The school where we currently teach is less than 15% minority, so it was really important for us to acknowledge African-American history month. We wanted to expose our students to not only the past, but also current depictions of African-American life, as well as, new authors and varying genres. The students had a list of books to choose from that ranged in genre from historical-fiction to poetry. Each book was presented to the students and they were allowed to make an independent choice. Our goal was to have at least two students reading a selection, so they could have discussion. This year the selections were as follows:
1. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
2. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
3. Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? by Patricia and Frederick McKissack
4. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
5. Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone
6. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
7. Day of Tears by Julius Lester
8. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
9. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
10. The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
11. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
12. Heaven by Angela Johnson
13. Jip by Katherine Paterson
14. Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
15. Letters from a Slave Girl by Mary E. Lyons
The students were instructed to read the novel, have literature circle discussions once a week, and participate in seminar twice a week on topics chosen by us. In addition, the students had to take the Accelerated Reader quiz and create a research topic that would be turned into a wiki to share with the class. They were given instructions to choose a topic from their novels and turn that idea into an investigative question. Those wikis are currently under construction, but we will add examples as soon as they are complete.
Discussion Seminars:
We held discussion seminars on several topics. The first seminar for this unit was on the song, "Oh, Freedom!" which we listened to after viewing the lyrics. Our next seminar focused on Maya Angelou's poem, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Students read the poem and listened to a reading of it through a clip on YouTube. We held another seminar after viewing primary source photographs of students being attacked by dogs while marching and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. (Primary Source photographs found in Primary Sources Teaching Kit: Civil Rights from Scholastic.)
Short story/ Picture books used in class to assist students in finding topics to turn into investigative questions: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles When Marian Sings by Pam Munoz Ryan Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford Freedom on the Menu by Carole Boston Weatherford A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson If a Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson Rosa by Nikki Giovanni Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
1. The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
2. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
3. Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? by Patricia and Frederick McKissack
4. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
5. Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone
6. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
7. Day of Tears by Julius Lester
8. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
9. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
10. The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis
11. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
12. Heaven by Angela Johnson
13. Jip by Katherine Paterson
14. Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
15. Letters from a Slave Girl by Mary E. Lyons
The students were instructed to read the novel, have literature circle discussions once a week, and participate in seminar twice a week on topics chosen by us. In addition, the students had to take the Accelerated Reader quiz and create a research topic that would be turned into a wiki to share with the class. They were given instructions to choose a topic from their novels and turn that idea into an investigative question. Those wikis are currently under construction, but we will add examples as soon as they are complete.
http://6thgradetms.wikispaces.com/
http://6thgradetms.pbworks.com/Civil-Rights-Movement
Discussion Seminars:
We held discussion seminars on several topics. The first seminar for this unit was on the song, "Oh, Freedom!" which we listened to after viewing the lyrics. Our next seminar focused on Maya Angelou's poem, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Students read the poem and listened to a reading of it through a clip on YouTube. We held another seminar after viewing primary source photographs of students being attacked by dogs while marching and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. (Primary Source photographs found in Primary Sources Teaching Kit: Civil Rights from Scholastic.)
Short story/ Picture books used in class to assist students in finding topics to turn into investigative questions:
The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles
When Marian Sings by Pam Munoz Ryan
Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford
Freedom on the Menu by Carole Boston Weatherford
A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson
If a Bus Could Talk by Faith Ringgold
Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack
Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine