We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March

"I want to go to jail," (third grader) Audrey told her mother.

Since Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks thought that was a good idea, they helped her get ready.

Cynthia Levinson's stunning and moving We've Got a Job chronicles the days leading up to the 1963 Birmingham Children's March. Read on to discover more about this historic event (and how you can win a copy of this book for your very own classroom).

In We've Got a Job, readers learn how young protestors, some just grammar school students, took to the streets in May of 1963 with the intention of filling the jails so that the segregationist policies of the South's most notoriously divided and violent city could no longer be carried out. For years Birmingham had seen vicious attacks on blacks, including countless fires and bombings, so many that the city was bitterly nicknamed "Bombingham" by its black residents. 

Too often, however, those of us who view history as an ordered series of dates in a textbook see the events of Birmingham as a given, as a struggle which was destined to take place. Little do most of us know how close the Birmingham protests came to utterly failing.

While many adults participated in sit-ins, marches, and public prayer meetings, it soon became apparent that retributions by whites, mostly through job loss, threatened to snuff the small flames of freedom before they ever caught. But encouraged by Martin Luther King, Fred Shuttlesworth, James Bevel, and others, children accepted the challenge and risked their own freedom and safety to do what had to be done. Facing the threats of dogs, high pressure fire hoses, and crowd brutality, children took a stand for those freedoms for which they can no longer wait.

Told through the eyes and voices of those who participated, this book brings a sense of intimacy and urgency which is often lacking in textbook accounts. Cynthia Levinson mixes personal narratives, historical background, contemporary anecdotes, and headlines of the time to create a well-rounded, highly readable account of extraordinary heroism by ordinary folk.

The Chain of Hate

Martin Luther King wrote:

"To retaliate with hate and bitterness would do nothing but intensify hate in the world... Someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can be done only by projecting the ethics of love to the center of our lives."

And perhaps this defined the greatest challenge for the marchers: meeting hatred with love, violence with nonviolence, ignorance with understanding, intolerance with patience. What Levinson helps the reader to see is that the two sides weren't clearly cut; many whites sympathized with and supported the black cause, and many blacks disagreed with the nonviolent measures of the leaders of the protest movement.

One excerpt from Chapter Eight: May 2. D-Day describes the excitement of the children as they're carted off to jail in buses after they've filled all the police paddy wagons:

The kids were exhilarated; the policemen were exhausted. An officer asked a marcher, "When is this going to end?" 

She responded, "Do we have our freedom yet?"

"I wish you could have your freedom just to stop this," he admitted.

Later, at mass meeting in Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, King reassured hundreds of worried parents by saying:

"Your daughters and sons are in jail... Don't worry about them. They are suffering for what they believe, and they are suffering to make this nation a better nation."

The book concludes with an Author's Note, a map of the city, and a timeline of the events described in the book. These documents, as well as the book's final chapter, will help teachers answer the many questions that students might have about the Birmingham Children's March, and its outcomes on history.


Extensions and Recommended Resources:

• One key to strong informational writing is the ability to blend exposition and narrative in a way that provides readers with information, while at the same time encouraging the reader to read on. Cynthia Levinson makes this happen through wonderful transitional phrases, the inclusion of headings, and a well-researched collection of quotes from the very people who lived the events. Many excerpts from this text could provide wonderful models for students to use in their own writing.
• A study of Martin Luther King, Jr. would benefit greatly from this book, as it helps readers to see him as a very embattled, very conflicted, and very human figure. In the rear view mirror of history, we tend to see only the accomplishments and greatness of our heroes, and rarely their struggles. Students will be interested to learn that King faced disappointment, criticism, and failure; much of his greatness was his refusal to be defined or consumed by those same failings.
• Peachtree Publishers has created a wonderful companion site featuring a synopsis, resources, and additional information about the players mentioned in the book. Also, be sure to check out the Official Blog Tour for this book. Every blogger has their own take, and lots more resources as well.
• The Greensboro Sit-Ins are mentioned as an inspiration for the nonviolent restaurant sit-ins which took place in Birmingham. I've collected some wonderful picture book recommendations as well as several resource sites in a post titled Sit Down and Be Counted: Exploring the Civil Rights Movement with Picture Books.
• 
  If you're looking for a teacher reference, or a book appropriate for readers in grades 6 and up, I can recommend none more highly than A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968. Well organized by year and event, with plenty of period photographs, this is the book that will help you answer all of your students questions (and your own!) about this tumultuous and important time in our nation's history Author Diane McWhorter provides fact in a beautiful tapestry that reads like a story, full of real-life human beings whose individual stories form the larger transformation that we call The Civil Rights Movement.

