"Honey, I Love"
Eloise Greenfield's poem captures the sentiment of a young child when relatives come to visit. The excitement is caught when the family takes a drive into the country where they will meet a lot of church folks and enjoy some good food to eat. She speaks of of love in such a home spun, down to earth way so that children can easily identify and begin to think about love in their own surroundings. Eloise helps the reader to see that the simple things in life are the most fun and most treasured.
Week One - First Day
As an introduction to our unit Wednesday Delight will tell the children that we will be taking a journey with our feelings and friendship. Eloise Greenfield knew all about forming friendships in her neighborhood, the housing projects. Although not all of her childhood memories were happy because of the segregation in schools, stores, swimming pools, etc., she remembers the fun times with family, neighbors, and friends who cared for one another on Langston Terrace, Washington D.C.
The children will enjoy a shared reading of the poem, "Honey I Love" with Wednesday Delight. Wednesday will invite her friend Willie to class, who will give a list of things that he loves, like - unopened soda pop, candy wrappers, lollypops with bows, a hug and a kiss… He will complete his list by saying, "But I really love - sharing poems with kids." Now it is time for the children to write their own poems about "Love." Each child will start their poem with "I love…" Their list will contain their favorite things from either home, school, church or anyplace that they wish to focus upon. Their last line will end with "But I really love…" Willie will circulate around the class, reading the children's poems, making mistakes, and helping those who are having difficulty.
No Mirrors in My Nana's House
Barnwell takes the reader on a journey of love and beauty in a child's world through the eyes of her Nana. Even though there are cracks on the walls, trash in the hallways, noisy neighbors, clothes that do not fit, a nose that is too flat, etc. there are no mirrors to reflect the negative when one beholds love and beauty through the eyes of their Nana. It takes trust and love to see the world as a magical place where there is only love and no hate.
Week One - Day Two
Willie will read this beautiful story written in poetic form by Ysaye Barnwell. He will ask the children why they think the artist did not include eyes in her illustrations. If one does not have eyes, are they able to see ugly things around them? What would some of those things be? If there are no mirrors in one's house, could you see skin that is too dark, skin that is too light, hair that will not stay in place, tears on a face? How could one see through the eyes of another? Would one need to be blind?
Ysaye Barnwell is a member of the singing group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. Sweet Honey in the Rock is an a capella quintet made up of African American woman. A CD is included with the book, and the children will enjoy singing along with the group after hearing the story read by Willie.
Week One - Days Three and Four
Dolls were made for slave children from various pieces of cloth and stuffed with rags which gave the doll a rather floppy, soft feeling for cuddling. Eyes were generally not sewn onto the doll's face. The children will stitch and sew their own doll from a simple cutout and stuff it loosely with left over scraps and a little cotton binding. On our sewing day, mothers and grandparents will be invited to assist the children in their sewing.
After the dolls have been completed, the children will be asked to write a poem by Alphabet Thursday (a friend of Wednesday Delight) for their doll. The children will insert their own names in the title, e.g., "Seeing through the Eyes of…" They will think of their own home and write lines such as: Look deep in my eyes and see… The green grass that surrounds our house; Sidewalks to ride bikes; Steps to run and skip; Railings to slide and glide; Hallways to run and shout… Look deep in my eyes and see - Love between you and me.
Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky
Cassie and her brother Be Be fly far above the mountains and the oceans where they encounter a railroad in the sky - the Underground Railroad. They meet a woman dressed in a conductor's uniform. The woman is Harriet Tubman who takes them on a historical journey of the Under- ground railroad and the facts of Harriet Tubman's life.
Week One - Day Five
Faith Ringgold tells a beautiful story for young children about the faith and courage of Harriet Tubman. Although Harriet Tubman could neither read nor write, yet this courageous woman set up a network of real conductors who helped to carry out escape routes for as many as 300 slaves. The children will understand again the significance of their rag dolls having no eyes like the paintings in No Mirrors in My Nana's House. If those trying to escape had seen only with their own eyes, surely fear would have overtaken them and they would have succumbed to their own capture. However, the slaves had to look deep into Harriet Tubman's eyes and put their trust into the conductors.
After the story is read in class, Friday Funtastic, a friend of Wednesday Delight will read a poem by Langston Hughes titled, "Hope." In the poem Hughes speaks about feeling lonely, but he doesn't know why. He can only think that by and by he won't be lonely any more. Friday will help to center a discussion on feelings of loneliness. Do you think the slaves that escaped through the Underground Railroad ever felt lonely? Why? Do you think the feelings of loneliness went away when they reached the Canadian boarder and knew they were safe and free? Do children feel lonely? Why? Friday encourages the children to talk about their feelings, and then write about those feelings. The feelings will be put into poetic style. For example, I feel lonely when… My sister eats all of the cookies; I am asked to stay home when Mom and Dad go out; I am told that I'm too little to play football with the big kids; Mom says the light must go out; Grandma hugs my big brother… But I don't feel lonely when… I can lick the frosting from the beater all by myself.
