The drinking gourd refers to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves and other rural americans as a water dipper. If necessary, engage a music teachers assistance in order to accurately decipher the musical score. The drinking gourd is a code name for the big dipper star formation, which points to polaris, the pole star, and north. The song follow the drinking gourd is a code song giving instructions forthe american folk song follow the drinking gourd was first published in 1928. There are questions about its authenticity, but if accurate, drinking. The drinking gourd is another name for the big dipper asterism. This lesson is designed to establish the skill of visualizing for primary students, using the story follow the drinking gourd by jeanette winter. Once in canada, slaves gained their freedom and were no longer an object owned by a master. However the most common way to find north was to find the north star.
Feb 24, 2012 according to american folklore, this song was a musical map which led fugitive slaves north to freedom. Elizabeth behrens follow the drinking gourd facebook. Follow the drinking gourd great falls school music. The lyrics themselves act as instructions for runaway slaves, with the drinking gourd serving as a. Map adapted from the educators guide to follow the drinking gourd, 1995. Explore and interact with missouris frontier past through a variety of handson activities. They used the constellation the big dipper and the north star to guide the way. They will also use a website that will allow them to explore how stars move across the sky, how they look from different places on earth and how the stars can be used for navigation. In this lesson, students use clues from the text to create their own images and imagine how characters are thinking and feeling. For example, your intent with younger students may be to provide an exposure to the spiritual rather than delving deeply into issues with slavery, but with an older group there may be questions raised regarding the topic that need to be addressed. For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd where the great big river meets the little river, follow the drinking gourd.
Follow the drinking gourd theres another river on the other side when the tombigbee ended, the slaves were told to continue northward, over the hills, to the tennessee river where the underground. Follow the drinking gourd, clementine, over there, dust bowl blues. Share follow the drinking gourd with the students appropriately based on their age and ability. Follow the drinking gourd when the sun comes back and the first quail calls, the river ends between two hills, follow the drinking gourd.
According to legend, the song was used by a conductor of the underground railroad, called peg leg joe, to guide some fugitive slaves. See more ideas about underground railroad, five in a row and gourds. After the class has learned the song, reread the text, pausing to have the class sing the song segments. Left foot, peg foot, traveling on, follow the drinking gourd. The river ends between two hills follow the drinking gourd. Follow the drinking gourd is an african american folk song first published in 1928. Students learn about the history of african american slavery, the legacy of figures like harriet tubman and the legacy of the follow the. Used here it is a code name for the big dipper star. They read the books follow the drinking gourd and pink and say, complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from follow the drinking gourd. Groups examine the lyrics of these and other songs to find reflections of. Richie havens follow the drinking gourd lyrics genius.
The follow the drinking gourd music map murals curriculum teaches students the history of the underground railroad through the song follow the drinking. For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom. Follow the drinking gourd is an american folk song from the 1920s. Invite students to follow the lines with their fingers while singing. It also refers to quails which start calling each other in april. For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom, if you follow the drinking gourd. The drinking gourd song was supposedly used by an underground railroad operative to encode escape instructions and a map. Explain that the drinking gourd was actually code for the constellation big dipper, which points to the north, where the slaves could gain freedom. If you choose to show a map of the railroad routes, a printable version, like the one below, is available here. Frances gaither publishes follow the drinking gourd, a novel based in part on the song. While working for plantation owners, peg leg joe teaches the slaves a song about the drinking gourd the big dipper. When the tombigbee ended, slaves should go north over the hills until they came to another river, the tennessee river. Parks in a publication of the texas folklore society. For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom, theres another river on the other side, if you follow the drinking gourd.
Follow the drinkin gourd, we gonna follow the drinking gourd is from the woodum original. For the old man is awaiting to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd. Used here it is a code name for the big dipper star formation, which points to polaris, the pole star, and north. There are questions about its authenticity, but if accurate, drinking gourd describes a trail from mobile, alabama to paducah, kentucky. Follow the drinking gourdafrican american spiritual.
A cultural history, copyright 20082012, joel bresler. The true story of follow the drinking gourd casandersdotnet. Follow the drinking gourd singles reproducible kit duration. The riverbed makes a very good road dead trees 4 will show you the way left foot, peg foot 5 traveling on if you follow the drinking gourd. Follow the drinking gourd for the old man 1 for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd.
