Writing a Narrative About Courage: Crafting a Formerly Enslaved Person’s Hero’s Journey
Grade
Grade 5
UNIT
5
•
Courage
In Unit 5, Lesson 3, “Writing a Narrative About Courage: Crafting a Formerly Enslaved Person’s Hero’s Journey,” students will select a person that interests them from among the formerly enslaved people described in actual advertisements published in southern newspapers that William Still reproduced in his book, The Underground Railroad (1872). All of the cases refer to real men and women who reached the office of Still's Vigilance Committee in Philadelphia and received assistance. Students will craft a Hero’s Journey, based on the work of Joseph Campbell. The Hero’s Journey story will imagine the life of a formerly enslaved person who escaped, overcame adversity, and started a new life.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
45 minutes
RELATED SUBJECT:
English Language Arts
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Understand the Fugitive Slave Act and its impact on the lives of enslaved people.
- Understand the character strength of courage
- Read and understand the historical context of advertisements placed in southern newspapers that William Still reproduced in his book, The Underground Railroad, published in 1872.
- Understand the seven core elements of the Hero’s Journey (protagonist, shift, quest, challenge, allies, transformation, legacy).
- Write a Hero’s Journey narrative containing all seven elements.
- Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: The Hero's Journey according to Joseph Campbell - video by Matthew Winkler and Kirill Yeretsky by Ueber-Brands (~3 min)
- Prohuman Grade 5 Unit 5 Worksheet 3: Writing a Narrative About Courage: Crafting a Formerly Enslaved Person’s Hero’s Journey
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- We learned last time about how William Still helped to free enslaved people through the Underground Railroad.
- We also learned about the second federal Fugitive Slave Act, which aggressively extended the provisions of the original 1793 Act. The law required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. Law enforcement officials were required to arrest people suspected of escaping enslavement on as little as a claimant’s sworn testimony of ownership.
- Today we will look at 6 real advertisements that slave owners placed in southern newspapers seeking the return of their former slaves.
- William Still reproduced these advertisements in his book, The Underground Railroad, published in 1872. All of the cases refer to real men and women who reached the office of Still's Vigilance Committee in Philadelphia and received assistance.
- You will read the advertisements, choose the person who interests you most, and then imagine and write their Hero’s Journey.
- The Hero’s Journey is a narrative structure identified by mythologist Joseph Campbell. It is a story arc with a protagonist or main character who faces challenges, overcomes adversity, and is transformed.
- Play video: The Hero's Journey according to Joseph Campbell - video by Matthew Winkler and Kirill Yeretsky by Ueber-Brands (~3 min)
NOTE: Collect and keep the worksheet on the following page for the next lesson in which students will share their stories with a partner.
GRADE 5 UNIT 5 WORKSHEET 3: WRITING A NARRATIVE ABOUT COURAGE: CRAFTING A FORMERLY ENSLAVED PERSON’S HERO’S JOURNEY
Courage: I do what I think is right even when I am afraid.
ACTIVITY:
STEP 1: Choose one of the people featured in these 6 real advertisements placed in Southern newspapers for fugitive slaves. Choose the person and story that interests you most and whose Hero’s Journey you would like to write.
ADVERTISEMENT #1
ADVERTISEMENT #2
ADVERTISEMENT #3
ADVERTISEMENT #4
ADVERTISEMENT #5
ADVERTISEMENT #6
STEP 2: Before you begin writing the person’s Hero’s Journey, identify the seven core elements of their story:
- Protagonist: The central character of the story. What are their likes and dislikes, their hopes and dreams?
- Shift: A change in setting or life circumstances that initiates the journey
- Quest: A clear goal or mission to pursue. What do they want to do when they reach freedom?
- Challenge: Obstacles or difficulties that must be overcome
- Allies: Friends, mentors, or supporters who aid in the journey
- Transformation: Personal growth or change resulting from the journey
- Legacy: How the hero's journey positively impacts others
STEP 3: Write the person’s Hero’s Journey and do the following:
- Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations.
- Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
- Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely.
- Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
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