By: Ann Petry

(textbook pages 484 – 497)

from Harriet Tubman:Conductor on the

Underground Railroad

In this excerpt from Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman leads eleven escaped slaves to freedom in Canada in the mid-1800’s. Use this sentence starter to develop your ideas about the Big Question:

It is important to learn about historical figures who challenged slavery because_____________________.

As you read: Notice the types of details the author includes to help readers learn about Tubman.

How much information is enough?

invariably – (adv.) all the time; always (p. 487)People invariably mistake Jon for his twin

brother.

fugitives – (n.) people fleeing from danger (p. 487)The escaping slaves were fugitives from the

law.

incentive – (n.) something that makes a person take action (p. 488)Extra pay for overtime labor is an incentive to

work longer hours.

Vocabulary

dispel – (v.) cause something to go away (p. 489)The facts will dispel any doubts about his

innocence.

mutinous – (adj.) rebellious (p. 491)The mutinous sailors captured the captain and

took charge of the ship.

bleak – (adj.) bare and windswept; cold and hard (p. 495)The bleak landscape stretched before them like

an old, gray blanket.

Vocabulary Continues

Meet Ann Petry (1908 – 1997)

Sometimes the only way to do the right thing is to break the law.

Being a leader is fun and rewarding.

Taking risks is an important part of making changes.

With freedom comes responsibility.

Activating Prior Knowledge

1. Respond: Would you have trusted Harriet Tubman to take you on a long, difficult journey? Why or why not.You might trust her because of her courage, her ability

to make quick decisions and evaluate people, and her desire to help others.

2. (a) What does Tubman do when a fugitive wants to go back to the plantation?Tubman points her gun at him and says that if he

doesn’t continue, she will shoot him.2. (b) Analyze: Explain why Tubman feels she must

act this way.The returned fugitive would be forced to reveal the

secrets of their escape, which would jeopardize other fugitives and their helpers.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496)

3. (a) Interpret: Tubman says, “We got to go free or die. And freedom’s not bought with dust.” In your own words, interpret that statement. It means, “Freedom is only achieved through struggle and

risk. But it is better to struggle than lose our humanity through being slaves.”

3. (b) Make a judgment: Are the results of the Underground Railroad trips worth the risks involved? Why or why not.Freedom is worth the dangers because it is better to struggle

to gain freedom then to live and die as a slave.3. (c) Discuss: Share your judgment with a partner. Then,

discuss how your own opinion has or has not changed as a result of your conversation.The outcome of the Underground Railroad trips is worth the

risk.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496)

How much information is enough?

(a) What kind of information does Petry provide in this narrative essay that you would not find in an encyclopedia entry about Tubman?She includes detailed descriptions of a particular

escape; she includes stories that Tubman told the slaves.

(b) Does Petry’s approach give you a better idea of what Tubman was like as a person? Why or why not?Yes, because the narrative form allows for direct

description of what she said and did and thought.

Critical Thinking (textbook page 496)

1. (a) In a chart like the one shown, write at least two supporting details you learned about Harriet Tubman from the essay.

1. (b) Then, based on the details, write a sentence that summarizes the main idea the author conveys about Tubman in a way that maintains the original meaning.

Reading Skill: Main Idea (textbook page 497)

Supporting Detail

Supporting Detail

Supporting Detail

Main Idea

If she were caught, she would

be hanged.

She hid the fact that she did not know the new

route.

She encouraged the fugitives after they were turned away at their first

stop on the Underground Railroad. She knew that the

penalty for helping slaves

escape would be death.

Harriet Tubman was a brave and

resourceful woman who risked

her life to accomplish a very

difficult task.

2. What subtle inferences can you make and what complex conclusions can you draw about why Tubman is an important historical figure?Harriet Tubman’s selflessness and daring was

a key element in the success of the Underground Railroad, thus making her an important historical figure.

Reading Skill: Main Idea (textbook page 497)

3. List the two most important events in this narrative essay.The two most important events are Harriet Tubman’s

stopping at gunpoint and the fugitive who wants to return, and the group’s arrival to freedom in Canada.

4. (a) Identify at least three people in the narrative and describe their relationship with the author.Thomas Garrett is a Quaker who lives in Wilmington and

helps the Underground Railroad. The German farmer and his wife shelter the group for a night. William still lives in Philadelphia and records information about the fugitives.

4. (b) Identify the setting.The setting is Maryland and other states of the mid-Atlantic,

the northern United States, and Canada during the winter of 1851 - 1852.

Literary Analysis: Narrative Essay (textbook page 497)

Practice: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to indicate if the statements are true or false. Explain your answers.1. Discussing controversial ideas invariably

leads to agreement. False. Discussing controversial ideas is unlikely to

invariably, or consistently, leads people to agree.2. Eating a good meal will dispel the feeling of

hunger.True. Eating well will dispel, or chase away,

feelings of hunger.3. A mutinous sailor would obey all the

captain’s rules.False. Mutinous means “rebellious,” and a

mutinous sailor would not obey the captain’s rules.

Vocabulary (textbook page 497)

Practice: Use your knowledge of the vocabulary words to indicate if the statements are true or false. Explain your answers.4. Fugitives often have reason to feel afraid.

True. Because fugitives are fleeing from danger, they have a good reason to be afraid.

5. The need to pay bills is an incentive for getting a job.True. Incentive means a reason for doing

something, and having bills you need to pay is a reason for getting a job.

6. On a bleak morning, the sun is bright and the air is warm.False. The word bleak implies cheerlessness and

dreariness.

Vocabulary (textbook page 497)

Use the context of the sentences and what you know about the Old English suffix –ly to explain each answer.

1. Would someone who is escaping open the door silently?An escaping person would open a door “in a silent

way” in order to avoid detection.2. Why is it best to answer a test question

correctly?Answering a test question “in a correct way” will

score you points.

Word Power (textbook page 497)