This is an amazing link where children are able to learn about slavery
and the Underground Railroad by being put in the shoes of a
slave. The children have to make decisions on what they would
like to do as the website asks. This website gives a lot of
information on the Underground Railroad through the virtual tour.
This link provides the children with the ability to gain knowledge
of many different faces of freedom. The children will be
able to learn more about 12 different people who helped in the fight
against slavery. This will introduce the term
"abolitionist" and could be a start to a future research project.
This link allows children to explore and learn the different escape
routes used in the Underground Railroad. The map is interactive
and the children can click on a part of it and can learn more about
where escaping slaves stayed in that state. There is a lot of
information about the escape routes on this one website and the
children will like that is interactive as well.
This link brings the children to the story of the Underground
Railroad. It explains what the railroad was all about and that it
wasn't exactly underground or a railroad at all. It also talks of
how slaves escaped and brings up the emancipation proclamation.
It is a challenging read that could be modified for younger children or
readers on a lower level.
This link allows the children to learn about many different aspects of
the Underground Railroad including code words and ways to escape.
THe students will also learn about how quilts were used to trigger
memories of clues as slaves were traveling on the Underground
Railroad. The website is set up as a quilt and allows the
children to click on a quilt square and learn more about a topic of the
Underground Railroad.
This is a child-friendly link. This link is actually an
invitation to construct a monument and it can be submitted to the
creators of this site. I think that this would be a great
activity to do as a class or in groups. The children can decide
on submitting the design or doing it just for fun in class.
This
link allows the children to create their own secret quilt
message. The website is based around Maryland and the Underground
Railroad but has many invaluable resources about the Underground
Railroad in general. It talks about what should be in a quilt square
when you begin to make one. This is an interactive way to assess
what the children know about the Underground Railroad by adding the
requirement of making sure that the quilt square conveys
something they have learned about slavery and the Underground Railroad.
This
is another part of the website based around Maryland. This part
of the website allows the children to make decisions in the footsteps
of a child in a slave family. This website is different than the
other website where you go on an interactive virtual tour. It has
a narration to it so children on lower reading levels are able to do
this without having to read the whole text.
This
link brings the children to a timeline of Harriet Tubman's
life. It was created by a second grade class and gives basic
information on her life. The text and pictures are
child friendly and a great way for the children to learn more about
Harriet Tubman. Once the children have finished looking at the
timeline, it will bring them back to the beginning of the
website. This is where the children can have the option of
reading more about Harriet Tubman, doing crossword puzzles or take a
quiz.
This
link allows the children to read stories from different parts of the
United States concerning slavery and the Underground Railroad.
When you put the mouse over one of the parts of the United States, it
gives a short summary and gives you the option to read more about each
part of the United States.
CONCLUSION:
Although I have not researched all of the websites
regarding the Underground Railroad, the sites on this website are among
the best found. I found that these were the most child-friendly
websites of the ones that I researched. They were the most
interactive making children think about how they would react being a
slave. These sites make the children think critically and help
them learn about slavery and the Underground Railroad in the most
interactive and engaging way possible!
