Example cover page: Your Name Period The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963 By Paul Christopher Curtis Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963. New York, New York: Random House Children's Books a division of Random House, Inc, 1995.
Activity #1 - Found poem why? Would they do that? Hurt some little kids. They had brothers and sisters and mommies and daddies. everybody cried. They let hate eat them up. How s it fair? (From Chapter 15)
Activity #2 - Tangible or intangible gifts Kenny: I have chosen a few gifts that I think you could really use. First, is a bunch of dinosaurs. You seem to keep losing yours. You let L.J. Jones trick you out of some and then you gave the rest away to Rufus when you were upset. Second, I m giving you some http://lookbeforespending.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/toy-dinosaurs.png common sense. That way you might not get fooled so easily like L.J. Jones and the dinosaur fiasco. It also might help you realize that you shouldn t let Byron play tricks on you. The blizzard story is kind of embarrassing. The last gift I m giving you is courage. I think you need to be able to stand up for yourself http://cdn.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/a-good-idea.pn against Byron and Larry Dunn. A little courage might help you with that. I want you to be like this kitten when he looks in the mirror and sees a lion. You are as brave as a lion. http://wolfram.org/nyc/parenting/self-confidence-change-happens-from-within/
Activity #3 Name analysis Kenny - handsome I don t know if Kenny s name suits him. It s not that he isn t handsome; it s just that we don t really know. His mom calls him handsome, but moms always do that. On the other hand, maybe he s very handsome, and the author just didn t include that description. All we really know is that he has a lazy eye. That means instead of looking where I tell it to look, it wanted to rest in the corner of my eye next to my nose (p. 25). That is what it means to have a lazy eye. Joetta God is gracious I think Joetta s name suits her well. She s a very kind, thoughtful young girl. She is even compared to an angel by the neighbor. Mrs. Davidson brought Joey an angel and told her, I ve named her after my favorite little girl, this angel s name is Joetta! (p. 127) Joetta also is very involved with the church and Sunday school; she goes three days a week. When Momma is going to burn Byron s finger and Joetta tries to stop her, Momma uses the argument the she swore to God that she would burn Byron if he was caught playing with matches again. Momma asks her,...should I break my word to God? (p. 72) She knew that would convince Joey. Wilona hoped for Wilona is a good name for Momma. It s clear that she and Grandma Sands have a close relationship, so we can assume she was hoped for. When they arrive in Birmingham, Momma and Grandma Sands are crying and hugging. Grandma is looking at Joetta and talking to Wilona when she says, Lord, Lona, if this child ain t you! Look at this baby, just as pretty and sweet as you! (p. 158) Grandma has fond memories of Wilona when she was little, calling her pretty and sweet, so I m sure she was always hoped for. Source: "Search over 30,000 Baby Names, Find Unique Names for Baby Girls and Baby Boys, and More!" SheKnows RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sheknows.com/baby-names/search/>.
Activity #4 Newspaper Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 By Christopher Paul Curtis Where and When The Watsons live in Flint, Michigan. It is currently 1963. They will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, and back home again during the course of the story. 5 Stars! I would give this book a rating of 5 out of 5. I enjoyed the Watson family and the adventures they had. I also really liked how history was embedded in the end with the bombing of the church. It taught a lesson on Civil Rights, and brought it home to the reader because we identified with the Watson family. A Difficult Choice There are several parts of this story I really enjoy. Chapter 5 Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and His Flamethrower of Death is probably my favorite. I can really picture the scene in my head with Momma trying to burn Byron and Joey blowing the matches out. The description of Momma is hilarious. Momma s horrible snake-woman voice came out again... (p. 73) I can just imagine how mad she is. My other favorite part is in the last chapter when Byron is comforting Kenny. It is so sweet and always gives my goosebumps. It s then that the reader realizes how much Byron has grown up through the course of the story. Yet, he is still the Byron we know. When he repeats the line from the first chapter,... there just ain t no way in hell two people as ugly as your momma and daddy could ever have a child as fine as me! you just can t help but laugh. Universal Theme One universal theme in Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, is how a supportive family can help someone through a terrible time. The whole Watson family is concerned about Kenny and how he was affected by the trip to Birmingham and the bombing of the church. Byron checks on him often, slowly drawing him out from behind the couch and then letting him cry himself out in the bathroom. Byron, who is always in trouble himself, is the one who helps Kenny. HUGE SALE ON WINTER GLOVES Anderson s Clothing Store MENS WOMENS KIDS 50% OFF UNTIL SATURDAY *I chose gloves so that maybe Momma could buy more and Rufus and Cody could also get some.
Activity #5 Timeline https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6224/7024767947_447f1a351c_z.jpg Byron gets his lips stuck to the mirror because he was kissing it. Byron gets caught playing with matches AGAIN! Larry Dunn steals Kenny's gloves. Byron beats him up - but goes overboard. Byron gets a conk. Makes Mom and Dad mad. Gets his head shaved. http://www.charlotteparent.com/images/articlenewimages/playingwithmatches_315.jpg Byron is going to be taken to Birmingham to live with Grandma Sands. http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kcfxcid73yg/maxresdefault.jpg After a long drive, they arrive in Birmingham and meet Grandma Sands. https://thebrownbombergoestobirmingham.wikispaces.com/file/view/1948%2520plymouth%25 20Ron%2520Bannister.jpg/228019266/320x215/1948%2520Plymouth%2520Ron%2520Bannis ter.jpg Kenny almost drowns, but Byron saves him. A bomb goes off in the church where Joey is. Kenny goes and pulls "Joey's" shoe off. He thinks she s dead. The Watsons return to Flint. Kenny starts hiding behind the couch. Byron helps Kenny get better. He explains that things just aren't fair and there are bad people out there. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/images/churches/lfirethr.gif