Showing posts with label Civil rights movement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil rights movement. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2020

Preaching to the Chickens : the Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim. 2016

In Honor of John Lewis, Congressman and Civil Rights Leader, 1940-2020

Inspiration Book:
Preaching to the chickens : the story of young John Lewis by Asim, Jabari — Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016 328.73; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9. Gives readers a...glimpse into the boyhood of Civil Rights leader John Lewis. John wants to be a preacher when he grows up--a leader whose words stir hearts to change, minds to think, and bodies to take action. But why wait? When John is put in charge of the family farm's flock of chickens, he discovers that they make a wonderful congregation! So he preaches to his flock, and they listen, content under his watchful care, riveted by the rhythm of his voice. Includes an author's note about John Lewis, who grew up to be a member of the Freedom Riders, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and demonstrator on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, and was a Georgia congressman. CCBC
Rationale: Originally, I planned to feature Voice of Freedom : the Story of Fannie Lou Hamer (Candlewick, 2018) this week, but with the death of Congressman John Lewis this weekend, I rearranged my plans. Although Peaching to the Chickens was not selected as a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, it did receive a number of accolades : Junior Library Guild Selection, Notable Children's Book, CCBC Choice, Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books, and Best Illustrated Children’s Book. It also does not fit the time frame I have arbitrarily set for this year’s My Books Alive criteria, but it definitely fits the theme of the summer. John Lewis’ death puts him front and center as a person of color who used methods unlike those being promoted in 2020. His modus operandi needs to be examined.
I first became aware of John Lewis, not through his work, but through a fellow civil rights worker who was a colleague--named Jim Zwerg. Mr. Zwerg was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, near where I have spent my entire librarian and teaching life. It was through newspaper articles about Mr. Zwerg that I first learned about John Lewis and have followed Lewis’ and Zwerg’s lives since. Both men had the same mission and values in life, but one was black and one is white. 
Much of the lesson developed to pay tribute to Lewis is based on the Lesson Plan from Lee & Low for the book John Lewis in the Lead : A Story of the Civil Rights Movement by Haskins and Benson https://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/LeeandLow/John_Lewis_tg.pdf


Grades 5-8--A Tribute to John Lewis, Civil Rights Leader
Background: Students in small cities and rural America have little knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement and the lives of people of color and the struggles they have had to be fully equal in American society. That is one of the reasons began the summer series. John Lewis was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement
Preparation: Write the following questions on different pages of chart paper or on sentence strips.
  1. How would you define injustice? What examples of injustice in today’s news can you name?
  2. What is courage? Give some examples.
  3. How do you expect to be treated by others? How do you try to treat other people? How do you feel if people don’t treat you well or fairly?
  4. What do you know about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States? Who were some of the movement’s leaders?
  5. What are some laws you know about? How do they affect your life? How can laws be changed in the United States?
Gather any newspaper headlines or articles about John Lewis’ death.
Introduction: We’re going to think about some tough topics today. I need you to think hard and maybe outside the box. I need you to be honest and not laugh or ridicule somebody’s ideas and thoughts. Everyone’s ideas need to be heard. (Now pose one of the above questions, and allow as much time as needed or productive discussion is occurring.)
An important advocate and worker for Civil Rights died on Friday, July 17th, 2020. Does anybody know his name? (Hopefully you will get an answer that is correct.) Even when he was a young boy, he had a lot to say about important topics. His young life is described in the book, Preaching to the Chickens. 
Read aloud: Preaching to the chickens : the story of young John Lewis by Asim, Jabari — Nancy Paulsen Books, 2016 328.73; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.9.
How did Mr. Lewis’s childhood impact his outlook on life? 
(Ask several of the above questions again. Were there any new ideas? Any changed ideas?)
Optional Extension: Spend a day reading around the classroom or family table. Read one of books in the related list below as you pay tribute to Mr. Lewis. The procedure of reading around the classroom or table involves passing a copy of the book being read randomly around the table. When the book is passed, each student or family member, or the person to the right or left of the new reader asks a question about the previous reading. This is a simple way to keep people focused rather than daydreaming. The first time this method is used there may need to be coaching to help keep participants on tack.
Related Titles and their Resources: 

