Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is the Underground Railroad, and why is it an important part of history?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt offers an opportunity to assess what students do and do not know about the Underground Railroad before beginning Petry’s book. After a preliminary assessment, you might offer students one or both of the resources below and then ask them to revise their answers to reflect what they have learned.

• This article from National Geographic offers a thorough introduction to the Underground Railroad.
• This 6-minute video explains the Underground Railroad and its historical significance.

2. What is an allegory? How is it similar to and different from symbolism and analogy?

Teaching Suggestion: Petry’s book explores enslaved people’s frequent use of Biblical allegory. Students may find the distinction among “allegory,” “symbolism,” and “analogy” confusing, even after reading definitions and watching the videos linked below. It may be helpful to students to discuss the three terms as a class and draw a Venn diagram that illustrates where these three terms overlap and where their meanings diverge.

• This 4-minute video from Oregon State University clearly explains the concept of allegory.
• This 5-minute video from TED-Ed explores theories about The Wizard of Oz as allegory.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

How much would you be willing to risk to help someone in a terrible situation? Where would you draw the line and decide that it was too much of a risk?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt is meant to encourage engagement with the text and increase students’ empathy for its characters. Students are more likely to offer thoughtful answers if they answer this question in writing first, but afterward they may enjoy discussing the prompt aloud and hearing one another’s ideas. This prompt may provoke difficult feelings for students who have experienced violence, displacement, or similar issues, however, and it could be helpful to adapt your plans accordingly.