Textbooks and encyclopedias are always a great source of information, however the accounts may not all be the same. One activity that can be done with students is to research textbook excerpts as well as newspapers and encyclopedias from different times, and compare and contrast the differences of the accounts.
In this activity students, either alone or in small groups, can create articles based on key people of the Underground Railroad, such as Harriet Tubman. For more advanced grades, editorials and other newspaper-related sections can be included. This will not only test students' knowledge of the Underground Railroad, but their creativity as well.
Scholastic contains activities that teachers can use in their classrooms regarding the Underground Railroad, one of which involves completing a letter sent by an agent of the Underground Railroad. Students are given a letter with missing words, and must drag the word to the correct box on the document in order to complete the letter.
In order to expand the students' imagination, have them write a letter or poem as if they were an agent or slave during the Underground Railroad. Or have her base her piece on a historical figure (such as Harriet Tubman). Let their creativity soar, as long as it is still based on facts.