In
this unit of study the focus is black history, including the Civil Rights
movement and the history and events surrounding it. The books I have chosen all
relate to black history directly. Some are about the people, while others are
about events more generally. They range in time period from slavery to the
civil rights movement, and even a little beyond. The theme that I wanted to
teach and illustrate to the students is that equality and tolerance of everyone
regardless of differences is very important, and it’s the right thing to do. I
also want the students to learn about black history and the civil rights
movement because it is an important part of our past, and learning from the
past is the best thing we can do for our future.
Description:
Children’s books about black history
Must be about a person, event, or related to
black history
Must contain accurate information about black
history
Must have quality illustrations
Must be from an interesting point of view, not
an ordinary information book
Must be age appropriate for grades 2-3.
Selection Criteria:
Books must represent some of the above
characteristics
Interesting story and quality illustrations
Must be accessible to readers in the study
Must challenge the readers in the study
Cornerstone Text:
‘A Sweet Smell of
Roses’ by Angela Johnson- A
picture book about two children who want to be involved in a march for the
black civil rights movement and the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. (Chosen
because it focuses on the role of children and their perception of the events.)
Nevada Standards
(CEF) Addressed:
2.K.1 Use prior knowledge and picture clues as
pre-reading strategies to aid comprehension.
2.1.1 Use, with teacher assistance,
pre-reading strategies that aid comprehension, such as accessing prior
knowledge, predicting, previewing, and setting a purpose.
2.4.3 Apply skills and strategies of
summarizing, paraphrasing, and drawing conclusions to aid comprehension.
3.K.3 Listen to stories from different
cultures and eras.
3.1.1 Identify characters, setting and
sequence in stories.
3.2.1 Analyze simple elements of a story, such
as settings, characters, and plot. (e.g., restate the logical and
sequential development of a story and generate alternative endings to
stories.)
3.4.3 Make inferences about and compare
characters’ traits; make predictions about conflicts and resolutions;
check text for verification.
3.3.3 Compare plots, settings, characters, and
perspectives in a variety of works by a variety of authors from different
cultures and times.
Authors that write
about black history for young readers:
Johnson, A. (2005) A
sweet smell of roses. Simon
& Schuster Children’s Publishing
Rappaport, D. (2001) Martin’s
Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. New York, Hyperion Books for Children.
Rappaport, D. (2000) Freedom
River, New York, Hyperion
Books for Children.
Rockwell, A. (2000) Only
Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth. new York: Random House, Inc.
Lindbergh, R. (1998) Nobody
Owns the Sky: The Story of Brave Bessie Coleman. Candlewick.
Lorbiecki, M. (2000) Sister
Anne’s Hands. Puffin Books.
Ringgold, F. (2003) If
A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks. Aladdin.
Ringgold, F. (1995) Aunt
Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. Dragonfly Books.
Thompson, C. (2004) The
ABCs of Black History. Beckham
Publications Group.
Sanders, N. (2000) A
Kid’s Guide to African American History. Chicago Review Press.
Winter, J. (1992) Follow
the Drinking Gourd. Dragonfly
Books.
Hopkinson, D. (1995) Sweet
Clara and the Freedom Quilt.
Dragonfly Books.
Deutsch, S. (2005) King’s
Courage. Aladdin Books.
Rappaport, D. (2005) The
School is Not White!: A True Story of the Civil Rights Movement. New York. Hyperion Books for Children.
Weatherford, C. (2004) Freedom
on the Menu: the Greensboro Sit-Ins. Dial Books.
Learning
Experiences:
Read and Discuss cornerstone text on the first
day of the unit of study. This text was chosen because it focuses on the
children during the time of the civil rights movement. It is also a very
light book, even thought it deals with a serious subject, it is done in a
way that will allow children to think about the events of that time
without being bombarded with too much heavy information. The illustrations
will be discussed.
Pre-reading discussions and predictions. With
each new book that we read as a class, we will first look at the cover and
discuss the elements of it. The title, what we know, what we think it
might be about, etc. The students will be expected to have input based on
the simple elements of the title and cover, and to make predictions about it.
As a teacher I will point out important things to look for in the story,
and this may be done on a re-read of the book as well.
Each day as a class we will read a new book in
the study and make a comparison chart based on these predetermined
categories:
Placement on a historical timeline
Events (plot)
Location (setting)
People involved. (characters)
General thoughts or opinions
Students will be required to have a daily
response journal. Each day I will put up a prompt, a question based on
what we have been reading, and they can choose to respond to that prompt,
or just to enter their thoughts or opinions on other elements of what we
have read. They will be expected to write meaningful, but not lengthy
thoughts, for this age two to three sentences is fine.
A “walking journal” will be passed around the
class during certain times of the unit of study. In this journal, students
will respond to each other’s thoughts and opinions about their own
experiences with the texts we ar reading. They can also share ideas and
any thoughts about the illustrations of the book.
As a class we will create a bulletin board
with a large scale version of a event and timeline chart. Students will
add their connections and wonderings on small sticky notes and place them
on the board with the idea to connect ideas and thoughts together with the
events.
Students will create a character profile on a
small poster board. They will cut words and images from magazines and
newspapers to create a collage that summarizes their perception of any
black American hero or event from the time line.
After all the books are read, students will
choose one person or event in black history and they will write their own
small book in their own words and from their own point of view. They should
express their opinions and feelings and also have accurate information in
their book.
Students will write about the illustrations in
each book in their journal. Their responses should be simple and accurate,
such as color, shapes, noticings about what is happening in the
illustration, and how the illustration affects the story.