Freedom

1
Education
Freedom
Hope
Dreams
Opportunity
Decisions
Traditions
Bigotry
Change
Family
2
Before Reading
Based on the cover illustration and title of the
book Mississippi Trial, 1955 jot down some
predictions on what you think this novel will be
about.
As part of a KWL, please use the Drawing Program
in Word to draw and create a collage of all that
you KNOW about the Civil Rights movement. You
will use this drawing as a Sketch to Stretch to
share with a partner in class. That is, show your
partner your illustrations and have him or her
respond to it BEFORE you say anything. Think
about if what you created communicated your
intentions. THEN discuss your illustrated K
explaining your intentions.
Now before reading jot down questions you have
about the Civil Rights Movement Under the W
column of the KWL chart for what you WANT to know.
3
Before Reading

• In Mississippi Trial Jim Crow Laws were in place.
  Please visit Remembering Jim Crow to learn more
  about these laws and their impact on African
  Americans in the South. Explore links, read, view
  and listen to interview excerpts. What do you
  suspect the setting will be like in this book?
  Please keep an RRJ for this site.

4
During Reading
Please read Chapters 1 to 14. While you read
please highlight Golden Lines, lines or phrases
that strike you as particularly meaningful,
evocative or powerful. During the literature
circle discuss your response to the book in an
open ended way sharing some of your Golden Lines
as relevant to your conversation.
5
After Reading
Chapters 1-14 Discuss the events in an open ended
way during literature circles. In your group,
with a partner or individually go back into the
book to create a poem for two to three voices in
which characters alternately speak to each other
and/or say the same or different lines
simultaneously. It is helpful to format your
poem into columns- one column for each speaker.
When characters speak simultaneously the lines
appear at the same level. See example of possible
format below.
DAD
GRANDPA
1
2
3
4
Simultaneously spoken
5
5
6
Beyond Reading
Chapters 1-14
Rosa Parks is considered to be the Mother of the
Modern Civil Rights Movement. Link onto Rosa
Parks How I fought for Civil Rights and explore
each of the seven links to learn about the times
in which Mississippi Trial takes place. Please
jot down your thinking about this site in your RRJ
7
During Reading
Chapter 14 to end
Please read Chapters 14 to the end. While you
read focus on the voice of a particular
characters- i.e. select Hiram, Grandpa, RC,
Naomi, father and highlight interesting
conversations. Bring this focus to your
literature circle and share aspects of characters
as relevant to the conversation.
8
After Reading
Chapter 14 to end
In your Group, Partner or individually select a
character or author on which to focus. Brainstorm
five burning questions you have for that
character and select your top two questions.
Speculate about how that character might respond
to your questions and why. Use evidence from the
text and your background knowledge.
Now read about Chris Crowe to find out more about
Mississippi Trial at http//www.penguinputnam.com/
static/packages/us/yreaders-new/f15-start.html Kee
p a RRJ for this site.
9
Beyond Reading
Visit the American Experience Website entitled
the Murder of Emmett Till and explore links to
learn more about the events in Mississippi Trial.
Please complete an RRJ for this website.
Complete the what you LEARNED part of your KWL on
Civil Rights and then indicate what you still
would like to learn.
10
ADD Links to Music
Sample of audio of Billie Hollidays Strange
Fruit http//www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_
holiday_billie.htm Lyrics to Strange Fruit at
http//www.bluesforpeace.com/lyrics/strange-fruit
.htm
Lyrics to Bob Dylans The Death of Emmett Till at
http//bobdylan.com/songs/emmetttill.html Lyrics
to We Shall Overcome at http//www.negrospirituals
.com/news-song/we_shall_overcome.htm
Read the lyrics as an inspiration to create your
own song or multimedia poem in response to
Mississippi Trial to share with class.
11
(No Transcript)