Using Content Picture Books in the History Classroom : Slavery

1. Using Content Picture Books in the History Classroom: Slavery Teaching American History In Miami-Dade County November 20, 2010 Fran Macko, Ph.D. Fmacko@aihe.info

2. The Sunshine State History Standards • US History Grade 8 • Benchmark SS 8.A.4.2 – Describe the debate surrounding the spread of slavery into the Western Territories and Florida

3. The Essential Question • What was unique about the system of slavery that developed and was sustained in the United States and how did those held in servitude able to develop and sustain their cultures?

4. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good picture book is practically priceless. Picture books aren’t just for little kids.   A picture book uses both text and illustration to create meaning; one is not as powerful alone as it is with the other. Framing the Session

5. Picture books can be easily integrated into classroom instruction. They are easy and practical to teach with. Most picture books can be read in one session/class period, thereby giving students a holistic, complete feel for the story. They have a clear beginning, middle and end. They provide a shared reference/experience for all students. Why teach with content picture books?

6. Picture books model literacy skills and writer’s craft. They provide an opportunity to model fluent reading, critical thinking, and reading as an active process. They are a great way for students to listen and read well crafted writing, and acquire an awareness of language. They are usually well written and display elements of craft.

7. Picture books can be accessed by all students. They provide content through a combination of text and illustration. They lend themselves to re-reading and analysis. They present: complex concepts, ideas and themes in a manageable format. information in a way that can be understood by a variety of learners on a variety of reading levels. They can be used in a variety of ways.

8. Visual literacy is the ability to interpret information presented in the form of an image. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read”. The visually literate student looks at an image critically to understand the intentions of the image’s creator. Picture books and Visual literacy

9. Students often rely on visual images to assist them in learning new content and concepts. • The visual format of picture books appeals to students who are increasingly visually oriented, or who are struggling readers. • The illustrations support students in creating a mental model without struggling with the written word, thereby bridging the gaps in understanding.

10. Bridging the Gap • Picture books support students in becoming strategic readers as they integrate text and images. • Students utilize the same skill set to interpret pictures as they do to interpret print. • determining their purpose for reading • drawing on prior knowledge, experience and attitudes • asking and answering questions • inferring • visualizing • Applying these skills to both illustration and text enhances comprehension.

11. What makes a quality content picture book? • Not all content picture books are the same. • In selecting quality picture books for older readers consider those titles that have: • mature themes • more complex illustrations • more text or more challenging text • subtle meanings, symbolism or allegory • two levels of meaning: one for younger readers and one for older readers

12. Rich Language Effective integration of text and illustration Highly engaging Historically accurate Asks reader to think deeply about something Believable and realistic Free from stereotypes Supports teaching objectives/outcomes What are the features of a quality picture book?

13. Content picture books: introduce historical concepts, people, complex ideas and vocabulary in an engaging context. build prior knowledge. make historical periods and distant lands come alive for students. create relevance through the emotional appeal of the characters. extend the textbook and support differentiation. How can content picture books enhance history instruction?

14. What are some quality picture books about Slavery? Under the Quilt of Night

15. Bound for America

16. A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley

17. Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

18. Henry’s Freedom Box

19. Molly Bannaky

20. A Strawbeater’s Thanksgiving

21. From Slave Ship to Freedom Road

22. The Middle Passage- White Ships Black Cargo

23. Taking a Closer Look Henry’s Freedom Box

24. Introduce the book by asking students to “read” the cover. Display the book for students or make copies of the cover art. Ask students to complete the three column chart titled: “What I See, What I Think, What I Wonder”. Before Reading Activity: “Reading” the Cover Illustration

25. Look carefully at the cover illustration – what might the title Henry’s Freedom Box refer to? Where does the illustrator place you, the viewer? From which perspective are you looking into the picture? What clues do you have as to the time period in which this story is set? What can you infer about the story after thinking about the title and the cover illustration? Discussion Questions

26. During Reading Activity:Blending Text and Image

27. Have students compare the story to the Henry’s first-hand account of his escape to freedom. http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/boxbrown/summary.html Have students research Harriet Tubman and The Underground Railroad. http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/ http://www.freedomcenter.org/underground-railroad/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html Extension Activities

28. Have students read and discuss the poems of Phillis Wheatley. http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/phil.htm Have students read excerpts from slave narratives and compare them to the fictionalized portrayals. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2958.html Extension Activities

29. Have students read the historical fiction novel Chains and compare it to first-hand accounts of slavery in colonial America and the New Nation

30. Connecting Picture Books to Resources in CICERO Speeches Abolitionist Speech Angela Grimke Weld, 1838 http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-7/L06-PrimarySources/SpeechesAndCorrespondence/03Abolition_AngelaGrimke_1838.pdf The Constitution and the Union Daniel Webster, March 7, 1850 http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-7/L06-PrimarySources/SpeechesAndCorrespondence/06ConstitutionAndUnion_DanielWebster_1850.pdf Images John Brown http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-8/R04-Galleries/People/JohnBrown.pdf Links Underground Railroad http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/

31. Classroom Application • Where and how could you use these quality picture books in your classroom?

32. Final Thoughts • High quality content picture books: • provide content through a combination of text and illustration. • present complex concepts, ideas and themes in a manageable format. • make historical periods and distant lands come alive for students. • create relevance through the emotional appeal of the characters. • extend the textbook and support differentiation.