The Listeners: Remembering the Past by Celebrating the Present

The Listeners
by Gloria Whelan

Universal Themes:
Conflict Resolution, Courage, Heroism, Identity, Integrity, Problem Solving

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. Today we encourage students to celebrate Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation with Gloria Whelan's excellent new picture book The Listeners, published by Sleeping Bear Press.

In addition to their tasks of picking cotton, taking cows to pasture, and caring for the babies, Ella May and her friends are entrusted with the most most important job of all: that of crouching beneath Master's window each evening to collect information that the slaves on the plantation otherwise wouldn't hear. Which slaves are being sent away? Who's the new overseer that Master is hiring? What's that about a new president, and why are Master Thomas's words about him coming out "as mean as rattlesnakes"?

I loved this book, so I took a big chance. This year, after teaching third grade for nine years and fourth grade for thirteen, I moved up to sixth grade Reading and Language Arts. While I've always preached about the benefits of using picture books with the upper grades, I never before had to "put my money where my mouth is." So for my first picture book experience with my new sixth graders (three sections of 65 students total), I chose The Listeners.

In short, the book delivered. Students were turned on to the picture book experience.

The beautiful artwork and language of The Listeners complement each other perfectly (so much so that one student was convinced that the author was also the illustrator, so in tune were the paintings to the words on the page). My students especially enjoyed Whelan's use of metaphor, personification, and similes, such as "we make ourselves small as cotton seeds and quiet as shadows." This book helped my students realize that picture books can truly serve as "mentor texts," providing students with models for their own writing. Students discovered that what an author chooses to leave out becomes just as important as what she chooses to leave in.

Like every Sleeping Bear Press title from the Tales of Young Americans Series, this book is well researched and age-appropriate, while not being dumbed down in either language or content. (Another Young Americans title I previously recommended on this blog was Ann E. Burg's Rebekkah's Journey , a meticulously researched historical fiction picture book which describes President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to shelter 1000 Jews in upstate New York).

Teachers and parents will be delighted to know that this title (like other Sleeping Bear titles I've mentioned in previous posts) is accompanied by a free, pdf format teaching guide. The book is recommended for ages 6-10, but many of the activities can be adapted for use with older audiences.

For more information on the author and illustrator, visit the Sleeping Bear site. While there, be sure to also check out Sleeping Bear's mind-boggling variations on the picture book. Something for everyone, at every level!

Paul Revere Rides Again and Again and Again

Picture books are a fabulous resource for building background knowledge on a historic topic. The true but ugly fact is that in most history textbooks today there's simply not much story. Without details and drama, few kids get excited about the past. Picture books to the rescue!

While your curriculum may not include the Revolutionary War or a historical fiction text set in that time (such as Esther Forbe's Johnny Tremain), you nonetheless can get some ideas for using multiple-perspective texts as we discuss the picture book interpretations of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. However, if you like the Midnight Ride topic, one great way to use these ideas to to play up the poetry angle! April is, after all, Poetry Month. Also, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, which came as a result of the midnight ride, occurred on April 19th, so the timing is serendipitous.


The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
illustrated by Christopher Bing

Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
illustrated by Monica Vachula



Paul Revere's Ride
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
illustrated by Ted Rand

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
illustrated by Jeffrey Thompson

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride
by Stephen Krensky
illustrated by Greg Harlin



Before Reading Questions

• In the 1770s, which country owned the most colonies in America? How many colonies did Great Britain own along the Atlantic coast?
• Why were the colonies upset with Great Britain? (Large debts incurred due to the recent French and Indian War had prompted Britain to tax the colonies; this was done, however, without the colonists having any representation in Parliament, the law-making body of British government. Thus, the phrase "taxation without representation." The British government had also decided that colonial settlement should expand no further to the West; this upset George Washington and others who had commercial interests in lands beyond the thirteen colonies).
• What events had occurred in Boston prior to 1775 that had increased tensions? (taxes which were deemed unfair, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party)
• What did the group of Patriots in Boston call themselves? (the Sons of Liberty) Who were some of the most famous leaders of this group? (Samuel Adams, Paul Revere)

Summary

For most picture book experiences in my class, I prefer a group read-aloud approach. That is certainly true of the Holocaust picture books we use to provide background for our Number the Stars unit.

