The goal for this lesson is for students to understand the symbolism of various quilting squares as they were used during the time of the Underground Railroad. I will base this lesson on the text Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson and coordinate with the art teacher in my school.
In the beginning, I will show students one of my one quilts and discuss the difference between the word quilt and blanket. A quilt is made by piecing together various small pieces of fabric in a pattern. After discussing this vocabulary word, I would conduct a picture walk of the text Show Way and lead students on a discussion related to the illustrations. Then, I will read the story aloud. After reading the story, the art teacher and I will present various quilt squares and their meanings when used during the Underground Railroad. Students will choose a type of quilt square to create using paper and glue. The art teacher will join all of our squares together to create a paper quilt for display in the cafeteria.