Chapter 2 Lesson Plan: The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963
Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
Essential Question
In the poem "One Way Ticket" by Langston Hughes, how does the speaker feel about the place they left and what is the speaker's destination and why are they going there?
Objective
In this activity, students
will analyze Langston Hughes’ poem “One Way Ticket," for clues as to why large
numbers of African Americans left the South between 1910 and 1970. They will then
turn to the novel to infer additional push and pull factors for the First and Second
Great Migrations.
Background
In Chapter 2, readers are briefly introduced to the Harlem Renaissance writer
Langston Hughes. Centering the achievements and struggles of Black diaspora, Hughes
wrote on a number of topics, including the Great Migration. In this activity, students
will analyze Langston Hughes’ poem “One Way Ticket," for clues as to why large
numbers of African Americans left the South between 1910 and 1970. They will then
turn to the novel to infer additional push and pull factors for the First and Second
Great Migrations.
Preparation
Gather Materials:
* Copies of the poem "One Way Ticket" by Langston Hughes (Provided)
* CSPAN link to Langston Hughes: https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4749504/user-clip-langston-hughes-reading-ticket
* Whiteboard or chart paper
Materials
Download One Way Ticket Scan 1 of 2
Download One Way Ticket Scan 2 of 2
Procedure
1. Warm Up: Ask students to try reading upside down. Have them try reading upside down in second language (if they are learning one.) Briefly discuss the experience.
2. Introduce Langston Hughes as a celebrated African American writer who often wrote about politics, as well as economic and racial equality. While Kenny likely read a passage of non-fiction, today students will read one of Langston Hughes’ poems.
3. Distribute copies of Langston Hughes’ "One Way Ticket," and have them follow along as they listen to the author read the poem. Briefly define new terms, such as ‘Dixie’ (the southern states that comprised the Confederacy).
4. Divide the class into small groups ask them to annotate the poem, identifying reasons the narrator left home. Encourage students to consider the following questions: How does the speaker feel about the place they left? What is the speaker's destination and why are they going there?
5. Have groups share their annotations with the class and record each as a “Push or Pull Factor" on the whiteboard or chart paper.
6. Now remind students that Momma, Rufus, and Cody left the South for Flint, Michigan. Ask them, based on what they know so far about the characters, what are other Push/Pull Factors for the Great Migration? In what ways are Momma’s feelings similar to/different from those of the poem’s narrator?
7. Reflection: Over the past 50 years, the Great Migration has reversed, with large numbers of people returning to the South in the “New Great Migration." What Push and Pull Factors do you think contribute to this change? Answering in the Push/Pull format, what would it take for you to move your life to some place new?
To shorten this activity: For the reflection, simply ask, “What would it take for you to move your life to some place new?"
To lengthen this activity: Have students consult University of Washington’s “Great Migrations Project", to locate
information on African Americans migrating to and from their state during the Great Migrations.
Contact Information
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Tags: civil rights act of 1964 langston hughes harlem renaissance birmingham civil rights national monument the watsons go to birmingham christopher paul curtis
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service