Louisa and I put together a collection of podcasts called the Underground Railroad. We are both extremely interested in American History and know that this is an important topic that is discussed within middle and high school classrooms.
Many of the podcasts we found were videos and students created a few of them! I figured that this could be a fun way to introduce podcasts in the classroom and show students that they too can create one of their own.
The podcasts we found on iTunes U are very helpful, but could become too drawn out and boring for certain students. I would make sure to go through each podcast and make a note of useful information it provides so as to only show certain sections. This tool is so handy and much easier to get a hold of than videos on the topic. It is also great because you are able to get a wide variety of perspectives on each topic.
While looking for other ideas on how to teach about the Underground Railroad I came across a webquest. http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/ath/library/webquests/underground/default.htm After looking at it I would have to spruce up the materials and questions asked in order to make it more challenging for the students. I think that a webquest on the Underground Railroad would be fun for students and give them different perspectives.
I also found a neat lesson that I thought might work and be a fun hands on activity. http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/pages/450.shtml It deals with calculating the distance of the Underground Railroad on a map. Students would be required to know information about the Underground Railroad and give certain characteristics pertaining to it. This will give students a chance to look at the determination it must have taken for slaves to obtain freedom.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Good idea to pinpoint the interesting parts of the podcasts so that people can avoid sitting through the drawn out parts. Underground railroad is an amazing topic-and it must be impossible to ever appreciate the determination of those involved!
ReplyDeleteI really like the links you listed. In the practicum, our high school class was discussing the Underground Railroad and amazingly, several of them actually thought it was a railroad underground. The websites you found would be great additions to a lesson and hopefully your students will know the REAL facts about the topic!
ReplyDeleteYeah good topic to use this activity with. I can definitely see how students could think it was an actual railroad!Maybe if they could see it on a map, like Google Earth, it would make more sense.
ReplyDeleteI like how your students would calculate distance on a map... it would be a great way to bring geography into the lesson. I'm not going to be real sad if geography gets phased out as its own separate subject area, but it's really relevant when looking at a crazy journey people went on!
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you plan on highlighting certain parts of podcasts that contained pertinent information. Some podcasts can be really long and dry and students would lose interest. I think the map activity you found is great because it integrates map skills into a history classroom. I really liked this lesson plan as a whole! :)
ReplyDelete