The moss one trees would often serve as a compass for slaves when
the North Star was out of sight. The moss would grow on the North
side of the tree that tells the slaves which direction is North.
5. What are some examples of places where stationmasters hid slaves to
keep them safe from slave catchers? Please list at least 3 places:
Station masters would often hid slaves in their basements, attics, and
barns to keep them safe from slave catchers.
6. In class, we discussed the meaning of the word discrimination. In
what ways were Black people discriminated against?
Black people were often discriminated against because they werent
allowed to have the same jobs and be in the same buildings as white
people. They also werent allowed to vote or own land.
FUN BONUS ACTIVITY: Can you find all the words in the Word
Search?
NLSRORRETE
UZGHOBXHXJ
TWNXAWWJMJ
NOITATNALP
EKTMODEERF
LXANSLZFRG
OVERSEERUZ
IOBESCAPEL
VDIIBFNLTI
ZAFAITHIXN

BEATINGS
ESCAPE
FAITH
FREEDOM
HATEFUL
OVERSEER
OWNER
PLANTATION
TERROR
VIOLENT

Checklist for Scavenger Hunt:

__________ 1. Did the student finish the scavenger hunt?

__________ 2. Are the answers written out and have thoughtful

responses?
__________ 3. Are the answers clearly from the online activity?
__________ 4. Are at least 90% of the answers correct?
Additional Comments:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________.

ACTIVITY THREE (Choose a different content discipline)

Geography, history, creative writing or reading/language, drama, music,
expressive arts, science, math, science, OR economics, etc.
a. Content discipline: Reading/language, drama
b. NCSS strand: What NCSS strand(s) fits this activity? Tell why
(one sentence):
People, Places and Environments: This strand fits this activity
because students will get a sense of multiple perspectives of
different people who lived during this time period.
c. State the goal or objective of what you plan to accomplish in this
activity? (May have more than one):
Fourth grade students will be able to participate in assigned
Readers Theater and deliver appropriate lines with 90%
accuracy
Fourth grade students will be able to write a journal reflection
about what they learned from doing a Readers Theater
activity about the Civil War era and what they still want to
learn about.
d. Describe the activity (What would you have kids do?)
Students will be split into groups (1 group of 12, 1 group of 7)
Students will be given Readers Theater scripts and parts will
be assigned by the teacher
Students will rehearse lines for about 10 minutes
Students will return to seats and each group will present their
Readers Theater one at a time
Once each group has gone, students will take out their
writing journals write their own story, using what they read in
their Readers Theater activity .
o Prompt: Write a personal narrative as if you were a
young slave during the Civil War era. Include details
about the conditions you would be living in and what

your life would be like. Use what you learned from

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, the online
Underground Railroad activity, and Readers Theater to
complete your story. You will be assessed on the
accuracy of the details you include, spelling/grammar,
and correct format used for personal narratives (ex.
Multiple paragraphs, varying sentence structures, use
of imagery, etc.)
Students will turn in their writing journals for assessment
Differentiation:
o Challenged: students will be given a part that the
teacher knows they can handle reading. Students will
also have assistance while writing their personal
narratives. They will be given more time if necessary.
o Gifted: students will be asked to write a personal
narrative that tells the story from two points of views.
(ex. Slave and overseer) They will be allotted more
time for this task if necessary.
e. How would you assess this activity? INCLUDE the rubric or checklist
with specific performance expectations.

Spelling/gram
mar
Inclusion of
Accurate
information
from past
lessons

Use of imagery
in details

Personal
narrative
format
(quotations,

Needs
Excellent (3
Good (2 pts.)
Improvement
pts.)
(1 pt.)
Student made
Student made
Student made
2<
3-5
5+
grammar/spelli spelling/gram
spelling/gramm
ng mistakes.
mar mistakes
ar mistakes
Student
Student
Student
included 4+
included 2-3
included 2<
pieces of
pieces of
pieces of
accurate
accurate
accurate
information
information
information or
no information
was not
accurate
Student
Student
Student used
included 5-6
included 3-4
3< vibrant
vibrant
vibrant
imagery details
imagery details imagery details in their story
in their story
in their story
Student used
Student
Student did not
correct
sometimes
use correct
personal
used correct
personal
narrative
personal
narrative

paragraph
form)

format

narrative
format

format