Students learn about the Underground Railroad and some important individuals who helped slaves escape to freedom. Then students explain the role that civil disobedience played in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement.
Students learn about the Underground Railroad and some important individuals who helped slaves escape to freedom. Then students explain the role that civil disobedience played in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement.
Students examine a map of north-bound Underground Railroad routes and read background text about how enslaved people faced harsh conditions and how escape efforts led to the creation of the Underground Railroad. They then contribute one idea to a class chart predicting challenges freedom seekers likely faced on their journeys. Finally, they read an overview of the experience and the lesson objectives.
Teacher MovesReview or clarify the terms Underground Railroad and safe houses, and discuss the use of the term freedom seeker to center the agency of people escaping slavery. Prompt students to use the map to think about geographic and survival challenges, not just the risk of capture, and guide them to notice patterns in the class chart and explain why those challenges mattered. Preview that students will later analyze primary sources and Harriet Tubman’s role to build a fuller understanding of the Underground Railroad.
Students read What was the Underground Railroad? and watch The Underground Railroad: Crash Course Black American History #15 to learn how the Underground Railroad functioned as a secret network with specific roles, coded terms, and places. They answer a series of inline-choice questions to show understanding of key vocabulary and features of the system. Using information from the reading and video, they then complete a graphic organizer that pairs specific problems freedom seekers faced with the solutions and strategies used to overcome those challenges.
Teacher MovesFrame the scene as an investigation of cooperation, secrecy, and resilience within the Underground Railroad. After students answer the inline-choice questions, lead a discussion about why coded language such as conductor and safe house was necessary and what might have happened if enslavers understood these terms. When reviewing the graphic organizers, highlight clear problem–solution pairs grounded in evidence from the resources, and ask students how these examples show the planning, cooperation, and resourcefulness required for escape.
Working in small groups, students closely examine a historical reward poster for an enslaved woman named Sophia Gordon. They respond to a series of group discussion prompts about who created the poster and why, how the enslaver viewed Sophia, what the reward amount reveals about the economics of slavery, what risks the poster suggests for freedom seekers, and how such notices might have affected people involved in the Underground Railroad. Next, students read and apply three “Image Evaluation Lenses” (Economic, Risk and Danger, Determination) while studying two primary source images from Images of the Underground Railroad. For each of two chosen images, they complete a graphic organizer describing what the image reveals through each lens.
Teacher MovesPrepare students for the harmful historical language on the reward poster and create space for emotional responses. Guide group discussion so students identify the enslaver’s goals, recognize how the poster reflects enslaved people being treated as property, and connect the reward and legal context to the economics of slavery and the Fugitive Slave Act. Help students synthesize what the poster shows about the pressures and dangers surrounding escape and the need for secret networks. When reviewing image analyses, focus on one lens at a time, prompting students to connect economic details, risks, and visible determination to broader patterns in slavery and abolition, and to see the conflict between those resisting slavery and those determined to preserve it.
Students watch Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad and read Harriet Tubman: Moses of the Underground Railroad to gather evidence about Tubman’s contributions to the Underground Railroad and the wider resistance to slavery. They answer multiple-choice questions about why she was called “Moses,” how she avoided capture, why she repeatedly returned to Maryland, and what her actions reveal about her courage and role in guiding others to freedom. Finally, they post to a class discussion wall explaining how Harriet Tubman’s story shows both the dangers involved in escape and the determination demonstrated by freedom seekers.
Teacher MovesAfter reviewing student answers, lead a discussion that situates Tubman’s work within the larger Underground Railroad, using the detail that she helped about seventy people to prompt thinking about the scale of the network. Ask how stories of her courage may have influenced other freedom seekers and supporters. In the discussion wall debrief, help students connect the dangers Tubman faced to the broader system of slavery and the economic power enslavers sought to protect, and guide them to see how her efforts aligned with and advanced the goals of the abolitionist movement.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
©2026 Exploros. All rights reserved.