Lesson 1 - Book Club Record for
The Color of Water
Names of Group members: ______________________________________________________________
Choose a facilitator, a timekeeper, and a scribe to fill out this form:
Deep Thinking Questions
- On a Separate piece of paper, choose one of these two questions to answer in a well-organized paragraph of ½ - ¾ of a page.
- McBride writes, "Yet conflict was a part of our lives, written into our very faces, hands, and arms, and to see how contradiction lives and survived in its essences, we had to look no further than our own mother" (29). How is conflict written into the McBride children's very bodies? How did contradiction live and survive in his mother?
- Describe Ruth's experience in church, which is the only time her children see her cry. How does she explain her crying? Why do you think that church is the only place she cries?
Literary Points
- Directions: Use the quotes that you brought to class to discuss the writing features of autobiography -- Narrative, Characterization, Setting, Theme.
- Each member should give a quote that shows an example of how the author uses these different features to create a rich and engaging story.
Lesson 2 - See Baby Discriminate Reading Workshop
"…one afternoon on the way home from church I asked her whether God was black or white. A deep sigh. 'Oh boy…God's not black. He's not white. He's a spirit.' … 'What color is God's spirit?' 'It doesn't have a color,' she said. 'God is the color of water. Water doesn't have a color'"(McBride, Pg.50).
Mommy deliberately avoids answering questions of race with her children even though they repeatedly ask. She hopes to create a colorblind world for her children where they measure themselves by character and values, not race.
Essential Question:
- Is Mommy's theory of dealing with questions of race and ethnicity a positive or negative influence on James's search for identity?
- What does psychological research say is the best way to deal with these questions?
Article – See Baby Discriminate
Read your assigned section of the article and identify what the gist (main idea) is in that section. Then give the evidence that supports your thoughts.
Final Response Question
In a well-organized response, take and support a position on the essential question using evidence from the text and article, as well as examples from your own experience. You may defend, challenge or qualify Mommy's actions in your response.
Lesson 3 -- Writing Rubric for Peer Assessment - Adapted from the
6+1 Traits of Writing
.