Freedom riders : John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Bausum, Ann — National Geographic, 2006 323; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.0. Black America -- White America -- Common ground -- Early rides -- Blood brothers -- Rolling on -- Separate paths -- Toward one America -- Partial roster of Riders -- Chronology. Recounts the freedom ride of John Lewis and Jim Zwerg into the South in 1961 as part of the Civil Rights Movement.
Audiobook Excerpt narrated by Cecelia Riddett (3:40 min.) https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=2996
Video Book Trailer from Read On Wisconsin https://readon.education.wisc.edu/?page_id=2255
John Lewis, civil rights leader and congressman (Freedom's Promise) by Harris, Duchess  — Core Library, an imprint of Abdo Publishing, 2020 323; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.1. John Lewis was an influential African American politician who played a key role in the civil rights movement. He raised awareness of racial discrimination and violence in the 1960s. 'John Lewis: Civil Rights Leader and Congressman' explores Lewis's activism and political career. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
John Lewis in the lead : a story of the Civil Rights Movement by Haskins, James — Lee & Low Books, 2006 323; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.3. An illustrated biography of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on his activities on behalf of civil rights, specifically his leadership in the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in an effort to secure voting rights for African-Americans. FREE Teaching Resources available for download at www.titlewave.com
Teacher Resources:
For Peaching to the Chickens
Support Materials from Reading is Fundamental (membership may be required to access) https://www.rif.org/literacy-central/book/preaching-chickens-story-young-john-lewis
Discussion Questions from Unleashing Readers
Audiobook Excerpt narrated by Kevin R. Free (.44 min.) https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=18808
Little legends : exceptional men in black history by Harrison, Vashti — Little, Brown and Company, 2019
305.38; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 7.5. . . . this . . . volume brings to life true stories of black men in history. Among these biographies, readers will find aviators and artists, politicians and pop stars, athletes and activists. The exceptional men featured include artist Aaron Douglas, civil rights leader John Lewis, dancer Alvin Ailey, filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, musician Prince, photographer Gordon Parks, tennis champion Arthur Ashe, and writer James Baldwin.
at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, June 28, 2018

A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg. 2008. Updated

Civil Rights in Mississippi
Inspiration Book:
A thousand never evers by Burg, Shana  — Yearling, 2008--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. As the civil rights movement in the South gains momentum in 1963 and violence against African-Americans intensifies, residents of the small town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi, including seventh-grader Addie Ann Pickett, begin their own courageous struggle for racial justice.

Rationale: It has been my plan to create a major unit featuring the civil rights movement and race relations in the United States because there are many powerful pieces of literature for students fourth grade forward. I haven’t had that time yet because new and excellent books appear regularly. Thus, instead of postponing a big master blog about civil rights, race relations, and segregation in the 20th and 21st centuries, I decided to post resources for individual titles and group them with tags including Quick Pick. Hopefully, another day in the future when my life slows down, I’ll complete the origianal plan. In the meantime the resources are made known here and you decide what you would like to use and how to use them.
I’ve also toyed with the idea of recommending having small groups of students study one of the pieces of literature posted in the blog, then gather together to share their reading. Well, I guess I’ve now done that.
Most bibliographies contain only titles published within the last ten years. However, there are so many classic titles that that I needed to mention them, too. Consequently there are three bibliographies here: Grades 3-6, Grades 5-8, and Still Relevant. The books represented in these lists are centered in Mississippi. Future posts will include other states.
Grades 3-6 Bibliography
Glory be by Scattergood, Augusta — Scholastic Press, 2012. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.3. Gloriana faces her twelfth birthday in 1964 and struggles with the changes she sees happening around her, but while she struggles to understand the shift in her relationships with her sister--who is about to enter high school--and her best friend, Frankie, Gloriana witnesses tempers rise in a debate over a segregated public pool. SS 22013
Yard war by Kitchings, Taylor) — Wendy Lamb Books, 2015. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.2. Twelve-year-old Trip Westbrook lives in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964 and discovers the underlying racism in his family and neighborhood when he invites his maid's son Dee to play football in the yard.
Things too huge to fix by saying sorry by Vaught, Susan  — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. A family mystery leads Dani Beans to investigate the secrets of Ole Miss and the dark history of race relations in Oxford, Mississippi. SS 2017
Hot pursuit : murder in Mississippi by Deutsch, Stacia  — Kar-Ben Pub., 2010. Dewey: 323; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. Reimagines the decision of civil rights workers Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney who, being pulled over by a police cruiser in the summer of 1964, try to figure out if the men in the car behind them are officers or members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Heroes for civil rights by Adler, David A — Holiday House, 2008. Dewey: 323.092; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.7. Ralph David Abernathy -- Medgar Evers -- Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Henry Schwerner -- The Greensboro Four -- Fannie Lou Hamer -- Lyndon Baines Johnson -- Martin Luther King,Jr. -- The Little Rock Nine -- Thurgood Marshall -- James Meredith -- Rosa Parks -- Fred Shuttlesworth -- Earl Warren. A collection of brief, illustrated biographies that details the lives of civil rights figures, including Martin Luther King, Jr., the Little Rock Nine, and Fannie Lou Hamer.


