Lesson Plan for In Search of a Novel - Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad

This is a history based fictional picture book. I came across the lesson plan in Books, Lessons, Ideas for Teaching the Six Traits. The book Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad is fairly short. It is about a slave in the process of escaping. The book is not told through the slave’s eyes or the pursuers’ eyes but through the eyes of the forest animals. It is a great book to demonstrate the concept of perspective. The lesson that goes along with this book is to have the student think of something simple, such as leaving home for school in the morning. The students then tell or write that story from someone or something else’s perspective, like a dog, a bird, and ant on the countertop, etc. The student tells both the story in simple terms and then from the perspective of someone or something watching what happened. The class can then discuss which version is more interesting and why? I think it is good for them to hear stories from different perspectives. It causes them to see things and think about things in a different way. In many facets of life, we should look at situations, etc. from a different view. It helps us understand others, their ways and reasons for doing specific actions. Hopefully it will help us not to be so self-centered and selfish but aware of others.