Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad

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Although the cruelties of slavery and the sad events of Henry’s life may prove too intense for the youngest readers, grade-schoolers with some knowledge of American history will thrill to this astonishing tale of bravery, ingenuity, and the indomitable strength of the human spirit." – Barnes & Noble McCully, Emily Arnold. The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington’s Slave Finds Freedom. Farrar, 2007. ISBN-13: 9780374322250 This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine as a springboard for instruction focused on inflectional endings.

When it comes to writing lesson plans and finding activities for Henry’s Freedom Box, we’ve already done all of the heavy lifting for you. Anecdotal notes will be taken to indicate who is a respectful listener, and on the depth of student comments, questions and peer discussions. I will use this form of assessment to get an idea of what students think and how they see the world, and so that that I can start to lay the foundation of what this unit needs to touch on

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identify a range of purposes for listening in a variety of situations, formal and informal, and set goals related to specific listening tasks I will then share some pictures from my iPad/Apple TV connection of other ways people escaped to freedom (eg. church pews, boxes, mail, etc.) Fradin, Dennis Brindell. Bound for the North Star: True Stories of Fugitive Slaves. Clarion, 2000. ISBN-13: 9780395970171

We will share some written thoughts and ideas aloud on the carpet, and once shared aloud (and approved), we will have a discussion about its value to the Wall, and add the card to the Freedom Wall A3. Understanding Context: demonstrate an understanding of significant experiences of, and major changes and aspects of life in, various historical and contemporary communities in CanadaStrand(s): Oral Communication & Reading, Creating and Presenting & Reflecting, Responding, and Analyzing, & Understanding Context

I may have a second set of volunteers come up and pretend to be Henry’s children or wife if time allows use speaking skills and strategies appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes; Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of Henry's Freedom Box includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

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Finish by having the students look at the Freedom Wall in a gallery walk and reflect alone or in a Think, Pair, Share FOR/AS Learning– this lesson is designed as the beginning of a deeper unit on social justice and literacy. Students will learn about social justice issues while instilling reading, listening and speaking strategies. Self-Regulation – students can monitor, assess and control their own behaviours to suit the needs of the class and activities Students will reflect on the fact that this is a true story with real life significance and consequences

iPad slide show with pictures of ways people tried to obtain freedom for visual reference (pews, boxes, etc.) Very small introduction to Underground Railroad – a system of paths, safe houses, secret codes, etc. to obtaining freedom across north America and beyond Nelson’s illustrations, always powerful and nuanced, depict the evolution of a self-possessed child into a determined and fearless young man." – Catherine Threadgill, School Library Journal Johnson, Dolores. Now Let Me Fly: The Story of a Slave Family. Macmillan, 1993. ISBN-13: 9780027476996 Clutter-Free Classroom is the place where elementary teachers get the time-saving tips, ideas and resources they need to make teaching easier and more enjoyable.Conversation– I will assess the mindfulness of the questions asked, and the depth of the conversations between students’ groups. I will add details to my anecdotal notes. Diagnostic– Getting an idea of what students think and how they see the world is incredibly important so that teachers can start to lay the foundation of a topic. The freedom wall will help inform me of various mindsets in my classroom. Henry does not know how old he is, as no one keeps records of slaves. Henry grew up with his loving mother until his master became ill. He was given to the master’s son to work on a tobacco factory. B2.1 express personal responses and make connections to characters, themes, and issues presented in their own and others’ drama works