In the case of The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, however, we took a different approach. I divided students into groups of four and gave each student a double-spaced copy of Longfellow's poem. Students read the poem as a group, underlining words and passages which they didn't understand.

I then spread out the six picture books on the topic, and assigned each group a place to begin. Working just six minutes at each station, students read the book together and viewed the illustrations. They then attempted to add notes, definitions, and general thoughts and questions to their printed copies of the poems. As time ended, each group rotated clockwise to the next station which offered a slightly different perspective of the same story.

After Reading Questions

• How many of you were able to define unknown words or explain unfamiliar phrases by looking at the pictures in the books provided? Which words or phrases are still confusing?
• What did you group like most about this book? (hold up each book in turn) Overall, which book did your group find most helpful?
• Why would this historical event appeal to this poet?

Extension Ideas: Language Arts/Social Studies

• Following a very brief discussion of students' findings through the picture books, I introduce them to The Midnight Rider Virtual Museum, an interactive, online resource which allows students to read a hypertext version of the famous poem. As students read, they can click on any highlighted text for which they'd like more information. This resource allows them to independently confirm or emend any information which their group has recorded. The site contains additional printable resources which teachers can choose from to enrich the experience. A highly recommended follow-up to the picture book experience.
• Show the Disney film version of Johnny Tremain in class, or read select text passages from that book. Have students compare and contrast with the poem version of the famous ride. What other information does the movie or book provide that helps the reader to better understand the poem?
• ReadWriteThink.org features a multi-part lesson plan on Paul Revere which makes use of its online student writing tools and The Midnight Rider Virtual Museum. Even if you don't prefer to extend this lesson for four or five class periods, do check this site for the additional online references it provides.

• Paul Revere was just one rider charged with the task of spreading news. Who were some other Patriots who defied the odds in carrying out these dangerous missions? Why were couriers such as these necessary at this time in history?
• Provide some additional versions of the event, such as the graphic novel Paul Revere's Ride, as alternatives for the picture books mentioned above.
• As you study the American Revolution, assign these same student groups historical events or dates which they must set to verse using a given number of lines. Combine all groups' efforts for a class poem (and an effective study guide!).

They Called Her Molly Pitcher

They Called Her Molly Pitcher
by Anne Rockwell

Universal Themes:
Courage, Fear, Heroism

Before Reading Questions

• What is a hero? (Prior to discussion, the teacher may want students to create a bulleted list on this topic, or on the topic What is heroism?).
• Who can name some adjectives that describe a hero?
• Someone mentioned that heroes are brave. Does that mean that they do their heroic acts without any fear? Is it possible to be brave and scared at the same time? (In Number the Stars, this is a key lesson that the main character learns).

Summary

They Called Her Molly Pitcher tells the true tale of Mary Ludwig Hays, who takes her husband's position at the cannon when he is wounded by enemy fire during the Battle of Monmouth. She survives the battle, and is later recognized by General George Washington.

The book is a fabulous text to share during Women's History Month, during a unit on the American Revolution, or in a study of New Jersey state history. This picture book also serves as an excellent discussion starter prior to any novel dealing with courage or determination.

Rather than provide the usual extension activities, I'll point you in the direction of Teachers at Random, a free resource site for teachers from Random House books. In addition to the They Called Her Molly Pitcher Teacher's Guide, you'll find numerous resources for both picture books and novels, many available in a compact pdf format.Also, check out this post here at Teach with Picture Books called I Need a Hero. It features lots of terrific ideas for exploring the concept of heroism.

Also, be sure to click on American Revolution in the tags to the right for more books on this topic.

I will add that this is a superb book for studying conflict. It features character vs. character (the battle itself), character vs. self (Molly overcoming her own fear), character vs. nature (the battle was fought on an extremely hot day, and many soldiers succumbed to heat stroke), and character vs. society (Molly overcame prejudice against women in battle). My students have been able to produce well-structured expository paragraphs on the topic of conflict following a read-aloud and discussion of this text.