NAME _________________________________________ CLASS________________________

REFLECT AND RESPOND

The Watsons Go to Birmingham

and

While the World Watched

GRAFFITI WALL

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THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM- 1963Chapter 1

CHOOSE ONE :

1. If you were Kenny Watson, how would you feel about your brother Byron’s behavior?2. If you were Joetta Watson, what would it mean to have your big brother called a juvenile

delinquent?

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REFLECT:

Tell about a time when you have been in an uncomfortable situation when you felt pressured to act a certain way or felt that you needed to go along with the crowd when you didn’t really feel like it.

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Chapter 2

After reading chapter 2, pretend you are Kenny and summarize what happened in chapter two. Focus on the main parts of this chapter.

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Chapter 3

After listening to or reading Chapter 3, discuss why Rufus saw Kenny as “different” from others? Why was this important to Rufus?

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Chapter 4

After reading Chapter 4, we learn that Larry Dunn is poor. Provide textual evidence that supports this inference.

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Tell about a time that your parents made you wear something that you did not want to wear. How did this make you feel?

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Mom catches Byron playing with matches.

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 tells about when Byron gets caught lighting matches again! Create a timeline that shows the sequence of events of this incident.

Mom turns Byron over to Dad.

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CHAPTER 6

After listening to or reading Chapter 6, predict how you think Byron’s parents will react to the news that Byron signed up for “free food” in the form of cookies from the grocery store?

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CHAPTER 7 Choose ONE activity.

Momma and Joetta are both upset by Byron’s new hairstyle, but for different reasons. Tell how their reasons for not liking his new hair-do are different.

Momma thinks that

Joetta thinks that

OR

Draw a “before and after” picture of Byron and his new hairstyle.

BEFORE AFTER

CHAPTER 8

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Momma and Kenny both had favorite songs. Kenny liked “Yakety Yak” by The Drifters and Momma preferred “Under the Boardwalk” by The Coasters. Listen to both songs and explain which one you like the best.

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Yakety Yak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtTC3pGBjs4

Under the Boardwalk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyzCccndc2w

CHAPTER 9

After reading Chapter 9, explain why Momma and Dad believe that spending time with Grandma Sands will help Byron. Remember to provide evidence from the text.

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After reading Chapter 9, tell why you think Joetta did not like the angel that Mrs. Davidson gave to her?

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Chapter 10

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The Watsons had fears about driving through the South. Explain why the children were scared when they stopped in Tennessee. Include textual evidence.

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Tell about a time you felt that you were in a “creepy” place. Where were you; what did you do?

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Chapter 11

While the Watsons are driving to the South, Momma starts pretending to speak in a Southern dialect.

Provide one or two sentences from the text that shows her using this dialect (p. 151).

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Now translate the Southern dialect into standard English. In other words, how should the passage be spoken in “regular” English?

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CHAPTER 12

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Similes are often used to add description when we speak or write. There are many examples of similes in Chapter 12. Locate three examples of similes used in this chapter.

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Hyperbole and metaphors are also used in this chapter. Locate an example of both.

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Byron was taken to Birmingham because he was not behaving well at home. Describe how differently Byron acted after his family arrived in Birmingham. Provide evidence from the text.

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Chapter 13

After reading or listening to Chapter 13, describe how Byron saves Kenny’s life.

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Explain what the “wool pooh” was and explain why it was dangerous. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Give your opinion on whether or not you believe the brothers’ relationship will change after the incident at Collier’s Landing.

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CHAPTER 14

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Explain how Kenny reacted when he first heard of the church bombing.

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How did you feel after you read the account of the church bombing?

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Respond to ONE of the following questions?

What do think made Joetta decide to leave the church early?

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OR

What do think the Watson family will do after the church bombing?

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CHAPTER 15

After reading or listening to Chapter 15, explain why Kenny thought that staying behind the couch felt safe? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Throughout this story, the character Byron goes through many changes. Some of the changes were physical, but many were emotional. What was the purpose of Byron asking Kenny to join him in the

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bathroom to look at facial hair? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you think the experiences the Watsons had in the summer of 1963 shaped the rest of their lives?

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Give your honest opinion of this novel. Tell if you enjoyed it or not. Remember to give reasons and explanations for your ideas. It is not acceptable to say it is good or bad without giving an explanation.

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WHILE THE WORLD WATCHED CHAPTER 4

After reading chapter 4, imagine that it is a normal day and you are with four of your friends at a place that you consider safe- church, school, a store, or home. The telephone rings, you answer, and a voice says, “Three minutes.” Before you can react, a bomb explodes killing your friends and leaving you as the lone survivor. What do you do? How do you feel?

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Pay attention to how Kirk reacted to the bombing in While the World Watched. Think about how Kenny acted after the bombing in The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Compare and contract their reactions.

How their reactions were alike How their reactions were different

CHAPTER 5

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After reading Chapter 5 of While the World Watched, discuss how the Maull family reacted to the church bombing.

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FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Allusion - a figure of speech that makes a reference to a well-known historical or literary event.

Examples:

If you see something that is very weird or strange, you might say, “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

When things go wrong, you might say, “Houston, we have a problem.”

A cute guy might think he is a “Romeo.” A stingy person might be called “Scrooge.”

A smart person might be referred to as “Einstein.”

How is figurative language and allusion used in Chapter 5 of While the World Watched?

Using Chapter 5 of While the World Watched, give an example of each of the following types of figurative language.

Simile ____________________________________________________________Page #_________

Metaphor________________________________________________________ Page # ________

Personification ____________________________________________________ Page # _________

Alliteration ________________________________________________________Page #__________

Imagery ___________________________________________________________Page # _________

Allusion __________________________________________________________ Page # __________

Onomatopoeia _____________________________________________________Page # __________

CHAPTER 6

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After reading Chapter 6, tell why you believe that after the funeral nobody mentioned the four girls killed in the bombing? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now that it has been fifty years since the church was bombed, what do you think would be an appropriate way to acknowledge the girls’ deaths? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CHAPTER 7

After reading Chapter 7, tell how you felt about the way the police and the FBI handled the investigation of the girls’ murder.

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In The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Byron talks to Kenny. Byron says, “ Kenny, things ain’t ever going to be fair. How’s it fair that two grown men could hate Negroes so much that they’d kill some kids just to stop them from going to school? How’s it fair that even though the cops down there might know who did it, nothing will ever happen to those men? It ain’t . But you just gotta understand that that’s the way it is and keep on steppin’.”

How do you think Carolyn Maull McKinstry would feel about what Byron said?

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The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

Comparing Mediums

Text Audio Video

Advantages Advantages Advantages

Disadvantages Disadvantages Disadvantages

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