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Cultural Pluralism in Young Adult Literature—Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Unit of 3 lessons

6th-8th Grade

Subjects:

Arts, Language Arts, Library / Technology, Philanthropy and Social Studies

Key Words/Concepts click to view

Lesson 1 :	ART:	Music: History/Culture
	ELA:	Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Character Development; Constructing Meaning; Cultural/Historical Contexts; Historical Fiction; Response to Text/Others; Universal Themes
	PHIL:	Family; Social Capital
	SOC:	1 genOn; Community Capital; Discrimination; Great Depression; Reconstruction
Lesson 2 :	ART:	Music: History/Culture; Theater: Perform
	ELA:	Historical Fiction; Response to Text/Others; Role-Play; Stereotyping/Bias; Universal Themes
	PHIL:	Respect; Stereotypes
	SOC:	1 genOn; Discrimination; Human Rights
Lesson 3 :	ART-T:	Theater: Perform
	ELA:	Historical Fiction; Perception; Response to Text/Others; Universal Themes
	PHIL:	Human Rights
	SOC:	1 genOn; Discrimination

Unit Overview:

This unit contains a variety of role-play activities that tackle discrimination in 1933 Mississippi, utilizing Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Students will determine the importance of family and community in socializing children and helping others through hard times. The effects of discrimination on community capital and self-worth are analyzed.

Unit Purpose:

These lessons will expose students to a Newberry Award winning novel about the life and trials of an African-American, land-owning family in Mississippi in 1933. The book explores several instances of bigotry, community capital, and the importance of family. Written from the viewpoint of nine-year-old Cassie Logan, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a powerful novel affecting all who read it. It will allow students to read, listen to, perform and respond to a quality, cross-cultural novel. Students will look at the roots of the southern “caste” system and recognize the importance of hearing all voices in the community.

Unit Objectives:

The learners will:

define and give examples of community capital in the novel and in the community.
analyze the author’s intent in using dialect in the novel.
identify how families contribute to the socialization of their children.
evaluate how individuals and families cope with discrimination.
define and give examples of discrimination and evaluate its effect on a community and its people.
analyze the importance of allowing all members of the community to have a voice in decisions affecting their well-being.
identify the responses of individuals to historic violations of human dignity involving discrimination.

Service Experience:

Although lessons in this unit contain service project examples, decisions about service plans and implementation should be made by students, as age appropriate.

As a part of Lesson One: The Beginning of the Storm, students will go to a local senior citizens’ home and interview seniors about how the community has changed since they were teenagers. They will discuss the importance of family and its influence on beliefs today. Interviews will be typed and made into a bulletin board in both the senior home and at school.
In Lesson Two: The Thunder Roles—Town Debate, students will be offered the opportunity to work with a neighboring school district on a Saturday project to“ Bridge the Gap” between two very different communities. Students will have the opportunity to draw and color what diversity looks like to them, and, working with local artists, transfer their work onto a sidewalk square on the bridge that separates the two communities. Students will write local businesses for donations, paint, and advertisements. Money would need to be raised for billboards in both communities advertising their project. There will be a dedication ceremony and room for future artwork. Getting the students to work together will be a first step toward bridging the gap between the communities.

Unit Assessment:

To ensure that students have a strong comprehension of what is occurring in the novel, give small, five-question mini-quizzes at the end of each chapter.
After several chapters have been read, give a larger quiz (or small test) over the chapters covered, stressing characterization, community capital, the families, and their belief structures.
In Lesson Two: The Thunder Roles—Town Debate, the learners will complete a written reflection about their role-play in the class debate.
In Lesson Three: What Are Your Thoughts? students will be observed in groups and
will be evaluated in their presentations.

School/Home Connection:

Ask the students to ask their parent(s) or guardian what family beliefs were passed down to them from their parents. Ask them how they feel community capital has changed since they were in middle school. Have students write down their responses and discuss their findings in class. (See Lesson One: The Beginning of the Storm.)

Notes for Teaching:

This unit explores a sensitive topic through a prize-winning novel. Asking middle level students to express themselves in an open-ended format is not always for everyone. There may be some students who will not feel comfortable in these roles, and some teachers may not feel comfortable leading such potentially controversial dramas.