Inferencing Your Way to Freedom

Recommended for grades 2-5

You may think Freedom Summer tells a story heard over and over again about Black History.  To some extent it does, but the way the story is told makes quite the difference.  First off, Deborah Wiles states in ‘A Note About the Text’ that she is a white author trying to convey the uncertain feelings of the 1960s from a child’s perspective.  I made sure to read that section to my students to build some background knowledge.  Honestly, I wasn’t even aware they named the movement to help Blacks register to vote, “Freedom Summer” until I read that note.  I also wanted my students to understand that even though The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, that it doesn’t mean certain Southern White folks didn't still hold prejudices.

Wiles story focuses on two young boys—the protagonist, Joe and his best friend, John Henry.  The reader experiences their light-hearted playful summer days, filled with swimming, imagining themselves as firemen, and games.  Then, you find out that the boys play in the creek because John Henry isn’t allowed to swim at the pool…because he’s black.  You soon find out that John Henry’s mother is the maid at Joe’s house.  One day, Joe is sitting down to dinner when he finds out that all people, no matter their color will be able to swim in the pool and go anywhere else they like for that matter.  Joe cannot stay still in his excitement and rushes into the kitchen to let John Henry know.  They make plans to visit the pool the next day.

The story itself never explicitly tells you that The Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed.

First inferencing question: Why are all people, no matter their color, allowed to go to places like the pool now?

The next day, the boys walk to the pool and discover that it’s being tarred over.

The reader is never told that the White owner closed the pool instead of complying with The Civil Rights Act.

Second inferencing question:  Why is the pool being tarred over? 

Joe and John Henry become frustrated at not being able to do this simple summer activity together—Joe is markedly upset because he wants to be able to see things through John Henry’s eyes.  As they are walking past the general store, Joe pulls out two dimes and asks John Henry if he wants an ice pop.  John Henry lets him know he has his own money and the two walk side by side into the store.

The story stops at this point, so logically the next question I asked my students was: What are Joe and John Henry going to do once they are in the store?

This is a nicely told story to add to any Civil Rights Era Collection and definitely to your list of books to teach inferencing.

Wiles, D. (2001). Freedom summer. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

"Thunderclap Laughter"

Recommended for grades 2-5

     This month at school, my students will be studying Black History in some fashion.  I’ve decided that my 2^nd and 3^rd graders will be studying Black poets before they create their own original poems.  The Black figure I have them basing their study around is Langston Hughes, a Missouri born poet.  The students began the study by listing the first words that come to mind when they think of poetry (which I had to emphasize doesn’t mean writing a poem).  We shared these and then we moved on to looking up Langston Hughes on World Book Student.  I used the text to speech feature and asked students to listen and write down one thing they learned about Hughes. 

     The book I’m using to connect it all is Langston’s Train Ride by Robert Burleigh.  The story focuses on when Hughes wrote “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” and at one point I asked my students to write down all the words they could to describe a river without using the word river.  I began by reading the ‘Author’s Note’ in which Burleigh says he wanted to describe the moment where Hughes realized he was a writer.  Burleigh does a beautiful job emulating Hughes’ poetic form; the words come alive in first person narration.  I liked that I was able to focus my student’s attention on certain parts: 

     At one point, the main character states that he drifts back and this allows me to question my students if the story will stay in the present. 

     One of my favorite lines, “No matter what, I’ll keep on going,” allowed for my students to mention character traits—such as being brave, strong, having courage and allowed me to contribute a new word—perseverance. 

     Another point I enjoyed was when the protagonist mentions Illinois and in turn I am able to not only ask my students what it is, but show them the state on the ‘Interactive Maps & More’ feature on World Book Kids. 

     The book ends with the complete poem and I will be using Nikki Giovanni’s CD from Hip Hop Speaks to Children that has Hughes reading his poem.  The illustrations are gorgeous mixed-media, rich in color, sometimes covering a two page spread and other times opposite a page of text, which has the background of wood cuts against a solid color. 

Burliegh, R. (2004). Langston's train ride. New York, NY: Orchard Books.

Giovanni, N. (2008). Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat. Naperville: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.