Underground Railroad: Songs of Freedom

Children learn about three songs that inspired and gave hope to the people who fled slavery via the Underground Railroad: "Let My People Go," "Follow the Drinking Gourd," and "Sweet Canaan." Students read excerpts of the lyrics, discover why these songs were meaningful, and learn how they personally inspired leaders and activists like Frederick Douglass. They then answer a few brief questions and solve a word puzzle to review what they've learned. Designed for a fourth and fifth grade humanities curriculum, this versatile worksheet incorporates well into a lesson on black history and nonfiction text features.