Follow the Drinking Gourd: Engaging Lesson Plans

Follow the drinking gourd, a captivating folk song and a pivotal component of the Underground Railroad, offers a profound opportunity for educators to integrate music, history, and social justice themes into their classroom. By incorporating Follow the Drinking Gourd lesson plans, teachers can create engaging, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating learning experiences that resonate with students from diverse backgrounds.

This song, a critical tool for navigation during the era of slavery, provides an authenticnection to the experiences of enslaved Africans and their quest for freedom. Diving into this compelling narrative enables students to understand the struggle for freedom and the resilience of those who dared to break free, making history relatable and empowering.

Understanding Follow the Drinking Gourd: Historical Context

To contextualize the song, it's essential to explore the historical background of the Underground Railroad and the role of spirituals in daily life. The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states or Canada. Spirituals, like Follow the Drinking Gourd, were more than just songs; they were coded messages that communicated crucial information about escape routes, safe houses, and escape plans.

Follow the Drinking Gourd, with its lyrics like "When the sun comes back and the first quail calls, follow the drinking gourd," is believed to contain instructions to follow the North Star by night and the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) by day. The "drinking gourd" in the song is thought to be a reference to the Big Dipper's ladle-shaped constellation, which pointed to the North Star.

Analyzing the Lyrics

Breaking down the lyrics, students can unravel the hidden meanings and develop a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the enslaved people. For instance, lines like "The riverbank makes a very good road" could indicate that the route was concealed by the riverbank, while "Yo' kids will grow, they'll pass this road, keep your face to the north" encourages perseverance and resilience on the journey.

Have students create their own lyric-based activities, such as drawing pictures based on the lyrics or writing a diary entry from the perspective of an escaping slave, to help them engage with the text on a personal level.

'', the North Star, and directions

The North Star, or Polaris, played a vital role in navigation during the era of slavery. Students can learn about this star's significance and how it guided countless enslaved people to freedom. A hands-on activity could involve creating a class compass using the North Star to determine north, which will help students understand the science behind the song's directions.

To add a geographic component, students can use maps to trace the routes taken by real-life escapees and understand the physical challenges and risks involved in their journey.

Connecting Follow the Drinking Gourd to Other Disciplines

Integrating Follow the Drinking Gourd into various subjects fosters interdisciplinary learning and helps students make meaningful connections across the curriculum.

In Science, students can explore celestial navigation, astronomy, and the use of stars and constellations for direction-finding. In Math, the connections between geometry and the shapes of constellations can be examined, along with the calculation of distances and angles involved in navigation. In Language Arts, students can analyze the literacy and communication skills demonstrated by enslaved people in creating, preserving, and disseminating coded messages.

Art and Expression

Encourage students to express their understanding of the song's themes creatively. They could compose their own lyrics based on historical events, create artwork depicting the journey to freedom, or stage dramatic presentations to retell the stories behind the Underground Railroad.

Another productive activity could be having students compose a "contrafact" – a new song with different lyrics but the same melody as Follow the Drinking Gourd – to explore the ways enslaved people would adapt popular songs to create their coded messages.

By incorporating Follow the Drinking Gourd lesson plans, educators can inspire students to connect with the past, celebrate resilience, and appreciate the power of music and creative expression in the pursuit of freedom. Encouraging critical thinking, empathy, and innovation, these lessons ensure that the rich historical and cultural significance of this folk song continues to resonate through the generations.