Book Overview: Within this novel, the events of the terrible kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till is told. Emmett Till was 14 years old visiting family in Mississippi where Jim Crow laws were much worse than in Chicago, where Emmett lived. When Emmett Till said a comment to a white woman (nobody is sure exactly what was said) she became offended and told her husband about it. This novel describes the trial, kidnapping, murder, and his body being thrown into the Mississippi river. Everyone knew who the murders were but the two men responsible were declared not guilty by 12 white jury men.
Teaching Suggestions:
Key Vocabulary:
Civil Rights Movement
Brown vs. Board of Education
Jim Crow Laws
Segregation
Before Reading: Introduce to the students that they will be reading a novel about an African American boy during the Civil Rights Movement. Have students fill out the (K) and (W) of a K-W-L chart about Civil Rights Movement, Segregation, and the Jim Crow Laws. This will provide the teacher with the student's backgroung knowledge of this topic.
During Reading: Students will fill out their column (L) of their charts as they read and learn more about Emmett Till and the Civil Rights Movement. Students should also write down any questions they may have. There will be frequent discussions throughout the novel so children can ask these questions and correct any misconceptions the students may have.
After Reading: Students will research more about the Civil rights Movement then write and act out the court case with an alternative ending. The two men responsible for Emmett Till's death will be found guilty and the students will use their reading and research to fight for his case.
Extra Resources:
Civil Rights Movement
Emmett Till
Crowe, Chris. Getting Away With Murder: True Story of the Emmett Till Case. New York: Dial Books For Young Readers, 2003.
No comments:
Post a Comment