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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Betsy Peisach
January 23, 2002
Director of Education Marketing
Telephone: (410) 581-4042
E-mail: betsypeisach@mpt.org
MPT. This is bigger than television.
New Web site explores the Underground Railroad in Maryland
OWINGS MILLS, MD: The Underground Railroad in Maryland is examined
in an extensive new Web site presented by Maryland Public Television.
Pathways to Freedom: Maryland & the Underground Railroad will
debut February 15th on www.mpt.org/learningworks.
Developed in cooperation with an advisory board of historians and educators,
Pathways to Freedom brings this incredible story to life for students
in upper elementary and middle school exploring Maryland's history.
An online account of Maryland's role in the multi-state network of covert
byways, courageous supporters and secret hiding places that assisted numerous
slaves in escaping bondage is told through first-person accounts, interactive
experiences, secret codes, and a library of resource material. Some of
the site's learning opportunities include:
- An interactive experience whereby visitors see the Underground
Railroad through the eyes of a young Dorchester County slave.
- Experiencing the Underground Railroad through the writings of those
who lived it, reading eyewitness narratives of Harriett Tubman, Frederick
Douglass, James Pennington and Josiah Henson.
- Learning about the secret codes (songs, quilts, language, etc.)
used as means of communication.
- Using census data from 1790-1860 to explore questions as a historian
would.
- Tapping into extensive libraries of people, places, events and
related data with breakouts of information by Maryland counties.
- Learning how this extraordinary story continues to impact our lives
through ongoing historical research.
Pathways to Freedom: Maryland & the Underground Railroad contains
valuable instructional direction for teachers including useful teaching
strategies, curricular suggestions, and lesson plans all correlated to MSPAP
outcomes and indicators. Additionally, an online guide for families offers
the opportunity to extend learning into the home. Content will be added
to the site throughout the coming months to further enhance its educational
potential.
This project was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education
Star Schools Program.
Maryland Public Television is a not-for-profit, state-licensed public
television station which serves the citizens and communities of Maryland
and beyond through a variety of broadcast and nonbroadcast activities.
MPT is a national leader in the production of broadcast programming for
public television. MPT's local/regional television credits include public
affairs, original performance, documentary, and entertainment programs
for the citizens of Maryland.
Beyond broadcast, MPT creates instructional videos, develops training,
and builds Internet sites that serve tens of thousands of students, teachers,
and child-care providers annually. MPT outreach activities, especially
relating to arts, culture, and history, take place in all areas of the
state to further fulfill MPT's mission to engage, enlighten, and entertain.
For more information on MPT and its on- and off-air programming, visit mpt.org.
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