roll of thunder, hear my cry
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An intimate, realistic, and moving account of an African American family's struggles with the injustices and terrors of segregation in Mississippi in 1933.
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1930 - Video clip |
pre-reading
vocabulary
chapter reflections
Motif information
study guide for unit test
***Know the story line and thoroughly understand each character.
Vocabulary Words:
Vocabulary Words:
- characterization
- conflict
- dialect
- foreshadowing
- injustice
- imagery
- mood
- motif
- plot
- symbol/symbolism
work samples
Sessions
Session 1 – Readers are Researchers
Session 4 - Readers see how the character lives in the details the author includes in the narration.
Small actions and details make readers feel like they are in the story and help readers visualize the story. Key details reveal the history of the times.
Session 5 - Readers pay attention to the scenes and chunks of thoughts in historical fiction. This reduces confusion and helps to build connections.
Authors Write Stories in Scenes. Scenes add chunks of thoughts to connect these scenes in historical fiction. These scenes and chunks connect to build the story.
Session 6 - Readers analyze how different points of view dramatize events in historical fiction.
Authors need to create a sense of drama in historical fiction for reader’s to be to connect with the characters and the events that are occurring.
Session 7 - Readers compare and contrast film versions of the events in a historical fiction text.
This allows readers to check for accuracy in regards to details, characterization, and other story elements, as compared to the original text.
What can be learned from watching film versions of historical fiction texts?
What benefits does this have to our understanding of the character and the events?
Session 8 - Readers compare and contrast the features of historical fiction, including the time period, to make connections to the world today.
What is the point of reading historical fiction, but to make connections to the past, the present, and ourselves? Readers need to see that there is a human element in the literature as well as the facts that are woven through the text.
Session 9 - Readers take what they have learned from a particular genre (historical fiction) and apply it to their own writing, by connecting with the characters and historical situations.
We read historical fiction to connect to the past and learn who we are as humans. It is human nature to reflect on that reading and make connections, especially with the characters.
Historical Fiction Character Journal Entries
Objective: To take on the perspective of a historical fiction character and be able to connect and understand to their perspective and point of view.
Directions: Using all that you have learned over this past unit, you will take on the persona of one of the characters of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and create a journal. Choose between:
Requirements:
Historical Fiction Character Journal Rubric
On Target
Almost There
Still Trying
Character
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student is speaking through the character’s voice that demonstrates the character’s attributes.
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student is speaking through the character’s voice that demonstrates some of the character’s attributes.
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student does not speak through the character’s voice that demonstrates the character’s attributes.
Scenes and Chunks of Thought
The writing is told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
The writing is sometimes told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
The writing is not told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
Details
The entry gives clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
The entry sometimes gives clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
The entry does not give enough clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
Creativity
The student shows creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
The student shows some creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
The student shows little creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
Be prepared to answer these questions about a classmate’s journal entries.
Session 9 Exit Slip
Session 10 - Readers celebrate and share the complexity of storytelling and historical accuracy.
Readers want to share their learning and celebrate our common history by reading and reflecting on each other’s’ work.
- Set up “The Journey of Historical Fiction” Journal
- Listen to a brief overview of the book
- Journal: What does historical fiction mean to me?
- Share
- ABC Learning About Historical Fiction = 1930s
- What you already know
- Share
- Journal: Why is it important to learn about the past and the way things were?
- Complete the 1st two columns of the KWL sheet
- Using your Chromebook, complete the last column of the KWL sheet
- Share
- What is it that each character wants?
- What is it that drives his/her motivations?
- Characters who tell their own story allow the reader to experience the story from the thoughts and actions of the main character. As a result, readers get connected to the character and gain a personalized understanding of history.
- In addition, we learn about characters from the things that they say and the things that they do. Characters’ traits can also be related to the historical time period. It is fair to say that characters, just like real people, are products of their environment and the situations they are forced to endure.
- Character Chart
- Journal: How does the historical time period influence a character’s motivation?
- Journal: Do you think these characters’ traits would be different if they had lived in a different time?
Session 4 - Readers see how the character lives in the details the author includes in the narration.
Small actions and details make readers feel like they are in the story and help readers visualize the story. Key details reveal the history of the times.
- Readers of historical fiction need to keep track of the details they notice.
- Track details about Cassie--
- What do the details about Cassie suggest about her?
- What do you know?
- What do you wonder?
- Record the details about segregation and life as a sharecropper using the THINK MARKS document.
- Follow Cassie’s reaction.
- What stories does she tell the reader?
- Why does she tell these stories?
Session 5 - Readers pay attention to the scenes and chunks of thoughts in historical fiction. This reduces confusion and helps to build connections.
