Multi-Genre Text Set

Mariela Marquez Monzon

CI 519

11.29.2010

Primary Text

The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham. London: Dolphin, 1997. Print.

Speech

“I Have a Dream”

King, Jr., Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream." Washington DC, Lincoln Memorial. 28 Aug. 1963.

Speech.

“As I Grew Older”

Hughes, Langston. "As I Grew Older." Selected Poems by Langston Hughes. Vintage, 1990. Print.

“Birmingham Sunday”

Hughes, Langston. "Birmingham Sunday." Vintage Hughes. Vintage, 2004. Print.

Newspaper Articles

Rosa Parks Newspaper Article

Honicker, Bunny. "Negress Draws Fine Segregation Case Involving Bus Ride." The Montgomery Advertiser [Montgomery] 5 Dec. 1955. Print 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing: Forty Years Later, Birmingham Still Struggles with Violent Past

Elliot, Debbie. "16th Street Baptist Church Bombing: Forty Years Later, Birmingham Still Struggles with Violent Past." National Public Radio. 13 Sept. 2003. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

4 Little Girls

4 Little Girls. Prod. Spike Lee. Dir. Spike Lee. 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Home Box

Office (HBO), 1998. Documentary.

Corinna, Corrina (clips)

Corrina, Corrina. Dir. Jessie Nelson. New Line, 1994. DVD.

Remember the Titans (clips)

Remember the Titans. Dir. Boaz Yakin. Walt Disney Studios, 2000. DVD.

Propaganda

Civil Rights Movement Posters

Civil Rights Movement Posters. Photograph. Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement. Veterans of

the Civil Rights Movement, 2006. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

“This Little Light of Mine”

Steele, Jvetta. "This Little Light of Mine." Rec. 1994. Jvetta Steele. Thomas Newman, 1994. CD. “We Shall Overcome”

Various Artists. "We Shall Overcome." Rec. 1966. Voices of the Civil Rights Movement. 1997.

Text Set Rationale

The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963

This is a great novel for middle schoolers, because it offers them a unique perspective into the Civil Rights Movement. The protagonist of the novel is a 10 year-old African American boy, Kenny, whose family drives down to Birmingham, Alabama to visit their grandmother. The family is from Flint, Michigan, and so has not had to deal with the extreme racism found in the South. A main event in the novel is the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, which affects Kenny and his family greatly. Since the novel is written in such a casual and conversational tone, struggling readers will easily be able to glean the meaning and depth of the novel.

“ 4 Little Girls” Documentary

This is an amazing documentary from director Spike Lee about the bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama that took the lives of four young girls. Lee presents the information in an interesting and dramatic way, which will appeal to students so that they can put faces to the horrible event, and realize that this really did happen, and affected the lives of real people. The documentary also delves into the aftermath of the bombing, in which the accused bomber was found not guilty and was merely fined $100 dollars for having dynamite in his possession. This sort of injustice will give students a glimpse into the racially divided political climate in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement. The bombing is also a key event in the main text, The Watsons Go to Birmingham.

Newspaper Article - 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing: Forty Years Later, Birmingham Still Struggles with Violent Past

This is a great article from NPR that I would use to show students the lasting impact that an event like the bombing can have on a community and a nation.

Newspaper Article – “ Negress Draws Fine Segregation Case Involving Bus Ride”

This was one of the first articles to appear in newspapers after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on an Alabama bus. This article gives students a glimpse into the political climate at the time, and also let them see how a seemingly small, quiet act of defiance against unjust laws would lead to a national movement for equality. “ I Have a Dream” Speech

Although some students may have heard this already, I feel that it would be beneficial for students to read it and listen to it in this context, after reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham. This speech was monumental in the Civil Rights Movement, and after reading, watching, and listening to the other texts will also let students realize how many obstacles stood between Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr., and his dream.

“ As I grew Older” Poem

This poem plays well off of Dr.King’s speech, because the longing to obtain a dream is so evident in both texts. This poem highlights the pains felt by African Americans who struggled to gain equal rights and achieve their dreams. Also, this poem is written in easily accessible language, which will aid struggling readers, yet it does not lack in depth.

“ Birmingham Sunday” Poem

Another poem written by Langston Hughes, this one recounts the horrors of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. It is beautifully written, and adds to Christopher Paul Curtis’ descriptions of the event in his novel, The Watsons. This would also be a great piece for struggling readers because the imagery is vivid and conveys the emotion of the event without being word heavy.

Clips from Corrina, Corrina and Remember the Titans

Both of these films are set around the same time as the novel, and again provide students with a live perspective of the South during the Civil Rights Movement. I also chose these films because they feature young people as their protagonists, like the novel. Both films do an excellent job of illustrating the fact that we are not born racist, but that there are many outside, superficial factors that influence the way we see others around us.

Civil Rights Movement Propaganda Posters

I think students would really benefit from seeing these posters because they all do an excellent job of illustrating the main objective behind the Civil Rights Movement without touting violence or threatening the oppressors. The posters also show students that a select few words or a poignant image has the power to motivate a lot of people. These posters would be good for struggling readers because they are not difficult to read, vocabulary-wise, but still manage to convey a very important message.

Songs “This Little Light of Mine,” “We Shall Overcome”

I chose these two songs because they were sung very often by the Civil Rights Movement protestors and marchers. Both have lyrics that are powerful and convey the message of wanting equality very clearly. I chose versions of the songs that have a gospel/jazz tone to them because I feel that the emotion of the Civil Rights Movement era comes through very clearly. These lyrics are also easily comprehensible for struggling readers.