"Follow The Drinking Gourd"

Submitted by: Chelsey S. Brandt
Endorsed by: Dr. Don Descy
Mankato State University

Date: May 19, 1998

Description:

It's been a long road of travel, but women's history and heroes have become an important part of society today.  Women have impacted history and have become heroes in the world all over the country.  This must be shown and taught to students that men's and women's accomplishments should be shown as equal.  To help them gain a better understanding, this lesson will be an introduction of women's history and heroes to students at a young age.  They will learn how Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave herself, formed the UnderGround Railroad and led her people to freedom during the early days of slavery in the 1840's.

Grade level: 1st

Goal: Students will learn about the early days of slavery in the 1840's and how they were led to freedom in the North.

Objectives:

1.  The students will learn about Harriet Tubman and Peg Leg Joe and how they led the slaves to freedom by reading a picture book.

2.  The students will learn about how the "drinking gourd" led the slaves to freedom through music and an art project.

Background Information:

This lesson can be used as an introduction to women's history and heroes during April/Women's History Month to 1st graders as they enter the primary grades.  The lesson teaches them about two important heroes in history and how their actions impacted slavery.  This lesson can be taught in a day, and can be followed with a video on "Following the Drinking Gourd" the next day.

Concepts:

 Students will be able to:

1.  Identify Harriet Tubman and how she formed the UnderGround Railroad that led the slaves to freedom in the North.
2.  Identify Peg Leg Joe and how he led the slaves along the UnderGround Railroad using secret words that led them to freedom.
3.  Identify how the Drinking Gourd/North Star helped the slaves along the UnderGround Railroad.
4.  Sing or chant the lyrics to the song, "Follow the Drinking Gourd" that Peg Leg Joe wrote.

Materials:

Follow the Drinking Gourd picture book by Jeanette Winter
9X12 sheets of black construction paper
white color crayon
glue or glue stick
star stickers
pen

Procedure:

1.  Ask students what heroes are and who are their heroes are.
2.  Ask students to name some famous women heroes.
3.  Introduce Harriet Tubman, the famous conductor of the UnderGround Railroad, and a one-legged sailor named Peg Leg Joe who taught the slaves to "Follow the Drinking Gourd" which led them to freedom in the north.
4.  Read book, Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter.
5.  Post-Reading Input:

--Early days of slavery: slaves tried to escape cruelity by fleeing north to freedom
--The UnderGround Railroad
 a.  formed in the 1840's
 b.  loosely organized group of free blacks, slaves, and white sympathizers that formed a secret network of people
 c.  hid escaped slaves
 d.  escaped slaves traveled at night and hid during the day
 e.  moved slowly upriver along connected waterways
 f.  many were shot or hanged

Harriet Tubman
 a.  runaway slave
 b.  most famous conductor on the UnderGround Railroad
 c.  led hundreds of her people to freedom

Peg Leg Joe
 a.  one-legged sailor
 b.  hired himself out to plantation owners as a handyman
 c.  made friends with the slaves and taught them a folk song, "Follow the Gourd"

Follow the Drinking Gourd
 a.  hidden in the lyrics were directions for following the UnderGround Railroad
 b.  drinking gourd is the Big Dipper that points to the North Star
 c.  followed stars to the north and found marks left by Peg Leg Joe

Secrets of the UnderGround Railroad
 a.  Passengers = escaped slaves
 b.  Stations = homes were slaves hid
 c.  Conductors = people who help guide the slaves
 d.  Agents = people who offered the slaves clothes, food, and shelter

6.  Sing through lyrics of the drinking gourd song (teacher sing first, students repeat)

7.  Create art project
 a.  Fold sheet of construction paper
 b.  On the cover, the students will create a title
 c.  Open it up, on the top half, the students will print out the refrain from the song,
      "Follow the Drinking Gourd" (words will be on the board)
 d.  On the bottom half, using 7 sticker stars, the students will create their own
      drinking gourd and connect each star using a white crayon
 e.  If  finished early, have students add more details using crayons

Assessment:

 The assessment will be authentic and the teacher will assess the finished art project, student participation during discussion and singing, and recalling information by answering questions after reading the story.
 
 

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