Article
Jake Murray

Escape From Slavery

Discover the incredible true story of Harriet Tubman, who risked her life helping enslaved men, women, and children escape to freedom.

By Lauren Tarshis
From the February 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: to evaluate evidence presented in an article

Lexiles: 940L, 830L
Other Key Skills: interpreting text, character, inference, text features, supporting a conclusion, close reading, critical thinking, vocabulary
Topic: History,
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Activities (11)
Quizzes (2)
Quizzes (2)
Answer Key (1)
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Activities (11) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Quizzes (2)
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Answer Key (1)
Dig Deeper With These Texts
Guiding Question

What is it like to live without freedom?

Virtual Exhibit: “The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship”

Have students explore this Library Of Congress online exhibit in small groups. The exhibit chronicles black America’s quest for equality from slavery to the Civil Rights era through government documents, manuscripts, maps, and musical scores. 

Primary Source: Letter from Frederick Douglass to Harriet Tubman

Read this 1868 letter from Frederick Douglass to Harriet Tubman. This text has Guided Reading Mode. Should you choose to enable Guided Reading Mode with your students, they will be prompted to answer guiding comprehension questions as they read. 

Slideshow: “The Underground Railroad”

Explore four slideshows of primary sources documenting slavery, the Underground Railroad, abolition, and the challenges that runaways faced in their new lives. Audio read aloud available.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. PREPARING TO READ

2. READING AND DISCUSSING (45 minutes)

3. SKILL BUILDING 

Differentiated Writing Prompts
For On-Level Readers

Your legacy is how you are remembered and the contributions you make during your life. What is Harriet Tubman’s legacy? Answer in a well-organized essay.

For Struggling Readers

In a well-organized paragraph, explain how Harriet Tubman was a courageous leader. Use at least one detail from the article and one detail from the video to support your ideas.

For Advanced Readers

Why should Harriet Tubman be studied and remembered? Answer this question in a wellorganized essay. Use information from the article, the video, and one additional source to support your ideas.

Customized Performance Tasks
For Historians

Research another person who worked on the Underground Railroad. Write a work of narrative nonfiction about that person. (Use the Scope article “Escape from Slavery” about Harriet Tubman as a model.)

For Artists

Create a work of visual art—a painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, etc.—about the legacy of Harriet Tubman. Write a brief artist’s statement explaining the ideas behind your artwork.

Literature Connection: Curricular texts about about the slavery, abolition, and the Underground Railroad

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad 
by Ann Petry (informational text)

Elijah of Buxton 
by Christopher Paul Curtis (novel)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself 
by Frederick Douglass (autobiography)

Text-to-Speech