NoahJon Marshall Lit Links Activity

1. NoahJon MarshallLit Links Activity

2. Level: K-4rd grade • “One Book at a Time” unit model • Unit: African-American/black culture & contributions • Book: Bessie Smith and the Night Riders • Author: Sue Stauffacher • Illustrator: John Holyfield

3. Lesson Plan-Preparation • In preparation of this unit, the teacher should give children a brief, broad background about the various stages and types of discrimination that black people have experienced throughout the history of the U.S.A. Teacher should use pictures, video, informational books and websites to share with students. Starting with slavery, through the Civil War, Reconstruction & Jim Crow (children do not need to learn the names and time periods, but just know that this has happened in the past) through the 1960’s and the election of Barack Obama. Slavery, segregation, and discrimination are examples. Foreshadow about in spite of these challenges, many African-Americans reached great heights and did outstanding things. • Teacher should have pictures, video or other media about famous blacks who persevered to success and prominence during these times. Obtain a copy of the featured book Bessie Smith and the Night Riders. Read the book ahead of time and create questions to ask of children at the beginning, middle and end of the book. Be sure to relate how blacks in the book do the same things and have fun the same way all people did. • Obtain a copy of the book Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journey by Theodore Kornweibel Jr. • Obtain Bessie Smith music either on CD or the web where it can be played in the classroom. Make sure music is appropriately edited if need be. • Secure an area conducive to music listening and possible creation. • Obtain a large, easy to view map of the U.S.A. • Internet connection with a screen or output large enough for classroom viewing.

4. Lesson Plan-Introduction & Reading • Ask the children if they recognize any of the pictures or names of other famous and successful blacks and if so, why and how? What do they know about them? • Introduce the book and give some background information on Bessie Smith. The past few pages of the book contain biographical information. Tell them you chose this book because it has great illustrations, is made for children their age, features a successful black woman doing positive things, and is loosely based on a real life event. • Teacher will play a sampling of Smith’s music before the reading. Ask the children what type of music they think it is? Does it remind them or any music they know? Explain how jazz and blues was very popular during this time period (1920’s and 30’s). Also explain how black artists had to deal with discrimination not aimed at white performers. Even though their music was well done, popular, influential and enjoyed by whites, they were not treated equally. • Use a map of the U.S. to show where Concord, North Carolina is (where the story takes place), where Chattanooga, Tennessee is (birthplace) , Clarksdale, Mississippi (death) and the city and state where the elementary school is located. • Read the book. Have follow up questions ready. Examples are “Why do you think Bessie was so brave?”, “Why was the town excited to have Bessie play?”, “Why did the people in the story enjoy music so much?”, and “What can be learned from how Bessie stood up to the Night Riders?”. Try to to convey to the students that black performers still had the merit, talent, fans and artistic capability as the more respected white performers.

5. Classroom Activities Art Activities • Appreciating music: Children listen to some of Smith’s best known songs (“St. Louis Blues”, “After You’ve Gone”, “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home”, “I Ain’t Got Nobody”etc). Show still pictures of Smith as well, either via printouts or YouTube video-picture compilations. Have them chose their favorite song. Have them identify at least one instrument they hear. Have them hypothesize why she became so popular. Ask them to guess what the song could be about, or what they think it means to them. Ask them to compare and contrast Smith’s music to contemporary songs they like. Can they hear the difference in quality? Have the child guess why music styles have changed throughout the past century and where do they think it will go in the future? If any children would like volunteer to sing their favorite song or play an instrument, let them perform it for the class. Humming would be acceptable.

6. Classroom Activities • Math activities Fictional Tour: Create a simple, fictional tour itinerary for Bessie Smith, or pick an appropriate, more modern black artist that children are more familiar with. On a blackboard/over heard projector/Smart board, write down the various made-up tour dates, along with how many people showed up, how many miles in between cities, and how many songs were performed. At the end of the tour (a week worth of shows should suffice), add up the totals for each column. A map of he various cities can accompany the numbers, as can recognizable landmarks in each of the chosen cities. Also have the children identify which show had the most people, the least amount of songs, etc. For older groups, they can find averages of attendance and travel amounts. Also, how many days off did the group take as opposed to how many days they played or which was the shortest distance traveled? Interpreting data as well as simple problem solving is stressed here. Children can also create their own questions. Examples: Mon New York, NY 400 people 15 songs 200 miles to next show Tues Boston, MA 100 people 15 songs 450 miles to next show Wed Washington, DC 80 people 16 songs 850 miles to next show Fri Orlando, FL 500 people 16 songs 2,500 miles to next show Sun Los Angeles, CA 225 people 17 songs Fly home! 1305 79 4000

