This book tells you what it was like to be a slave trying to escape to freedom on the underground railroad. Jan 23, 2017 discuss the underground railroad by colson whitehead in an online book club. Everything you need teacher guides, units, lessons, writing activities, interactives, and book resources for grades k12. Students will learn about the history of the underground railroad, a covert network of former slaves, free black men and women, northern abolitionists, and church leaders who helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom. Underground railroadteen nonfiction, united states. The underground railroad teaching guide scholastic. The underground railroad pulitzer prize winner national. This book explains what the underground railroad was, what it was like to be a slave, and describes the hardships faced by slaves. A new life of freedom slideshow underground railroad. The underground railroad is an american masterpiece, as much a searing document of a cruel history as a uniquely brilliant work of fiction. Join the discussion of the underground railroad by. Oprah winfreys selection of colson whiteheads the underground railroad for oprahs book club set in motion a frenzy of logistics for the books publisher. Oprahs book club has tapped colson whiteheads the underground railroad as its newest selection. Please put your comments for the underground railroad book club discussion questions in the comment area below discussion questions.
The complete landmarks of the underground railroad tour with. This has printable minibooks, readers theater, and lots of great links. Underground railroad book videos interactive whiteboard ready. A picture book of harriet beecher stowe, by david a.
The book emphasizes how slaves were treated as property and reduced to objects. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. The educational, teacherfriendly book american history mysteries focuses on two young detectives, meg and peter mackintosh and their clever grandfather. Book clubs book fairs scholastic education classroom magazines about us. Initially i found this book engrossing, and i also found the authors style of writing very creative. This train conveys cora, caesar, and other escapees first to a south carolina also. No matter what harsh and hateful words have been said to you, no matter the wrong actions against you, those opinions are not valid. From the very start of the book cora comes across as a strong character. Curriculum connections for the resources and activities on this page include.
The underground railroad pulitzer prize winner national book award winner oprahs book club. Includes teachers guides, curriculum connections, and classroom activities. The storys main narrative, set in the southern united states during the slavery era the early 1800s, is introduced and occasionally interrupted. In a surprise announcement tuesday morning, winfrey chose the underground railroad as. Virtual field trips for a complete collection see virtual field trips station. Complete this activity with students using an virtual field trip.
Learn about the underground railroad with language arts, history, and science. Students meet the most famous conductor of the underground railroad and. The underground railroad book club discussion gbcn. The william still story grades 68 william still was an important yet not widely acknowledged figure in the underground railroad. Colson whiteheads underground railroad wins pulitzer cbs. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the underground railroad pulitzer prize winner national book award winner oprahs book club. It won the 2017 pulitzer prize for fiction, the 2016 national book award for fiction, the arthur c. Students will learn about the history of the underground railroad, a covert network of former slaves, free black men and women, northern. Aug 02, 2016 colson whiteheads the underground railroad is the newest oprahs book club selection. Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal train to freedom whitehead was recently awarded the national book award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a. The underground railroad, by contrast, was personal. How does the depiction of slavery in the underground railroad compare to other depictions in literature and film the scenes on randalls plantation are horrifichow did the writing affect you as a reader.
The author talks about racism, writing and barry jenkins directing the television series based on his novel. Aug 02, 2016 oprahs book club has tapped colson whiteheads the underground railroad as its newest selection. In a surprise announcement tuesday morning, winfrey chose the underground railroad as the next title for oprahs book club. An historic scene from the journey, with popup boxes to. Whiteheads sixth novel, the story of a teenage slaves bid. Aug 27, 2016 colson whitehead knopf doubledayerin patrice obrien why colson whitehead made the underground railroad real.
Web sites to answer questions about her, testing their reading and research skills. Includes posting on a bulletin board, writing a secret letter, a harriet tubman web hunt, and a mapping activity. This gives the book a bit of dystopian feel, although this is an antebellum tale, with time appropriate technology. But whitehead, whose eclectic body of work encompasses novels zone one, 2011, etc. The underground railroad by colson whitehead book club. Classroom the five intermediate or middleschool based lesson plans targeting grades 68 are intended to expand and appreciate a better understanding about the work done on the underground. The basic premise of this novel is that the underground railroad was just that a real physical underground railroad. The journey is almost over for walter, a runaway slave who reaches cleveland, ohio along the underground railroad. Book clubs book fairs scholastic education classroom magazines. This slideshow includes photos and audio for students to listen and read along. Scholastic teachables formerly scholastic printables. Coreys underground railroad diary discussion guide.
Its interesting to me that a book predicated on the question of what if the underground railroad was real is the one people are seizing onto. The following questions could help spark discussion. The interactive slideshow with audio lets students read a short article at each stop. I think theres no better book for a time such as this, oprah said on cbs this morning the novels of. Scholastic underground railroad virtual field trip. This book explains how artifacts from archaeological digs and archived information are used to investigate the underground railroad. On august 1, 1834, 800,000 enslaved africans in the british.
Why colson whitehead made the underground railroad. Follow a runaway slave to freedom along the underground railroad in 1860. The william still story grades 68 william still was an important yet not widely acknowledged figure in. Discuss the underground railroad by colson whitehead in an online book club. Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal. They can click on accompanying images to read popups with more information. Scholastic teachables browse all worksheets, resources, printables, and more for the classroom. The underground railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one womans ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share. Colson whitehead on the underground railroad, the book. Letters from the underground railroad by elvira woodruff this fictional journal of two boys on the underground railroad is a good choice for lowerlevel readers. The perilous lure of the underground railroad the new yorker. Many families, black and white, feed and hide him during this two week journey. The book is rebooting every time the person goes to a different state.
