Sweet+Clara+and+the+Freedom+Quilt+Reinforcing+Activity

=Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt--Reinforcing Activity =

__**Objective:**__ Students will be able to analyze Clara's map and create their own similar map in order to answer questions about locations of places.

__**Materials:**__
 * Book, //Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt//
 * Quilt template
 * Coloring materials

__**Procedures:**__  Read the book, Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, aloud to the students. After the book is finished, keep the book open to the last pages of the book that show Clara’s finished quilt as the activity progresses.

 Discuss the following with the students: -What symbols did Clara use to represent different places? -Would you rather use Clara’s map or a regular sheet map to escape across the Ohio River to Canada? Why? -What is it about Clara’s map that is different from a typical map (man-made features, details, etc.)?

 Next, give each student a poster board with lines drawn on it marking the poster into even squares. Students will draw their own quilt map on this poster board. Have students draw a map on their poster board that leads from their house to the school. Students can look at the map Clara made to get ideas (the quilt in the back of the book). Their poster must incorporate squares that resemble patchwork, along with a map that winds through the quilt looking squares. Students must also incorporate a compass, the North Star, and a legend into their quilt. Also, students must incorporate at least 5 physical or human characteristics of the area that will help to determine which way to navigate from home to the school (like Clara’s swamp, the old tree struck down by lightning, the Big House, etc).  This activity will take about three to four days. This will allow students to observe in greater detail the surrounding areas and will help them to decide which characteristics to include in their map.

 After students have completed their maps, discuss the following with the class:  Was it easy drawing this map?  If you were Clara, would you have been scared to travel around this area, not knowing 100% the details of the surrounding landscape?

 After discussing these questions, have students get into pairs and share their maps. Have students trade their maps and see if they can navigate their way around the other student’s map. Then, discuss the difficulties of using another’s map if one is not familiar with the area and how communication is key to successful transportation. Also, give students each a real sheet map of the area. Have each pair find the absolute locations on this map that are also represented in the quilted map and make comparisons about how each map looks and how they would use different communication and transportaion to navigate through the two different maps.

Finally, as an ending activity, have students write a reflection as if they are in Clara’s shoes on how they used the map to get to freedom. This reflection should be a diary or journal entry. Students are to include the difficulties they had with map-making along with how important human and physical characteristics are to making an effective map.

__**Other Ohio Standards:**__ Grade 4 History, Heritage <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7. Sectional issues divided the United States after the War of 1812. Ohio played a key role in these issues, particularly with the anti-slavery movement and the Underground Railroad.