Authors Write Stories in Scenes. Scenes add chunks of thoughts to connect these scenes in historical fiction. These scenes and chunks connect to build the story.
- Scenes can:
- Provide background information
- Show an action, conversation, or event
- Show a thought or feeling
- Describe a person, place, or thing
- Chapters can be one scene or several scenes. But the author connects the scenes together in a chapter for a purpose.
- Readers of historical fiction need to keep track of these scenes and make notice of how they are connected and what that means for the story.
- Story Scene Chart
Session 6 - Readers analyze how different points of view dramatize events in historical fiction.
Authors need to create a sense of drama in historical fiction for reader’s to be to connect with the characters and the events that are occurring.
- Authors of historical fiction often use different characters’ perspectives to describe the same event.
- This creates drama in the text. Drama can be defined here as the author creating tension, anxiety, humor, romance, etc. These are things that we experience in our lives that the author uses to make historical events more life-like so that readers can be drawn in and connect with the events of the time period.
- Different characters in a story have different points of view or perspectives. Understanding this helps the reader to better comprehend the text they are reading. When readers can identify each character’s unique perspective in historical fiction they have a greater understanding of plot events and the time period they are reading about.
- Characters have their own points of view, or ways they see, feel, react, and think about what happens to and around them.
- Authors do this to create a sense of drama around the actual event they are writing about.
Session 7 - Readers compare and contrast film versions of the events in a historical fiction text.
This allows readers to check for accuracy in regards to details, characterization, and other story elements, as compared to the original text.
What can be learned from watching film versions of historical fiction texts?
What benefits does this have to our understanding of the character and the events?
- Movies are another form of storytelling. They have all the elements of novels: characters, setting, dialogue, details, conflicts, scenes, etc.
- Using film to understand historical fiction is another window into the time period and another opportunity to connect with the characters.
- Draw a Venn diagram – use to compare and contrast
Session 8 - Readers compare and contrast the features of historical fiction, including the time period, to make connections to the world today.
What is the point of reading historical fiction, but to make connections to the past, the present, and ourselves? Readers need to see that there is a human element in the literature as well as the facts that are woven through the text.
- Characters in historical fiction teach us things. They teach us about themselves, their surroundings, their struggles and how they react and handle those struggles.
- Cassie and her family have taught is about racism, segregation, and sharecropping.
- Racism is not over. Around the world racism still exists; in some places it is far worse than others.
- Readers are also researchers and you are going to research about modern-day racism.
Session 9 - Readers take what they have learned from a particular genre (historical fiction) and apply it to their own writing, by connecting with the characters and historical situations.
We read historical fiction to connect to the past and learn who we are as humans. It is human nature to reflect on that reading and make connections, especially with the characters.
Historical Fiction Character Journal Entries
Objective: To take on the perspective of a historical fiction character and be able to connect and understand to their perspective and point of view.
Directions: Using all that you have learned over this past unit, you will take on the persona of one of the characters of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and create a journal. Choose between:
- Cassie
- Stacey
- Mama
- Mr. Wallace
- Other? – Okay with Mrs. Adkerson 1st
Requirements:
- You must have at least three journal entries.
- Each entry should be one half page in length, at the minimum.
- One entry per page, dated.
- Entries will be written in 1st-person point of view of one of the above characters.
Historical Fiction Character Journal Rubric
On Target
Almost There
Still Trying
Character
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student is speaking through the character’s voice that demonstrates the character’s attributes.
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student is speaking through the character’s voice that demonstrates some of the character’s attributes.
The entry is told through a character’s 1st-person point of view. The student does not speak through the character’s voice that demonstrates the character’s attributes.
Scenes and Chunks of Thought
The writing is told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
The writing is sometimes told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
The writing is not told through scenes and thoughts that relate to the action and the time period.
Details
The entry gives clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
The entry sometimes gives clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
The entry does not give enough clear details of the time period with dialogue, descriptions, reactions, etc.
Creativity
The student shows creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
The student shows some creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
The student shows little creativity in making themselves the character to make the journal believable and thoughtful for the time period.
Be prepared to answer these questions about a classmate’s journal entries.
Session 9 Exit Slip
- Explain how your classmate was able to see and feel your character with the details you provided.
- How did the peer responses you received to your historical journal help you to see your connection to the character you are portraying?
- How will you use this experience to revise your journal entries and make them better?
Session 10 - Readers celebrate and share the complexity of storytelling and historical accuracy.
Readers want to share their learning and celebrate our common history by reading and reflecting on each other’s’ work.
- We make connections to characters when reading fiction. It is especially true with historical fiction because the characters we read about have gone through real events.
- Share one of your journal entries with in a group. It could be your favorite, the one you had the most trouble writing, or your least favorite.