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Such was the case on February 4, 1960, when four black college students took seats at the whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down
, tells that story with same passion and intensity with which it took place.The story is told with minimal yet factual narrative, with a delicious dash of figurative language salted throughout (Brian explains why in the video below). The narrative is also punctuated with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which not only guided the protesters of the time in their nonviolent methods, but may also help young readers of today understand how these crusaders could withstand such abuse and humiliation.
In this video, author Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrator Brian Pinkney discuss the events leading up to the sit-ins (these same events are detailed in an epilogue called "A Final Helping" at book's end). They also discuss the writing and illustration process, and close with a brief overview of the book.
- Andrea and Brian discussed the food references used in the book. Why was food mentioned so often? Share a specific passage which employs a food metaphor and ask, What does that passage mean? Why not just come right out and say that? What other food-related metaphors did you hear? In our everyday language, what other metaphors are often used?
- The author and illustrator talked about the need for conducting research using photographs from the time. Why would this be so important? What information might the photographs provide? If the author/illustrator team chose to create a picture book set in a time period before photography was invented, how might they gather information for their pictures? If we also say, "Write what you know," then why do research?
- Toward the end of the video, Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brain Pinkney discuss their own heroes. Why is that included in the video? How might their own heroes have affected their decision to create this book? Why is it important to have heroes? Who are some of your heroes? How could you find out more about them?
- For additional ideas and extensions, check out the teaching guide from Hatchette Book Group, prepared by the very talented Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.
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By: Annie,
on 3/30/2008
Blog: Crazy For Kids Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: social justice, civil rights, north carolina, sit-ins, greensboro, Add a tag
I've lived in Greensboro, North Carolina for almost 30 years and believe it to be one of the finest and prettiest places I have ever been in the U.S. Greensboro still has many of the charms of a gracious southern city and it much honors its past on a regular basis.
The city's bicentennial celebration has just begun and there are countless meaningful and fun activities planned for the upcoming year. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was a famous revolutionary battle that is celebrated through re-enactments on a routine basis. Religious tolerance dates to large settlements of Quakers and Moravians in the 1700s and the founding of the only Quaker college in the southeast when Guilford College was founded in 1837.
But for all its religious tolerance, Greensboro was always a social product of its time and segregation was the law of the land for generations until 1960 when the actions of four brave African-American college students from NC Agricultural and Technical College sat down at the Woolworth's counter in downtown Greensboro and created an act of civil disobedience that literally changed the course of history. How that action changed the city of Greensboro and also set off a chain of similar actions that resulted in the repeal of the Jim Crow laws throughout the south is one of our city's finest moments.
In Freedom on the Menu, Carole Boston Weatherford tells this story from the perspective of a young girl and her family who were allowed to shop at Woolworth's but never allowed service at the lunch counter. Jerome Laggarigue's dark, impressionistic paintings are both emotionally evocative and suggest the time capsule nature of those historic days.
The author has posted a lesson plan on her website for grades 3-5 that will help educators and students explore the history of the Jim Crow laws and the social calls to action of leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King that emboldened those four young men to sit at the lunch counter and ask for a seat at the table of social justice.
Not only is this an important chapter of Greensboro, North Carolina, but it is an important chapter in the history of our country. Although it has taken another 48 years for the United States to evolve to a place where an African-American has a real shot at being elected President, it is a long awaited and important indication that our citizens truly believe in our U.S. Declaration of Indpendence from the British written in 1776 which states: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...
i love that i came across this blog! i love picture books and i can't get enough of them. my first graders LOVE them too! :)
Great post, Keith! I see we admire some of the same picture books. I've featured Carole Boston Weatherford in my latest post, the second of which features great African-American authors/illustrators. You can see it at http://booksofwonder.wordpress.com/
Dave and Linds: Thanks for coming by! Love your enthusiasm!
Janice: I think your blog and mine were separated at birth; so many like thoughts on books!
I just read Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and was really touched by it. Excellent artwork by Kadir Nelson. Also, recently read Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phililp Hoose that was interesting. :)
Love Henry's Freedom Box! A student purchased it for me a couple years ago (thanks, Olan).
The other title I haven't heard of; I'll need to check it out.
Thanks for checking in!
Hi Keith,
This is my first visit to your blog, but I will definitely be coming back.
I work at the National Museum of American History, and we're really excited that you're enjoying our resources. We have a great Civil Rights collection, and it's a topic we think is really relevant for the classroom. And on a personal note, I wrote the OurStory activities you mentioned, so I'm especially appreciative of your compliments on those resources.
Also, I wanted to let you know that there is a super crisp (shot in HD) non-YouTube version of the Join the Student Sit-Ins video (halfway down this page http://americanhistory.si.edu/freedomandjustice/learning_resources.html). If a teacher works where YouTube is blocked, try steaming these videos. We've also divided them into "acts" and have a teacher guide with suggested prompt questions (http://americanhistory.si.edu/freedomandjustice/JoinTheStudentSitInsTeacherGuide.pdf).
Again, thanks for using our resources.
Jenny- I was really impressed by the OurStory resources! Sometimes the "resources" provided at sites are just busywork for students, but your stuff really extends the learning experience, as well as the value of the related books. Teachers feel like they've unearthed treasure when they see guides like these, and I guess, in a way, they have! Thanks for checking in.