HISTORY ALIVE! - The Underground Railroad
The literature around my inquiry question stressed the need to make historical content come alive to students. Interacting with the content in a personal way exponentially increases the amount of information retained.
My African American class was still a bit reluctant to partake in the class because they still weren't connecting with the content. But since writing their own declaration, they have been more cooperative. Because we were covering new content on the Abolitionist Movement, classes have been extremely discussion based. But to drive home the themes of the unit, the cumulating lesson about the Abolitionist Movement was an Underground Railroad simulation.
The class were immersed in the role of fugitive slaves trying to make their way to Canada. In the role of a guide, I disguised the class as a cargo of potatoes. Collaborating teachers portrayed abolitionist safe-house managers. We visted mulitple safe-houses on our simulation. At each one, teachers/abolitionists would share their narrative about their reason for their involvement in the movement and their own personal contributions in the struggle for freedom. But to capture the danger of the journey, I had other collaborating teachers pose as bounty hunters to capture fugitives throughout the journey and in safe- houses (if they were misbehaving). I wanted to make the simulation as realistic as possible, especially in the emotional aspect because it is what resonates most with people. Safe-house managers and I spoke in code that was frequented by participants of the Underground Railroad. In addition, along the route laid visual and tactile cues to mark the way. Only students that did the background reading were aware of the meaning behind these clues, increasing their chances of making it to freedom.
While simulations are extremely effective in conveying content, the debriefing
is necessary to reinforce the activity and its content. With guiding questions,
I wanted students to actually assume the role of fugitives to understand the
emotions and experience. During the debrief, there was a consensus about the
simulation,“It was fun cause it was different. We don’t do things like this
anymore, especially in high school.” While these comments are positive, I wanted
to know whether students got anything form the simulation, not just “fun-ness.”
I then directed conversation to the feelings that they experience as fugitives
to gauge students had any take-away from the activity. Students immediately
pranced at the opportunity to share their experience, “I was so scared, I
thought I was going to get caught all the time…I got caught twice… there were
bounty hunters everywhere.” After our debriefing discussion, I had the students
write a letter to family/relatives that are still in the slave system, advising
or discouraging them to partake in the Underground Railroad. These letters
captured their experience and reflected content knowledge. Some students really
personalized the letter, asking if they could write in the form that newly
freedmen would write; some wrote about the new lives in Canada along.
is necessary to reinforce the activity and its content. With guiding questions,
I wanted students to actually assume the role of fugitives to understand the
emotions and experience. During the debrief, there was a consensus about the
simulation,“It was fun cause it was different. We don’t do things like this
anymore, especially in high school.” While these comments are positive, I wanted
to know whether students got anything form the simulation, not just “fun-ness.”
I then directed conversation to the feelings that they experience as fugitives
to gauge students had any take-away from the activity. Students immediately
pranced at the opportunity to share their experience, “I was so scared, I
thought I was going to get caught all the time…I got caught twice… there were
bounty hunters everywhere.” After our debriefing discussion, I had the students
write a letter to family/relatives that are still in the slave system, advising
or discouraging them to partake in the Underground Railroad. These letters
captured their experience and reflected content knowledge. Some students really
personalized the letter, asking if they could write in the form that newly
freedmen would write; some wrote about the new lives in Canada along.