The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963
The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 is a historical fiction book. Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting located in the past, but the story is not true. The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 focuses on the time period of the civil rights movement. This book is a good read for seventh-graders because they have been introduced to the civil rights movement, and they have an understanding of the controversial issues that took place during that time.
The setting of The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 begins in Flint, Michigan. It is narrated by a young boy named, Kenneth. In the book, Kenneth tells his readers about his and his family life in Flint. He has two siblings, and their names are Byron (By) and Joetta (Joey). Byron is the oldest, and Joetta is the youngest. Even though the civil rights movement is active in the south, Kenneth and his siblings are not initially affected by it in Flint. Kenneth faces many challenges throughout the book. He is bullied because of his appearance, but he is sometimes protected by his older brother By. He did not have many friends, and he took many losses just to have one. Fortunately, one day a guardian angel came to Flint, and they became best friends. This was not the end of Kenneth's problems. His brother Byron was a trouble-maker, and his parents has had enough. Kenneth's parent decide to embark on a journey to Birmingham, Alabama. Kenneth's grandmother stayed there, and she was a great disciplinarian. They had decided that By would stay there for the summer, but he would stay longer if he had not changed his ways. The family's journey began, but they were not prepared for what was about to happen. Once they settled in Birmingham, things were going great. By's attitude had changed, and it appeared he may only stay for the summer. After being there for a few days, a white man bombed the church Kenneth's sister, Joetta, was attending. The bombing changed the Watsons family for life. They returned back to Flint, and they did not leave By in Birmingham. Kenneth went through many different emotions, and he was having trouble expressing himself. The bombing caused him to be distant and hide from everyone. The outcome is one no one expected, and the book is worth the read. The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963 is a great read, and I would recommended anyone to read this book.
I do not want to cause tension between my students because I know this topic will create many conversations. The students that can relate to the issues in this book may become upset with students that cannot. Each student is entitled to their own opinion, and I know this can cause division between students. My classroom is a place where all my students will feel safe. I want every student to have a voice about the topic because hearing the different opinions can give each student insight about each other. I want students to convey to one another their feelings, and the reasons behind their feelings. I would love to know the opinions of each student because it is an opportunity to learn something new. The civil rights movement topic could create a stronger relationship between students. It is an opportunity to teach students empathy also because the black students and other students of color can express their feelings about how they feel living in America and their hardships, and the white students can express their opinion about living in American and their hardships. More than anything I want this topic to bring my students closer together, but as a Black American and educator, I do know this topic can cause tension. Before the class begins reading the book, I plan to have different material to educate them more about the civil rights movement. By doing this, I hope it diffuses many issues that could occur because of lack of knowledge and personal opinions. Teaching Challenges This book has bullying in it, and that is a very sensitive topic. I am not a fan of bullying, and it will not be tolerated in my classroom. Reading about a child being bullied may be tough for students who are bullied, and I do not want them to feel uncomfortable. Reading about common experiences could trigger different emotions for a student with such experiences. As a teacher, I will not be able to catch each instance of bullying, but I want to create an environment of safety. I want the students who are being bullied to understand they are safe in my classroom, and they can come to me about anything. Building relationships with each of my students is very important to me. I believe another challenge may be students who are the bullies receiving more ideas from the book. I would hate to see any of the things that happened to Kenneth happen to any of my students. They may gain more confidence from reading the book as well because many of the things that happened to Kenneth were going unnoticed. Many of the children knew when to mess with him because an adult was not around. I do not want my students thinking bullying is okay as long as no one is watching. Hopefully this book will eliminate some of the bullying that may be occurring within my students. I want to teach each of them character is what someone does when no one is watching. It does not matter how great of a person they are to my face if they are not that same person when my back is turned. I also want the students who are being bullied to learn from Kenneth how to love themselves, and how to work towards eliminating being bullied. Bullying is so common in today's society and especially on social media. I wish it was something I did not have to worry about, but I know that is not the case. Hopefully the bullying in the book will be overlooked, or my students will have more anger towards the bullies than not. I am hoping the book will build character, and teach the students why bullying is not the way to go. After we read this book, we will watch the movie that goes with it. Students will be required to compare and contrast the story and the book. Please feel free to take a look at the trailer: https://youtu.be/AkbgPViqzsI
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