Students will listen to and read the lyrics of follow the drinking gourd, a song that directed slaves on how to use the stars to navigate their way north. This book activity guide is designed to go with the book follow the drinking gourd, story and pictures by jeanette winter. Traditional african song follow the drinking gourd. Northern states such as new york and massachusetts had strong abolitionist societies and benevolent groups both black and white that would help escaping slaves. Follow the drinking gourd, for the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd the riverbank makes a very good road. The drinking gourd alludes to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves and other rural americans as a water dipper. Nathan boone homestead state historic is kicking off a new season of third saturdays at the homestead starting july 15. Follow the drinking gourd was originally published as an american folk song in 1928. The underground railroad meant freedom for many in the years before emancipation, and it had a map. In this unit, i have included a one week lesson plan, vocabulary, a nonfiction reading passage and quiz about the big dipper, a copy of the poem follow the drinking gourd and a link to the song.
Copy handout 1, follow the drinking gourd lyrics for all participants, or write the lyrics on newsprint, and post. Winters story begins with a pegleg sailor who aids slaves on their escape on the underground railroad. Follow the drinking gourd for the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd. The american folksong follow the drinking gourd was first published in 1928. Keywords womens history, slavery, civil war, underground railroad, harriet tubman, big dipper, black history materials needed follow the drinking gourd. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to harriet tubman and the underground railroad. Guide students to the part in which follow the drinking gourd is sung. Follow the drinking gourd was supposedly used by engineers in the underground railroad to direct slaves to freedom. This is a book study of the drinking gourd by fn monjo. Follow the drinking gourd byu mckay school of education.
These directions then enabled fleeing slaves to make their way north from mobile, alabama to the ohio river and freedom. Roger mcguinn follow the drinking gourd lyrics genius. When the great big river meets the little river, follow the drinking gourd. Follow the drinking gourd activities, word search and vocabulary worksheet printablesthis materials package for follow the drinking gourd, by jeanette winter includes resource printables in pdf form that allow teachers to explore this title in the classroom with their students in an easy, streamline. The story of what is perhaps the most famous of american antislavery songs is related in follow the drinking gourd. Appendix teachers guide to follow the drinking gourd. Follow the drinking gourd a reaction to slave music. Here is a music map to help us know our way through the song. Follow the drinking gourd is thought to have been a kind of oral map leading out of slave territory. According to american folklore, this song was a musical map which led fugitive slaves north to freedom. Then, when we did our activity afterwards, and i played wade in the water and follow the drinking gourd and a few of them, already familiar from my singing, sang along. A recording of follow the drinking gourd and a music player.
Exploring follow the drinking gourd musical explorers. However, most slaves did not have maps or compasses to guide them. The drinking gourd refers to the hollowed out gourd used by slaves and other. Using black paper and a pencil, draw the drinking gourd star pattern. When the sun comes back 2 and the first quail 3 calls follow the drinking gourd for the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd. Tell the students they will listen to the song again while following the listening map in the front of the classroom. The lyrics gave secret directions that were taught to the slaves by a one legged sailor named peg leg joe.
When the sun comes back a nd the first quail calls. That map is a song called follow the drinking gourd. Students listen to the song follow the drinking gourd and repeat what they have heard. Follow the drinking gourd supposedly encodes escape instructions and a map. The parks version of the account and song are reprinted in american ballads and folk songs by john a. Learn about this africanamerican folk song, its connection to the underground railroad, and explore the night sky with telescopes. Follow the drinking gourd, for the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom. Legend has it that follow the drinking gourd was a code song that helped slaves escape by way of the underground railroad. The drinking gourd presumably was the big dipper, by which one readily locates the north star. The riverbank makes a very good road, the dead trees will show you the way. The drinking gourd, otherwise known as the big dipper, helped to lead slaves to canada. Trace the stars with glue and sprinkle glitter on your constellation. Follow the drinking gourd this song is the story of how peg leg joe would lead slaves to freedom by following the underground railroad. Follow the drinking gourd was a popular african american folksong.
Follow the drinking gourd extension activities scholastic. Legend has it that a man called peg leg joe taught slaves the song to help them escape to freedom. Help the class learn the follow the drinking gourd song as written in the back of the book. For example, your intent with younger students may be to provide an exposure to. For the old man is awaiting for to carry you to freedom if you follow the drinking gourd. This map from the national geographic website showing major underground railroad routes visually reinforces the gist of the last series of posts.
Follow the drinking gourd escaping slaves had to find their way north. The follow the drinking gourd music map murals curriculum teaches students the history of the underground railroad through the song follow the drinking gourd and traditional african american spirituals that were also code songs used to signal escape plans. Starting tomorrow afternoon, all videos will be live streamed on youtube since they offer closed captioning and i want to make sure we consider all people who may want to access at home learning. Digital story describing the code behind the song follow the drinking gourd. The underground railroad, the california gold rush, world war i, the great depression. Director maya cunningham featured on wjla for fulbright fellowship to botswana to research traditional music and national identity. The river ends between two hills follow the drinking.
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