Researching Harriet Tubman in preparation for writing a biography
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can research and gather information about Harriet Tubman’s life in preparation for writing a biography about her.
Key learning points
- When preparing to write a biography, it is important to thoroughly research the person we are writing about.
- Biographies usually share information about the person's life in chronological order.
- Recording information in chronological order helps the reader understand how different events are related & sequenced.
Keywords
Chronological order - following the order in which a series of events happened
Plantation - a large farm that specialises in growing one type of crop
Extradite - to hand over a person accused or convicted of a crime to the state in which the crime was committed
Underground Railroad - a secret network of people offering shelter and aid to fugitive enslaved people
Civil war - a war between citizens of the same country
Common misconception
This lesson contains a lot of subject-specific language and information related to the civil war in America.
Information is chunked into small, accessible parts and subject-specific vocabulary is explicitly defined.
Teacher tip
Showing pupils short videos and dramatisations of Tubman's life will help them understand the context of life in the USA at the time.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Select the definition of a biography.
Q2.Select which of these are types of non-fiction texts.
Q3.What is the purpose of a biography?
Q4.Tick the layout features of biographies.
Q5.How do subheadings help to achieve the text's purpose?
Q6.What is a civil rights activist?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the keywords to their definitions.
when a text is written following the order in which events happened
a large farm that specialises in growing one type of crop
to send a person accused of a crime back to their state or country
secret network of people offering shelter to fugitive enslaved people
a war between citizens of the same country
Q2.What does researching for a biography involve?
Q3.Order the sections of a biography about Harriet Tubman.
Q4.Which elements of Harriet Tubman's early life have we learned about?
Q5.Maryland was a __________ State in the USA.
Q6.Match the terms associated with the Underground Railroad with their definitions.
helped guide fugitive slaves across different hiding places
hiding places, including private homes, schoolhouses and churches
people operating these hiding places
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Researching Harriet Tubman in preparation for writing a biography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 English lesson on: Researching Harriet Tubman in preparation for writing a biography, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 English lessons from the Harriet Tubman: biographical writing unit, dive into the full primary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.