Outcomes:
Writing in role, thought bubbles, dialogue, postcard, recount, poem
Main Outcome:
Biography
Length:
15 sessions, 3 weeks
Overview and Outcomes:
This is a three-week sequence for the book Freedom Bird by Jerdine Nolen, which tells the story of John and Millicent Wheeler, whose parents were sold as slaves and who now live and work on Simon Plenty’s North Carolina Plantation. Before being sold, their parents told them stories of how one day their people would fly away to freedom; these are the hopes and dreams that remain alive in their hearts. The sequence begins with children considering the difference between their needs and wants, before going on to research the history of the slave trade in America. Children will write in role as the enslaved children, considering their experiences from a first-hand perspective, create dialogue of a conversation between the two siblings and write them a letter of advice to help them through their situation. The sequence culminates with children writing a biography of Harriet Tubman, one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad.
Synopsis of Text:
There was nothing civil about that war. They should have called it what it was: a big, bad war.
Brother and sister Millicent and John are slaves on Simon Plenty's plantation and have suffered one hurt and heartbreak after another. Their parents had told them old tales of how their ancestors had flown away to freedom just as free and easy as a bird. Millicent and John hold these stories in their hearts long after their parents are gone. "Maybe such a time will come for you," their parents said. Then one day a mysterious bird appears in their lives. The bird transforms them and gives them the courage to set their plan into motion and escape to freedom.
Links:
Slavery, slave trade, freedom, bird, hopes, dreams, fly
