Underground to Canada by Barbara Smucker Lit Link Grades 4 6

<p>Julilly is a young girl and a slave. She lives on a cotton plantation in Virginia until she''s sold and taken to Mississippi, where the food is scarce and the slave boss is very mean. She befriends Liza, a girl who is badly crippled from her beatings, and the two decide to escape to a country they''ve heard about where slaves are free: Canada. When a white man from Canada arrives and secretly gives them information about how to make the trip, the plan is sealed.</p><p><br></p><p>Reproducible chapter questions, plus comprehension questions, a story summary, author biography, creative and cross-curricular activities, complete with answer key.</p><p><br></p><p>A novel by Barbara Smucker.</p><p><br></p><p>The students will:</p><p>• develop their skills in reading, writing, listening, and oral communication</p><p>• use good literature as a vehicle for developing skills required by curriculum expectations: reasoning and critical thinking, knowledge of language structure, vocabulary building, and use of conventions</p><p>• become meaningfully engaged in the drama of literature through a variety of types of questions and activities</p><p>• identify and describe elements of stories (e.g., plot, main idea, characters, setting)</p><p>• learn and review many skills in order to develop good reading habits</p><p>• provide clear answers to questions and well-constructed explanations</p><p>• organize and classify information to clarify thinking</p><p>• learn about the history of slavery in the United States</p><p>• learn about the abstract concepts of prejudice, terror, injustice, kindness, pride, and courage</p><p>• relate events and feelings found in novels to their own lives and experiences</p><p>• appreciate the importance of friendship and loyalty in personal relationships</p><p>• learn the importance of dealing with adversity and developing perseverance in the face of adversity</p><p>• state their own interpretation of a written work, using evidence from the work and from their own knowledge and experience</p><p>• learn to accept and understand the horrors of slavery, the range of human behaviors from good to evil, and the importance of self-esteem</p><p><br></p><p><span>List of Activities</span></p><p><br></p><p>Vocabulary Development</p><p>1. Identify similes and metaphors</p><p>2. Locate descriptive words/phrases</p><p>3. Use plurals correctly</p><p>4. Use capitals and punctuation correctly</p><p>5. Identify syllables</p><p>6. Use a dictionary</p><p>7. Visualize vocabulary words</p><p>8. Use content clues</p><p>9. Identify parts of speech</p><p>10. Determine alphabetical order</p><p>11. Identify prefixes and suffixes</p><p><br></p><p>Setting Activities</p><p>1. Summarize the details of a setting</p><p>2. Draw a setting</p><p>3. Compare and contrast settings</p><p><br></p><p>Plot Activities</p><p>1. Chart a map of movements</p><p>2. Sequence events</p><p><br></p><p>Character Activities</p><p>1. Determine character traits</p><p>2. Compare characters</p><p>3. Understand concepts such as bravery and self-respect</p><p>4. Make inferences about characters'' emotions and reactions</p><p><br></p><p>Creative and Critical Thinking</p><p>1. Reflect on personal opinions</p><p>2. Write descriptions of personal feelings</p><p>3. Write an editorial</p><p>4. Develop research skills</p><p>5. Discuss issues with classmates</p><p><br></p><p>Art Activities</p><p>1. Design a cover for the novel</p><p>2. Draw vocabulary and setting</p><p>3. Create a song</p>