The Underground Railroad Interdisciplinary Project

Last year I found myself still working late in my office at the high school and noticing a lot of foot traffic in the hallway. I made my way down to the cafeteria to find a full-out history fair. I learned that all freshmen present historical information at this fair via tri-fold boards, video, food, and pictures. I was impressed with what I was viewing. There was one presentation that really peaked my interest. A 9th grader did research on how the town of Groveland had a home that was part of the Underground Railroad. I interviewed the student and was quite impressed with her knowledge. I then thought, how can we take this specific part of our history to the next level?

I bumped into two of the history teachers that night and asked if we could collaborate on the fair next year, including the concert band. The answer was a resounding yes.

The result can be fully understood by reading the Boston Globe Article and watching the video at www.pentucketunderground.com.

Some things learned about collaborating with other subject areas:

1. Collaborate with teachers you know will succeed!

2. Meet with the teachers you will be collaborating with and make a realistic t0-do list making sure each person plays a role in the organization of the project.

3. Each person should e-mail all the involved teachers once their duties are complete. This helps solidify that each aspect of the project is getting completed and motivates all involved to get things done.

4. Get Students Involved! Many times teachers can easily take things over which takes away from the exciting discovery process for the students.

5. Advertise well! For our collaboration event, we had well over 600 people attend including the local historical societies and the state cultural council office.