Harriet Tubman often sang signals through spirituals to the slaves who were trying to escape through the Underground Railroad. We know that many times the slaves sang spirituals in the fields, partly because it gave them hope to continue under the severe bondage of slavery. The children will participate in singing spirituals in class such as: "We're Marching to Zion," "Oh, Freedom," "Git on Board Lil Children," "Wade in the Water," "Go Tell it on the Mountain," etc.
"Aunt Sue's Stories"
Aunt Sue has a lot of stories to tell to a brown-faced child on the front porch of a summer night. She tells stories about Black slaves working in the hot sun, and singing songs on the banks of the river. The dark-faced child knows that these stories do not come out of a book. The stories come right out of Aunt Sue's life.
Week Two - Day One
Wednesday Delight will assist the children in a shared reading of Langston Hughes' poem, "Aunt Sue's Stories." She will assist the children in a class discussion about the poem asking questions such as: What does Hughes mean when he says the slaves were singing songs of sorrow on the banks of the river? Why do the slaves mingle softly in the dark shadows that cross and recross during Aunt Sue's stories? Do they do this in reality? Why or why not?
We will search for a great-grandmother who may know distant relatives that were slaves or know stories to tell in class.
Harriet and the Promised Land
Jacob Lawrence has written a beautiful book in poetic verse about the life of Harriet Tubman. Harriet is born a slave. As she grows into a young lady she cleans and helps to take care of white Children. Harriet hears the Bible story of Moses helping to free the slaves from King Pharaoh in Egypt. She prays for strength when the time is right to lead her people to freedom. God enables Harriet to make the journey nineteen times to free the slaves from bondage and to "The Promised Land.
Week Two - Day Two
Willie will assist in reading the story in class. The pictures in Lawrence's book contain a lot of symbolism. We will look at the pictures in class and the symbolism that they represent. For example, when Lawrence tells Harriet to grow stronger, bigger, harder… Harriet's hands in the picture are grossly grotesque. Why are Harriet's hands so large? How will they help her assist the slaves to escape? There are other pictures where the hands of those who are helping are huge. One picture is very striking where Harriet's large hands are outstretched over a stream and the slaves are crossing, symbolizing Moses and the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea. In another picture Harriet's arms are outstretched and at the end of her finger is a bright star. The text tells about Harriet getting the sign, and that the time was right to lead the slaves to freedom. In the Bible, the star led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus who would ultimately lead Christians to their faith in freedom.
Grandpa's Face
Eloise Greenfield tells a story about a young girl, Tamika who loves her grandpa. She loves to go for walks and talks around the neighbor- hood and parks. She loves to look at Grandpa's face and even when he is angry he always tells Tamika that he loves her. One day Tamika sees Grandpa practicing for a play and she doesn't like the hard, angry look that she sees on Grandpa's face. She is afraid that he will never love her again. Tamika learns that she can put her trust in Grandpa's love and that his love will never change for her.
Week Two - Days Three and Four
Willie will assist in reading the story,
Grandpa's Face
. He will also assist in writing a story map on chart paper pertaining to the story. A story map identifies the characters in the story, the setting, the problem, and the solution.
Day four Willie will invite his friend, Wednesday Delight to class and she will introduce a poem entitled, "My People" by Langston Hughes. In his simple three stanza poem, Hughes describes the night, stars, and sun as being beautiful and compares them to the beautiful faces, eyes, and souls of African American people. Wednesday will assist the children in a shared reading of the poem, and then proceed to tell them that they will be producing an art project in conjunction with the poem. Each child will be asked to bring a stocking and clothes hanger to school. The clothes hanger will be pulled into an oblong shape with the stocking fitting tightly over the hanger. The children will add features to make it look like a face. During our team's culminating activity, the children will recite the poem, "My People," and hold the stocking face in front of their own.
If a Bus Could Talk
Ringgold tells the story of a young African American girl named Rosa Parks. Rosa walks miles to school in rural Alabama while the white children ride on a bus to school. Later in life Rosa refuses to give up her seat to a white man while riding to work on a city bus. This act of bravery encourages others to stand up for freedom. Marcie meets a talking bus on her way to school and learns about the bravery of Rosa Parks. After Marcie's magical ride, she meets Rosa Parks at a birthday party.
Week Two - Day Five
Willie will assist in reading the story and in a class discussion. He will ask questions such as: Why do you think it was important for Rosa Parks to stay seated and not give up her seat to a white person? How did this help others to be brave and stand up for freedom? Rosa Parks had a dream that segregation laws would be abolished, and African Americans would be given equal rights. Without this dream, and had her dream faded away, there would never be a story about Rosa Parks. Segregation laws might not have changed so quickly; people might not have found freedom or equal rights in the public.
Week Three - Day One
In his poem, "Dreams," Langston Hughes compares dying dreams to that of a broken-winged bird that is unable to fly. He also says that when dreams fade away, they are like a barren field that is frozen over with snow. Wednesday Delight will be invited to class by Willie and will help the children with a shared reading of the poem, "Dreams." Wednesday will ask the children why they think Hughes compared dying dreams to a broken-winged bird or a field that is covered with snow. What would have happened if Rosa Parks had left her dream die? Suppose she had given in to the segregation laws, would her dream be alive today? What are your dreams?