Grades 5-8 Bibliography
Sources of light by McMullan, Margaret — Graphia, 2010--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.3. Sam, having moved with her mother to Jackson, Mississippi, after the death of her father, finds the conservative 1960s values of the town clashing with her family's liberal views and struggles to navigate difficult relationships and understand segregation. Junior Book Award
Revolution (Sixties Trilogy, Book 2) by Wiles, Deborah — Scholastic Press, 2014. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.5. It's 1964 in Greenwood, Mississippi, and Sunny's town is being invaded by people from up north who are coming to help people register to vote. Her personal life isn't much better, as a new stepmother, brother, and sister are crowding into her life, giving her little room to breathe. FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett. SS 2015
Hot pursuit : murder in Mississippi by Deutsch, Stacia  — Kar-Ben Pub., 2010. Dewey: 323; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. Reimagines the decision of civil rights workers Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney who, being pulled over by a police cruiser in the summer of 1964, try to figure out if the men in the car behind them are officers or members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Midnight without a moon by Jackson, Linda Williams — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.6. Rose Lee Carter, a thirteen-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955, but when Emmett Till is murdered and his killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose is torn between seeking her destiny outside of Mississippi or staying and being a part of an important movement.
Things too huge to fix by saying sorry by Vaught, Susan  — Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.6. A family mystery leads Dani Beans to investigate the secrets of Ole Miss and the dark history of race relations in Oxford, Mississippi. SS 2017
Heroes for civil rights by Adler, David A — Holiday House, 2008. Dewey: 323.092; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.7. Ralph David Abernathy -- Medgar Evers -- Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney, and Michael Henry Schwerner -- The Greensboro Four -- Fannie Lou Hamer -- Lyndon Baines Johnson -- Martin Luther King,Jr. -- The Little Rock Nine -- Thurgood Marshall -- James Meredith -- Rosa Parks -- Fred Shuttlesworth -- Earl Warren. A collection of brief, illustrated biographies that details the lives of civil rights figures, including Martin Luther King, Jr., the Little Rock Nine, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
The story of the civil rights freedom rides in photographs (Story Of The Civil Rights Movement In Photographs) by Aretha, David — Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2014. Dewey: 323.1196; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.0. Riding into danger -- Battered in Birmingham -- Trouble in Montgomery -- The journey to Mississippi -- Hundreds sent to prison -- Freedom riders prevail. "Discusses the Freedom Rides, an important event in the Civil Rights Movement, including the riders who risked their lives, the violence the riders faced, and the successful integration of interstate buses and terminals
A sky full of stars by Jackson, Linda Williams — Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. Dewey: -Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 7.6. Sequel to: Midnight without a moon. In Stillwater, Missippi, in 1955, thirteen-year-old African American Rose Lee Carter looks to her family and friends to understand her place in the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.


Still Relevant
Yankee girl by Rodman, Mary Ann — Square Fish/Farrar Straus Giroux, c2004 p2008--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 3.7. When her FBI-agent father is transferred to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1964, eleven-year-old Alice wants to be popular but also wants to reach out to the one black girl in her class in a newly-integrated school.
Mississippi morning by Vander Zee, Ruth — Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2004--Fic-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.8
Amidst the economic depression and the racial tension of the 1930s, a boy discovers a horrible secret of his father's involvement in the Ku Klux Klan.
Mississippi bridge by Taylor, Mildred D — Puffin, c1990 p2000--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.7
During a heavy rainstorm in 1930s rural Mississippi, a ten-year-old white boy sees a bus driver order all the black passengers off a crowded bus to make room for late-arriving white passengers and then set off across the raging Rosa Lee River.
The well : David's story by Taylor, Mildred D — Puffin Books, c1995 p1998--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 4.7
In Mississippi in the early 1900s, ten-year-old David Logan's family generously shares their well water with both white and African-American neighbors in an atmosphere of potential racial violence.

The Aurora County All-Stars by Wiles, Deborah — Sandpiper, 2007--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.0
Twelve-year-old House Jackson, team captain and star pitcher of the Aurora County All-Stars, is finally ready to play again after being sidelined for a year with a broken elbow, but a standoff ensues when the team's big game is scheduled for the same day as Aurora County's two-hundredth anniversary pageant--an event directed by the very girl who caused Jackson's injury. Triple Crown
The friendship by Taylor, Mildred D — Puffin, c1987 p1998--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.1
Four children witness a confrontation between an elderly African-American man and a white storekeeper in rural Mississippi in the 1930s. Coretta Scott King Award

Mississippi trial, 1955 by Crowe, Chris — Speak, 2003--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 5.5. In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African-American from Chicago. Social Studies List 2004

 Roll of thunder, hear my cry by Taylor, Mildred D  — Puffin, c1976 p1991--Fic-; Int Lvl: 5-8; Rd Lvl: 6.9. An African-American family in Depression era Mississippi battles the odds to hold onto their property and their self-respect.FREE Teaching Resources available for download from Follett. Newbery Medal

 The gold Cadillac by Taylor, Mildred D  — Puffin, c1987 p1998--Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 6.0
Two African-American girls living in the North are proud of their family's beautiful new Cadillac until they take it on a visit to the South and encounter racial prejudice for the first time.
Teacher Resources:
Lesson Plan from author’s website Superior with video interviews and questions http://shanaburg.com/educators/a-thousand-never-evers/interactive-readers-guide/table-of-contents/

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute  www.bcri.org
National Civil Rights Museum  www.civilrightsmuseum.org
Medgar & Myrl Evers Institute http://www.eversinstitute.org/
at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Dinosaurs Big and Small (Revised Spring 2024)   Dinosaurium by Murray, Lily — Big Picture Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2018 567.9...