The
Great Underground Railroad Tour Podcast
You will be working individually to create an audio (sound) podcast to guide a modern tourist on a journey following an historic route that runaway slaves used to escape from the Deep South to Canada in the early 1800’s.
Your project may be used by anyone who downloads it to guide
their travels as they drive, ride a bike, or walk across the
The steps outlined here will help you accomplish this challenging task.
Step 1 -- Due Date: Tuesday, January 7
Draw an accurate map in your writing journal of the general escape route you plan to investigate.
Identify the most common routes used by runaway slaves escaping to Canada. There have been many maps published that show the approximate travel patterns followed by thousands of escaping slaves. Our library has some. These maps can be found on the Internet, and your social studies textbook can serve as a resource. Choose a route to begin investigating. Don’t get too attached to any one route because you may need to change which route you want to use if you have trouble finding known historic sites to visit along that route.
Map of the Underground Railroad can be found on this government website:
http://govbooktalk.gpo.gov/2012/02/27/underground-railroad/
Interactive Map of the Underground Railroad:
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u6/index.html
Here is a virtual interactive escape route:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/index.html
Step 2 -- Due Date:
Monday, January 13th
Plot historic sites related to the Underground Railroad on your map handout your teacher will give you.
Here are some places that students have found useful in their research in 2012.
Here are some places that students have found useful in their research in 2013.
Here are some places that students have found useful in their research in 2018.
The following resources will be very useful for this:
This website provides a detailed list of sites along this bicycling route from Mobile, AL to Owen Sound, ON. If you click on each section it tells you numerous Underground Railroad sites along the way.
List of plantations in
http://genealogytrails.com/ala/slave_plantations.html
Overview of the Underground Railroad:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html
A guide to Underground Railroad historical sites in
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Underground_Railroad?rec=1518
An extensive list of sites related to the Underground Railroad can be found at this National Park Service Web Page:
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/states.htm
A guide to Underground Railroad historical sites in
http://www.nyhistory.com/ugrr/index.htm
A guide to Underground Railroad historical sites in
http://pathways.thinkport.org/flash_home.cfm
This site lists plantations turned into Bed and Breakfasts in South Carolina:
http://south-carolina-plantations.com/plantation-inns.html
A guide to Underground Railroad historical sites in
https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Underground_Railroad_in_Virginia
Ohio UGR sites:
http://touringohio.com/history/ohio-underground-railroad.html
Fort Pulaski in Georgia”
http://www.nps.gov/fopu/historyculture/underground-railroad.htm
Step 3 -- Due Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Pick the most interesting 5-7 sites to include as part of your podcast tour guide. Write a script for each one describing the interesting historical facts that a visitor would want to know about.
Your script for each site should answer the questions:
Who? – Tell about the interesting people who lived at or traveled through this site.
What? -- Tell about the important historical events that happened at this site.
Where? – Tell where the site is located and where it is positioned in the route of slaves to freedom. Was it a safe house along the way? Was it their first contact point to enter the Underground Railroad system? Was it their last stop before freedom?
Why? – Tell why the people at each site made the choices that they did. Why did the conductors at this site decide to risk their lives and families to help fugitive slaves? Why did the slaves trust the people at this site?
When? -- Give a specific date range for the events you describe that occurred at this site.
Your script should not be a list of answers to these questions but a smooth flowing series of paragraphs that contain the answers to these questions.
For each section of your script include a list of resources you used to find information.
You should tell these stories in your own words and voice.
Link to search page for the National Register of Historic Places: http://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp/
Step 4 -- Due Date: Friday, January 24th
Use road atlases, Apple Maps, MapQuest and other resources to plan the exact route a motor tourist would use to follow your tour. Prepare a written script for all driving directions needed to complete the tour. Directions should mention all of the roads and highways drivers will need to use and where they need to change from one road to another, but they do not need to be as detailed as those given by a GPS navigation system. They do not need to tell drivers what lane to get in or how many tenths of a mile long an on or off ramp is.
Step 5 -- Due Date: January
28th
Create a schedule for your trip. Start by determining the amount of time a visitor should spend at each stop on your tour. Then compute the driving distances and times between the stops. Assuming that no more than five hours each day will be spent on driving and that tourists will need at least 8 hours of sleep in a motel each night, plan a daily activity suggestion for your trip. Be sure to take into account the hours that each historic site is open for business. Prepare a script that describes your trip’s schedule.
Step 6 -- Due Date: January 29th
Assume that gas costs $4.00 per gallon and a car gets 25 miles per gallon. Compute the cost of gas for the trip. Compute the cost of lodging assuming that hotels will charge an average of $100.00 per night. Allow for $20.00 per day for meals. List and add up all the entry fees that historic sites might charge visitors.
Prepare a script that describes all of the expenses a tourist can expect including the total cost of the trip.
Step 7 – Due Date: January 30th
Prepare an introduction for your podcast that includes a brief description of the Underground Railroad and route that your tour is following. Introduce yourself (first name only) and briefly mention all the sites you plan to have someone visit along the way.
Step 8 -- Due Date: January 30th
Revise your scripts to make them easy to read smoothly in a podcast.
Proofread your scripts carefully for proper grammar and have a parent check that they are ready to be podcasted. Then have Mr. Bixby review your scripts.
Step 9 – Due Date: We
will start recording on Friday January 31st.
Record, edit and publish your podcast. More instructions for this step will be available when you are ready for them.
In order to help you understand what the finished product may end up like, here are some examples from previous students:
These may take a few minutes to load before they are ready to listen to.