Wednesday will ask the children to write a poem about their dreams. The poem will begin with "My dream is…" The children will list things that they would like to accomplish as a young person. They will end the poem by saying, "But when I am big I will dream of…"
"The Reason I Like Chocolate"
In her book,
The Sun is so Quiet
, Nikki Giovanni writes a poem in the first person about a little girl who licks her fingers after eating chocolate. This is especially delightful to her because nobody will tell her that this is not a polite thing to do. She goes on to say that she likes scary movies because she can snuggle close to her mother; she likes to cry sometimes because grown-ups will ask her what is wrong and not to cry; and, she especially likes books because they make her feel happy.
Week Three - Day Two
Young children can easily identify with Nikki Giovanni's poem. She entreats the child to enjoy their youthfulness through the simple things of life, and feel happy. Tuesday's Cup of Sugar, (Wednesday Delight's puppet friend), will be invited to assist the children in a shared reading of Giovanni's poem. The children will have fun sharing things that they like from their childhood.
Today is the day that first graders will be paired with a buddy from fourth grade. The fourth graders will help the first graders with composing a poem, "The reason I like…" They will write about something that they like on the first line, and state why they like it on the second line. For example: The reason I like Grandma; Is I get to stay up late; And nobody tells me I can't. The second stanza will tell something that they like even more than the first one. For example: I especially like the carnival; 'cause I can go on lots of rides; And eat tons of ice cream too. Together, the first and fourth graders will complete an illustration, and share their work in class.
Jamaica and Brianna
Jamaica and Brianna are friends from the same school. Jamaica is told by her parents that she must wear her older brother's boots to school. When Jamaica sees Brianna on the way to school, Brianna chides her about wearing boy's boots. Brianna is wearing her older sister's pink boots with white cuffs. Jamaica sees a little hole in her boots and pokes her fingers through it, making it larger. Now Brianna needs new boots and she chooses a pair that look like cowboy boots. The girls exchange words about each other's boots until they both realize they are acting foolishly and spoiling their friendship. The damage is repaired and the girls remain friends.
Week Three - Day Three
Willie introduces Havill's book,
Jamaica and Brianna
, and reads it in class. He helps to stimulate a discussion by asking questions: Have you ever worn anything that made you feel embarrassed? Have kids ever made fun of you, like your best friends? What did you do? How did Jamaica and Brianna react to each other's unkind words? How did they make up?
Willie will ask the children to write a poem, "My best friend is…" The children will list attributes about their best friend. The last line will tell how they feel, "My best friend makes me feel…"
Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry
Ashley Bryan's book contains many African American poems. Some of the poems are complete while others contain fragments of lines that inspire the images of Bryan's illustrations. Each page contains a word that is highlighted and follows the alphabet.
Week Three - Day Four
Willie will read the book in class, and share the illustrations with the children. The children will enjoy the bright colors used to paint the pictures. Discussion will center upon the reasons Bryan chose the images for illustrating the poems. A list of the alphabetized words from the poems will be recorded on chart paper and recited in class.
The Black Snowman
The Ashanti tribe from Africa own a colorful cloth called a kente. The cloth brings magic to the people. The African people are sold into slavery, and the kente is sold too. However, through the years, the kente keeps its power even though it is old and torn. Jacob is a poor boy who lives in urban America who hates being black, and associates bad with everything black. Mama tells him otherwise, but it takes a black snowman and the colorful kente to convince him that he is proud of who he is.
Week Three - Day Five
Mendez's book,
The Black Snowman
is read in class by Willie. Willie assists the children with a story map, citing the characters, setting, the problem, and solution in the story. In addition, discussion questions are asked: Why does Jacob become so angry when his mother tells he and his brother, Pee Wee, they cannot go to the store to buy Christmas presents? How does his mother feel when Jacob falls into a fit of rage? Why is Jacob so angry about being black? How does the black snowman help Jacob? Do you think Jacob's family will continue to be poor? Why?
Willie will invite his friend, Wednesday Delight to class, and she will read a poem by Lindamichellebaron, "Hugs and Kisses," found in
Families: Poems Celebrating the African American Experience
. Jacob's mother in the
The Black Snowman
showers him with hugs and kisses, but they have no meaning until the black snowman's magic along with the kente help Jacob realize that being black is beautiful. Lindamichellebaron's poem is about a young boy who struggles between wanting hugs and kisses from his mother because they make him feel warm inside, and at the same time wanting others to see that boys should be treated rough so that their muscles show they are tough.
Willie will ask the class to compare the poem, "Hugs and Kisses" with the story,
The Black Snowman
. What similarities do you see between the story and the poem? Why doesn't the boy in the poem want others to see his mother give him a hug? Do you think the boy in the poem was troubled about being black?
There are other books with African American poetry that will be placed in our library center. During our sustained reading time each morning, the children enjoy taking these books and reading them in class. Some of the books placed in the library center will be:
African Dream
and
Daydreamers Tom Feelings
by Eloise Greenfield;
Bronzeville Boys and Girls
by Gwendolyn Brooks;
Families: Poems Celebrating the African American Experience
selected by Dorothy Strickland, and others.