Discussion Director
Your job is to develop questions group members will discuss about this portion of the book; decide important ideas and issues raised in this section of the book and design questions that address them.
Examples:  Setting, Problem-Solving, Narrator, Topic, Main Idea, Cause-Effect, Mood, Character Relationship, and Compare/Contrast
You will want to begin questions with words like:
Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, Tell, Describe

Character:
     1.  Why did Clara feel she could not sleep under the quilt?
         (page 22, par. 3 – Clara felt that it would not be restful to sleep under the blanket.)

Setting - MCEOG:
     2.Where did the quilt end up?
        A. In the Big House
        B. Clara took it to show her mom
        C. It stayed with Aunt Rachel
        D. Lost in the woods
        (page 22, par. 3 – C.  It stayed with Aunt Rachel-“I think it should stay here.  Maybe
        others can use it.)

Problem/Solution:
4. Clara had never been off the plantation so she really did not have a clue as far as landmarks to
    put on her quilt to make it accurate.  How did Clara make her quilt accurate?
    (People would stop the Big House and share information that they had heard and things that they
    had seen.)

Cause/Effect:
5. Aunt Rachel could not make the journey, what was the cause of this?
    (Page 27, Paragraph 2 - She was too old to walk.)

Opinion:
6. How does this story make you feel?
    I was very happy when Clara made it back to her mother and escaped to freedom.  I do not like
    the whole idea of slaves. It was not right that people were treated like property and not taken
    into consideration that they were just as equal as the white people.

Passage Picker
Your job is to select significant passages from the sections being read; determine why it is important; call other readers’ attention to the passage and lead a discussion on it.

    Steps:
        1.    Pick out a passage you would like to share.
        2.    Write down the page and paragraph number.
        3.    Write down the first two words and the last two words of your passage.
        4.    Write down the reason you chose the passage, and explain why.
        5.    Ask a question about your passage, and give and answer.
        6.    Write down the Author’s Purpose:  To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform, or To Persuade.
 

1.    Passage One – Descriptive
2.    Page 19, par. 1
3.    “Sometimes I … all pink.”
4.   I chose this passage because it was really descriptive; the author’s words made this passage
      come to life.
5.    Q:  What was Clara’s purpose for making the Big House and the
             Quarters pink?
       A:  Because the Missus wore a lot of pink and she (the Missus) was
            a representation of the Big House.
6.    Author’s Purpose:  To Describe

1.    Passage Two – Historical
2.    Page 22, par. 1
3.    “She touched…  Ohio River.”
4.    I choose this passage because it talks about a landmark (station) that the slaves often crossed
       when trying to reach freedom.
5.    Q:  What was the bright star at the top of the quilt?
       A:  The North Star (which represented freedom)
6.    Author’s Purpose:  To Inform

1.    Passage Three – Descriptive
2.    Page 26, par. 3
3.    “Momma, I’m…the way.”
4.    This passage was emotional for me, because it was the first time that Clara had seen her Mom
       since, she was sent away.  Her Mom gave her life and now Clara is giving her Mom freedom.
5.    Q:  What did Clara find when she stepped into her Mother’s cabin?
       A:  She found out that she had a little sister.
6.    Author’s Purpose:  To Describe

1.    Passage Four – Descriptive
2.    Page 27, par. 2
3.    “Before you…to freedom.”
4.   I chose this passage because it was very emotional.  Even though Aunt Rachel was too old
      to travel to freedom, she stated that she was not too old to dream of freedom and help other
      escape to freedom.
5.    Q:  Why did Aunt Rachel not go with Clara and Jack?
       A:  Because she was too old to walk the long distance.
6.    The Author’s Purpose:  To Describe

Character Sketcher
Your job is to develop a character map of major characters in the text.  You will find three words that describe the character.  For each word, or character trait, you will give the proof, or example.  The next thing you will do is to tell one of your character’s goals, or what the character wants to do in that chapter(s).  Then you will find one of the character’s problems in that chapter(s) and the solution or possible solution to the problem.  Finally, you get to have fun and illustrate your character.

Clara
   Character Traits:
       Particular:  (page 19, par. 1) “Sometimes I had to wait to get the right kind of cloth.”

      Courageous:  (page 23, par. 1) “Me and Jack left Home Plantation in a dark thunderstorm.”

      Surprised:  (page 26, par. 1) “When she went to get her mother, she found out that she had a
         little sister that she knew nothing about.”

      Goal:  Wants to be reunited with her mother and be free of slavery.

      Problem:  Clara doesn’t know how to draw a map.

      Solution:  She uses scraps and the voices around her to make a quilt map that would not wash
        away in the rain.

Word Wizard
Your job is to search the section of text for words that are key to understanding what is happening in the story; notes on the page and sentence where it is found; check the dictionary meaning of the word; lead a discussion about the meaning and intent of the word from context and what the word contributes to the importance of the passage.  On your recording sheet, first write the word and the page number.  Then, write one of the following:
   Definition
   The sentence using the word
   Your own sentence using the word

1.    Stitches (page 22, par. 1)
2.    “She touched the stitches lightly, her fingers moving slowly over the last piece I’d added – a
       hidden boat that would carry us across the Ohio River.”
3.    Stitches – One in and out movement of a threaded needle in sewing.
4.    Stitches – Something that holds something else together.
5.    Noun
6.    The stitches along the edge of the quilt were so small you could barely see them.
7.  Word Wizard Card

 

1.   Skirting (page 26, par. 5)
2.   “We kept on as fast as we could, skirting farms and towns and
      making our way through the woods.”
4.   Skirting – To form or run along the edges of something.
5.   Skirting – To run along the border.
6.   Verb
7.   We ran along the fence skirting the field.
8.   Word Wizard Card

 

1.  Shivering (page 26, par. 7)
2.   “Shivering and hungry and scared, we stood looking ahead.”
3.  Shivering – To break into small pieces.
4.  Shivering – To shake gently.
5.  Verb
6.  It was so cold out, that we were shivering.

1.    Freedom (page 27, par. 2)
2.    “And maybe I can help others follow the quilt to freedom.”
3.    Freedom – The condition or state of being free; political independence.
4.    Freedom – being able to be free; speak your mind.  No one having control over you.
5.    Noun
6.    As citizens of the United States, we have the freedom of speech.

Front Page News
Using event and historical information from your book Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, create a front page newspaper.