If i had just read the underground railroad and not followed up with 2 books involving race issues and slavery. The journey of one slave along the underground railroad continues with a daring escape north through the woods to freedom. The underground railroad by allison lassieur scholastic. Apr 10, 2017 colson whiteheads underground railroad wins pulitzer. Do you feel that you now have a better understanding of what slavery was like.
I first read about henry box brown in william stills 1872 book, the underground railroad. Excellent interactive site from scholastic on the underground. See more ideas about underground railroad, social studies and 5th grade social studies. Michael schaub, npr far and away the most anticipated literary novel of the year, the underground railroad marks a new triumph for whiteheada book that resonates with deep emotional timbre. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for cora.
The william still story is a production of 90th parallel productions ltd in association with rogers broadcasting limited and wnedtv buffalotoronto funding was provided by. Learn how slaves used the stars, trees, and rivers to help guide them. Underground railroadteen nonfiction, united states history. In north carolina, institutions like doctors offices and museums that were supposed to help black uplift were corrupt and unethical. Our book club page for the underground railroad by colson whitehead includes book club discussion questions, author website, book. Scholastic s underground railroad activity homepage. Feb 22, 2017 today is the day for our second book club discussion.
Colson whiteheads the underground railroad has been a runaway success. Aug 02, 2016 download an excerpt of the book, and print a copy of oprahs the underground railroad reading guide and book club questions. Please put your comments for the underground railroad book club discussion questions in the comment area below. Curriculum connections for this online activity include. The different state of american possibility described in the south carolina chapters is the era of negro uplift by. Colson whiteheads underground railroad wins pulitzer. The underground railroad was a critical and commercial success, hitting the best seller lists and winning several notable prizes. Underground railroad traces the terrible wounds of slavery the underground railroad is a literal train running underground in colson whiteheads new novel, which follows escaped slave cora. Colson whitehead on the underground railroad, the book that. About this guide the questions, discussion topics, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of the underground railroad, a triumph of a novel by colson whitehead. Its fanciful and childish, but it also had many possibilities salon talks to the. The book picked for this month was the underground railroad by colson whitehead. Have students complete these questions as they are exploring the website.
Download an excerpt of the book, and print a copy of oprahs the underground railroad reading guide and book club questions. Anthony i found the focus not so much on the grave robbers themselves, but on how the medical profession was in dire straights to continue their study of themore i found the focus not so much on the grave robbers themselves, but on how the medical profession was in dire straights to continue their study of the human body after death for future remedies in the name of science, and due to. Colson whiteheads underground railroad is a literal train to freedom whitehead was recently awarded the national book award for his novel about a young slave who has escaped a georgia. Why do you think the author chose to portray a literal railroad. The underground railroad, published in 2016, is the sixth novel by american author colson whitehead the alternate history novel tells the story of cora and caesar, two slaves in the southeastern united states during the 19th century, who make a bid for freedom from their georgia plantations by following the underground railroad, which the novel depicts as primarily a rail transport system in. How did this aspect of magical realism impact your concept of how the real underground railroad worked. Does the underground railroad change the way you look at. Review the underground railroad by colson whitehead u. The rr is a secret network of hiding places and brave people. You must remember also that he would never make any mistake in creating you. With this interactive slideshow, students follow the path of a slave in 1860 as he travels the underground railroad to freedom. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad is the newest oprahs book club selection. Save hours of prep time with our online treasure trove of readytogo lessons, printables, and activities for every grade, subject, and skill level.
Underground railroad traces the terrible wounds of. Aug 02, 2016 nobody could wait for colson whiteheads new book including oprah, so here it is, a month early. All activities underground railroad student activity. Kindergarten 3rd grade readers the underground railroad. Excellent interactive site from scholastic on the underground railroad more information find this pin and more on underground railroad stealing freedom by dyane smokorowski. Lead students in a discussion of these focus story elements. Cora and caesars first stop is south carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. Mondays announcement confirmed the book as the literary event of 2016, an oprah winfrey book club pick and critical favorite. The underground railroad book club discussion questions. Clarke award and the 2017 andrew carnegie medal for excellence. In whiteheads ingenious conception, the underground railroad is no mere metaphor engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the southern soil. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
We see that freedom is a perspective that changes with the person and the time. Find a compilation of all the interactive activities within the student activity the underground railroad. Jan 30, 2018 in whiteheads ingenious conception, the underground railroad is no mere metaphor engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the southern soil. Whiteheads sixth novel, the story of a teenage slaves bid for freedom in 1850s georgia, is out. Behind oprahs book club pick of the underground railroad. In the myths of the underground railroad reading activity, scholastic first explains the difference between history and myths, such as the tale of our first. How does the depiction of slavery in the underground railroad compare to other depictions in literature and film. If you traveled on the underground railroad extension. Searching for the underground railroad by joyce hansen and gary mcgowan. Escape from slavery activity grades 412, students travel back to 1860 to follow a young slave as he flees a kentucky plantation for canada along the underground railroad. A story of the underground railroad, by joan holub, for grade 3. Follow runaways to the north and learn about their new lives of freedom. Discuss the underground railroad by colson whitehead.
There were mixed reactions to this book with most readers liking it whereas. Colson whiteheads the underground railroad in his ambitious new novel, now an oprah book club pick, the author takes on the topic of slaveryand its tangled legacy. Reading guide for the underground railroad by colson whitehead. Discover the main features of emancipation day celebrations, learn about the people of african ancestrys struggle for freedom, and the victories achieved in the push for equality into the 21st century.
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