ELAM English 10 (A) - 03 Informational Text: Autobiography

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The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

An autobiography is a person’s life story in their own words. This lesson presents an adapted excerpt from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography. He was a famous African-American abolitionist and writer who became an adviser to President Lincoln. As you read, notice how Douglass reacted to the events along his escape route.

_{(Frederick Douglass. Image. Britannica LaunchPacks, Encyclopædia Britannica, 19 Feb. 2021)}

Day 1 Lesson

Vocabulary & Literary Terms

In today's lesson, you will identify the meaning of vocabulary words in the reading and explain literary terms used in this unit.

baggage: personal belongings packed in suitcases for traveling; luggage

certified: meeting certain standards

hazardous: risky; dangerous

precaution: a measure taken in advance to prevent something dangerous from happening

autobiography: an account of a person's life written by that person

plot: the main events of a story

sequence: a particular order in which related events, movements, or things follow each other.

drawing conclusions: to figure out why events happen as well as how a character feels

Let's Practice

Questions

1) Identify the meaning of the following word:

hazardous

a) expensive

b) harmless

c) dangerous

Correct!

2) Identify the meaning of the following word:

certified

a) mentioned

b) asserted

c) confirmed

Incorrect

3) Identify the meaning of the following word:

baggage

a) luggage

b) compartments

c) shipments

Correct!

4) Identify the meaning of the following word:

precaution

a) safeguard

b) preparation

c) prescription

Correct!

5) An autobiography is a person’s life story in their own words.

True

False

Correct!

6) Think about the main events of a story or movie, then write three of those events in sequential order.

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Day 2 Lesson

The Life and Time of Frederick Douglass

In today's lesson, you will read an adapted excerpt from Frederick Douglass's autobiography and recall important details of the text.

The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass

¹It was the custom in Maryland to require free black people to have what were called free papers. These identification papers listed the person’s name, age, color, and height. Many slaves had escaped by impersonating the owner of one of these sets of papers. A slave who closely resembled the description in the papers would borrow or hire them until he could escape to a free state. Then he would mail the papers back to the owner. This operation was hazardous for the lender as well as for the borrower.

²Unfortunately, I did not resemble any of my free acquaintances closely enough. But I had one friend—a sailor—who owned a sailor’s protection. This document had a similar purpose to that of free papers. It described the person and certified that he was a free American sailor. I did not match very closely the description of the sailor’s protection I borrowed. Close examination of it would have caused my arrest at the start.

³In order to avoid this, I decided not to buy a train ticket at the station. Instead, I arranged to have my baggage delivered to the train just as it was starting. I jumped on the car when the train was already in motion. As the train sped on its way, I took a seat in the car for black people. Then the conductor began collecting tickets and examining the papers of his black passengers. My heart was beating anxiously. My whole future depended on the decision of this conductor. When he reached me, he said, “I suppose you have your free papers?” To which I answered, “No, sir; I never carry my free papers to sea with me.” Luckily, I had taken the precaution of dressing in a sailor’s suit. “But you have something to show that you are a free man, have you not?” “Yes, sir,” I answered. “I have a paper with the American eagle on it that will carry me around the world.” Then I showed him my sailor’s protection. The conductor glanced at it quickly, took my fare, and went on about his business.

⁴Though much relieved, I realized I was still in great danger. Had the conductor looked closer at the paper, it would have been his duty to arrest me. Then I would have been sent back to Baltimore from the first station. After Maryland, I had to pass through Delaware, another slave state. Slave catchers waited at the borders for their prey. Though I was not a murderer fleeing from justice, I felt just as miserable as a criminal. The speeding train seemed to be moving far too slowly.

⁵At Wilmington, I got off the train and took the steamboat for Philadelphia. In making the change, I was afraid of being arrested, but no one disturbed me. In Philadelphia, I took the night train for New York, arriving there the next morning. I had completed my journey to freedom in less than 24 hours. This was the end of my experience as a slave.

Questions

7) It was the custom in Maryland to require free black people to have what were called ___________.

(hint: paragraph 1)

a) slave papers

b) free papers

c) short papers

Correct!

8) Which of the following appeared on the sailor’s protection that Douglass had borrowed?

(hint: paragraph 3)

a) Douglass’s name

b) Douglass’s color

c) an American eagle

Correct!

9) When the conductor asked Douglass for his free papers, what did Douglass say?

(hint: paragraph 3)

a) "I left my free papers at home."

b) "I never carry my free papers to sea with me."

c) "I loaned my free papers to a friend."

Correct!

10) Which of the following was not a reason why Douglass felt he was in great danger?

(hint: paragraph 5)

a) The train from Philadelphia to New York ran only at night.

b) Maryland and Delaware were slave states.

c) Slave catchers waited at the borders.

Correct!

11) Leaving Wilmington, Douglass took which of the following?

(hint: paragraph 5)

a) the train for Philadelphia

b) the train for New York

c) the steamboat for Philadelphia

Incorrect

Day 3 Lesson

Plot, Sequence, and Drawing Conclusions

In today's lesson, you will identify main events in sequential order and draw conclusions based on the text.

Watch the video to learn more about a plot and sequence.

12) Which event happened first?

a) Douglass had his baggage delivered to the train just as it was starting.

b) Douglass decided not to buy a train ticket at the station.

c) Douglass borrowed a sailor’s protection from a friend.

Correct!

13) Which event happened first?

a) Douglass jumped on the train after it had already started to move.

b) The conductor began collecting tickets and examining the papers of his black passengers.

c) The conductor asked Douglass for his free papers.

Incorrect

14) Which event happened first?

a) Douglass took the night train from Philadelphia, arriving in New York the next morning.

b) Douglass had his baggage delivered to the train just as it was starting.

Incorrect

15) Think about the events described in the reading. Based on that information, which of the following statements is a reasonable conclusion?

a) Whenever a free black person allowed someone else to use his or her free papers, there was no chance of either person getting caught.

b) Since Douglass did not resemble his friend very closely, he was taking a big chance by using that man’s sailor’s protection

Incorrect

16) Think about the events described in the reading. Based on that information, which of the following statements is a reasonable conclusion?

a) Douglass need not have felt so anxious on his journey, because he was not truly in great danger.

b) The sailor’s suit Douglass wore probably helped convince the train conductor that the sailor’s protection was truly his.

Correct!

17) Think about the events described in the reading. Based on that information, which of the following statements is a reasonable conclusion?

a) When Douglass escaped to freedom, blacks were not allowed to ride in the same train cars as whites.

b) Very few African-Americans tried to escape from slavery because most did not wish to be free.

Incorrect

18) Based on the reading, attempting to escape from slavery took a great deal of courage.

True

False

Correct!

19)

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20)

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21)

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22) By completing this unit, you should be able to answer the question below.

Why did African-Americans who had escaped from slavery need to carry “free papers”?

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Days 4 and 5 Lesson

1. Look over all your work and submit it to your teacher.

2. Complete the Let's Practice activities located in the Unit Resources.

3. Redo any questions that your teacher sent back to you and resubmit.

23)

Offline Activity

Task

Write a short autobiographical paragraph about a memorable event in your life and illustrate it with drawings or a collage.

Select Your Preferred Media: Depending on what you have available and what you're comfortable using, choose one of the following media formats:

• Notecards

• Poster (using paper and drawing/coloring materials)

• Paper (for writing or drawing)

• Audio Recording (using a phone, camera, or computer)

• Video Recording (using a phone, camera, or computer)

• PowerPoint or Google Slides Presentation

Final Step: Please ensure to attach all completed activities and fill in your log entries accordingly before submission.

No offline activities found

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