Connections

I am currently reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with the 6th grade. I have the upper level reading group, a fun group of kids. They read well enough to understand the story, and they think well enough to discuss it. For example, today the black father of the main characters told them they should not be friends with the white boy who likes them. We had a long discussion about whether they should or should not be friends with him (it might be dangerous, because white men might not like it), if the father was racist (probably, but also wise), and if things would be different today (yes).

The story centers around themes of race, family, and integrity, so that provides a lot of good discussion material. We also delve into elements of literature. I'm not sure if they don't get it in reading class, or they just don't remember, but I've taught them theme, similes, and metaphors.

The best part comes from the teachable moments. We have impromptu lessons about the Civil War and civil rights movement, about values and morality, about friendship and finances. My favorite moment, however, happened after the play, outside the Fox. We were waiting for the bus to pick us up and watching buses full of students pass us. I asked a couple of my kids if it reminded them of anything. And they remembered the scenes of the bus of white kids passing the main characters on their walk to school! As well as the subsequent prank the black kids played afterwards. Which apparently was the moral of that story.