education at the lewis Museum

ELEMENTARY LESSONS

 Harriet Tubman: A Journey to Freedom (Grades 4-5) 

Examine how the geographic characteristics of the regions where Harriet Tubman lived influenced her life. Students will use a map and photographs in order to create a book that describes Tubman’s journey to freedom. Then make a poster that explains how geographic characteristics influenced her life.

Questions: Describe what you see on this pin. What does this object resemble?

 

 

RFLM Image: Harriet Tubman Pin 
From Robert L. Hall Button Collections

Questions: Describe what you see in this quilt. Using the quilt, list two ways that runaways escaped to freedom. Name two geographic features that you see included in the Tubman quilt. Click on the Quilt image for more information.

 

RFLM Image: Harriet Tubman Quilt
From RFLM Permanent Collection

 Questions: What newspaper were these runaway ads published? When is the date of publication? Click on the Reward Ad image and read through some of several ads. Name the highest and lowest reward amount published in these ads. List the name, age and physical description of one of the runaway slaves listed in one of the ads. When did they run away?

 

RFLM Image: Advertisements for Runaway Slaves 
From the Stern Family Collection of Slave Documents

Suggested Book Titles
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford
Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline Ransome
Eliza’s Freedom Road: An Underground Railroad Diary by Jerdine Nolen

 

Harlem: All That Jazz and Blues (Grades 4-5) 

Explore some of the leading African American blues and jazz musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. Then create your own blues lyrics and perform the song for your class or family.

Questions: Describe what you see in this postcard. Compare these musicians with musicians today that you might see. How are they different?

 

RFLM Image: Postcard of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday
From Louis G. and Shirley F. Hecht Collection

 Suggested Books Titles

Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her by Amy Novesky
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong by Lesa Cline Ransome and James E. Ransome
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita-Williams Garcia

 

 MIDDLE SCHOOL LESSONS

 The United States Colored Troops: Fighting for Freedom (Grade 8) 

Examine the sacrifices and accomplishments of black soldiers during the Civil War. Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to create a monument design that commemorates the role of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) in the Civil War.

Questions: Describe the features of this campaign medal given to soldiers. What president is featured on the medal? What reason would a soldier receive this medal? When was this medal given out? Click on the Campaign Medal image for more information.

 

RFLM Image: Campaign Medal 
From Scipio Military Collection

Suggested Book Title
Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story by Janet Halfmann

 

Teaching Values Through Fables (Grades 6-8) 

Analyze an African and African American fable to explain how fables are used to impart cultural values from one generation to the next. Students will create a modern fable of their own after examining the narrative elements in a fable.

Questions: Describe this African mask.  What is the name of this mask? What country does it come from? Name the society that the mask is associated with. What value or trait is associated with this mask? Click on the African Mask image for more information.

 

Mask with Metal Trim (N’Tomo Society). 
From McMillian African Artifact Collection

Questions: When did this commemorative button of the Million Family March take place? What value or principle is being embraced in this slogan?

 

RFLM Image: Million Family March Button
Robert L. Hall Button Collection

  Suggested Book Title

The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton

 

Isaac Myers (Grades 7-8) 

Learn about pioneer trade unionist Isaac Myers and the contributions that he made to the African American community during the 19th century. Students will read primary sources and create a fundraising flyer for the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park recognizing his contributions.

Questions: Did you know that the abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a caulker on the ship yards before he ran away from Baltimore? Describe how Douglass looks in this small photo or Carte-de-Visite. Click on the article on Douglass. (Click on the Douglass image to access the article.) List one interesting fact that you didn’t know about Frederick Douglass.

 

RFLM Image: Carte-de-Visite
From the RFLM Permanent Collection

 Suggested Book Titles

Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick Douglass, A Monumental American Man by Tonya Bolden
A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter by Pat Mckissack
Black Hands, White Sails by Pat. McKissack
A. Philip Randolph: Union Leader and Civil Rights Crusader by Catherine Reed

 

Josiah Henson and the Abolitionist Cause (Grade 8) 

Examine the impact of slavery on the life of Josiah Henson and his quest for freedom. Students will examine Henson’s autobiography to determine the characteristics that Harriet Beecher Stowe found admirable enough to immortalize in her anti-slavery epic, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

 Questions: How many copies of this edition were sold in America? When was Uncle Tom’s Cabin published? Describe the condition of this book? Click on the Uncle Tom Book image for more information.

RFLM Image: Uncle Tom’s Cabin Book Cover
From the Stern Family Collection of Slave Documents

 Questions: What newspaper were these runaway ads published? When is the date of publication? Click on the Reward Ad image and read through several ads. Name the highest and lowest reward amount published in these ads. List the name, age and physical description of one of the runaway slaves listed in one of the ads? When did they run away?

 

RFLM Image: Advertisements for Runaway Slaves
From the Stern Family Collection of Slave Documents

Questions: What newspaper was this illustration published? When is the date of publication? Click on the Newspaper image for more information. Describe what you see in the picture. What is happening in the drawing?

RFLM Image: Slave Auction of the South
From the Stern Family Collection of Slave Documents

 Suggested Book Titles

The Underground Abductor: An Abolitionist Tale About Harriet Tubman by Nathan Hale
Passenger on the Pearl: The True Story of Emily Edmondsons Flight from Slavery by Winifred Conkling
My Name is Henry Bibb: A Story of Slavery and Freedom by Afua Cooper