7. Classroom Activities • Science Activities Due to the difficult nature of finding decent accommodations for a tour group of black performers and crew night after night while touring, Bessie Smith had a custom train built for her to travel to city to city and lodge in. Obtain a copy of Railroads in the African American Experience: A Photographic Journeyby Theodore Kornweibel Jr. This informational book covers the history of black involvement in the U.S. railroad industry. Their contributions came in various forms such as building, maintaining, operating and use of this vital American industry. Explain that hard working blacks built the rails over a long period of time and their contributions still echo today. Have the children look at the many pictures in the book. Have children study the design of railroads and steam engine trains first used starting around the 1830’s. There are many videos on YouTube of live steam engine trains. Also check out http:www.howstuffworks.com/steam1.htm. Give the children a brief lesson in how steam engines operate and that they power the train’s movement. For older children, a brief introduction to velocity and inertia can also be added. Ask children if any of them have been on a train before and to describe the experience. Also ask if any have played with toy trains and what observations they have made about them. Finally, ask if any one has read books about trains, such as The Polar Express.

8. Classroom Activities • Social Science Activities Use the large map of the U.S. for this activity. Again point out Concord, NC where the story takes place. Note for the children that it is located in the Southeast U.S., an area that suffered defeat in the Civil War, giving a brief description of the conflict and Union victory. Read Bessie Smith and the Night Riders to the class again, but before you start, give them an age appropriate explanation of who the Night Riders (the KKK) are, what they did, and what their motivations were. For young children, saying they were angry men who did not want blacks to have the same rights they did and they used scary and mean tactics to frighten them will suffice. Mention they formed after the Civil War ended. Use your best judgment and take into consideration class maturity, previously studied topics and age. Then reiterate and emphasize Bessie Smith’s brave actions in the story, standing up the dangerous group.

9. Classroom Activities • Social Science Activities (cont…) Have the children brainstorm questions to ask Bessie if they had access to her right after the event. What would they want to know? Have the children note other times when they have seen or heard about people being brave or standing up to danger. Then have the children repeat the activity, but now have them focus their questions to the story’s narrator, young girl Emmarene. This perspective is on the children can probably relate to and empathize with more. Finally, tell the children that one does not have to be famous or have a special talent to be brave. Bessie Smith just happened to be a singer, but any person can stand up for what is right. Ask the children for any examples of leadership or good behavior. Write them on pieces of paper, pin them to the map, and then connect all with drawings or cut outs of railroads, and show children “The Bravery Train” or related name, as it spans the country, including all types of citizens.

10. Connecting to…..Art Standards Consortium of Nat’l Arts Education Associations • Music: • Content Standard 1 (singing alone and w/ others, a varied repertoire of music)* • Content Standard 2 (performing on instruments)* • Content Standard 6 (listening to, analyzing and describing music) • Content Standard 7 (Evaluating music and music performances) • Content Standard 8 (Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts) • Content Standard 9 (Understanding music in relation to history and culture) • Visual Arts • Content Standard 4 (Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures) • Content Standard 5 (Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristic and merits of their work and the work of others) • Content Standard 6 (Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines) * possible

11. Connecting to…..Math Standards Nat’l Council of Teachers for Mathematics • Numbers and Operations (Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems) • Data Analysis and Probability (Select and use appropriate statistical methods to analyze data, develop and evaluate inferences and predictions that are based on data • Communication (Organize and consolidate mathematical thinking through communication, communicate mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teacher and others) • Representation (Create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas)

12. Connecting to…..Science Standards Nat’l Research Council • Content Standard K-12 Unifying Concepts and Standards • Evidence, models and explanations • Form and function • Content Standard K-4 • Science as Inquiry • Understanding about scientific • Physical Science • Position and motion of objects • Science and Technology • Abilities of technological design • History and Nature of Science • Science as a human endeavor

13. Connecting to…..Social Science Standards Nat’l Council for Social Studies • I. Culture • Experiences that provide for the study of culture and cultural diversity • II. Time, Continuity, and Change • Experiences that provide for the study of the way human beings view themselves over time • III. People, Places and Environments • Experiences that provide for the study of people, places and environments. • V. Individuals, Groups and Institutions • Experiences that provide for the study of interactions • VI. Power, Authority and Governance • Experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority and governance.