TheDrinkingGourdSection3

The Drinking Gourd: A Story of the Underground Railroad
(Section 3) Pages 6-31

Summary:
This book is about a young boy who discovers passengers that his father has been hiding in the barn. When Tommy first discovers the runway slaves he is frightened, but when he finds out why they are there and that his father has hidden them, he is not frightened anymore. While talking with Jeff and his family, Tommy learns about the Underground Railroad and the Drinking Gourd. Tommy then helps his father, take the slaves to the next station. Only when they got there his father had to go and find the boat for them to travel across the river. While waiting on his father, Tommy is approached by the US Marshal and comes up with a diversion for why he is out there alone. The US Marshall believes Tommy's story and Jeff and his family are not discovered.

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. Who discovers Big Jeff and his family
(Page 22 Tommy)

Setting - MCEOG:
2.    Where does the commotion with Tommy take place?
           A.    In the barn
           B.    Church, upstairs in the gallery
           C.    At school
           D.    In the kitchen
           (Page 10 -B. Church, upstairs in the gallery)

Setting - MCEOG:
3.    Where does Tommy find his father’s passengers?
           A.    In the grain
           B.    In the loft
           C.    Behind the barn
           D.    In the barn, hay wagon
           (Page 22 – D. In the barn, hay wagon)

Cause/ Effect:
4.    Deacon Fuller led Tommy out of the church, what did Tommy do to get sent home?
       (Page 17 – Tommy was sent home because in the middle of the church service he threw his
       apple core out the window in hopes of catching one of the geese that were outside. Once one
       of the geese caught a hold of the apple core, Tommy pulled on the string that he had attached
       to the core and pulled the goose up to the window. Grabbing the goose frightened it along
       with the other geese below on the ground. The excitement caused the geese to start hissing,
       squawking, and crackling which made a racket.)

Prediction:
5. What do you predict will happen next?
I think that Tommy and his father are going to get caught transporting the run away slaves and
that Jeff and his family will be taken back to their Master.

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 our passage.
        4.    Write down the reason you chose the passage, and explain why.
        5.    Ask a question about your passage, and give an answer.
        6.    Write down the Author’s Purpose: To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform, or To Persuade.

1.    Passage One – Descriptive
2.    Page 17
3.    “Tommy tugged…stopped singing.”
4.    I chose this passage because it was funny. When reading this passage the goose’s reaction
       towards Tommy grabbing it is so vivid because of the Author’s words. It is almost as if you
       are there watching.
5.    Q: What caused everyone to stop singing?
       A: The hissing, squawking and cracking of the geese.
6.    Author’s Purpose: To Entertain

1.    Passage Two – Historical
2.    Page 28
3.    “We been…you be free!”
4.    I chose this passage because of its historical content. In this passage it discusses how the
       slaves followed the Drinking Gourd/ Big Dipper to find freedom.
5.    Q: Where does the Drinking Gourd lead the slaves?
       A: Canada, Freedom
6.    Author’s Purpose: To inform the readers of what happened in history.

1.    Passage Three – Informative
2.    Page 15
3.    “Tommy reached…apple core.”
4.    I chose this passage because it was funny. This passage is informative because of Andy’s
       warning to Tommy. It is foreshadowing, the trouble that Tommy will get into.
5.    Q: What is Andy’s reasoning for saying you’ll be sorry?
       A: Because he could tell that his brother was up to no good and that he was only going to get
             into trouble.
6.    Author’s Purpose: To Entertain

1.    Passage Four - Historical
2.    Page 12
3.    “All the children…on the other.”
4.    This passage is Historical because it lets the readers now how the church was structured during
       this time period.
5.    Q: How were the children assembled upstairs in the gallery?
       A: The girls on one side and the boys on the other.
6.    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 it to tell one of our character’s goals, or what the character wants to do in the 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.

Tommy
   Character Traits:
      Mischievous – (page 15, line 4) “Tommy reached for his fishing line he tied one end around the
        apple core. Tommy opened the church window and threw out the apple core.”

Scared – (page 23, line 2) “Tommy climbed back into the loft to see
what had made the noise.”

Disobedient – (page 23, line 4) He went to the barn instead of going to his room like his father
told to do.

Goal: To catch one of the geese from the flock below.

Problem: Caused a ruckus during service.

Solution: Was sent home, so that he couldn’t disrupt service anymore.

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 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.    Gallery (page 12, line 2)
2.    “All the children sat upstairs in the gallery.”
3.    Gallery – A structure projecting from one or more interior walls of an auditorium to
       accommodate more people.
4.    Gallery – a high balcony in a theater.
5.    Noun
6.    When we went to the Opera, we got to sit in the gallery.

1.    Flock (page 14, line 2)
2.    “Out of the window he could see a flock of geese pecking at the grass on the village green
       below.
3.    Flock – A group of birds or mammals assembled or herded together.
4.    Flock – A large group of birds.
5.    Noun
6.    The flock of birds flew across my house.
7.   Word Wizard Card

1.    Gourd (page 28, line 1)
2.    “We been following the drinking gourd every step of the way.”
3.    Gourd – a common cultivated gourd with a variably shaped fruit that is sometimes used as a
       container.
4.    Gourd – container that holds something.
5.    Noun
6.    The front end of the drinking gourd points straight up to the North Star.
7.   Word Wizard Card

1.    Passengers (page 31, line 2)
2.    “You found all of my passengers, said Father.”
3.    Passengers – One who travels in a vehicle, car, plane, boat, or other conveyance.
4.    Passengers – Someone who travels with someone.
5.    Noun
6.    The Conductor called for all passengers to board the train.

Activity Activator
Your job is to design a graphic organizer to go with the story. Examples: Story Map, K-W-L Chart, Plot Chart, Character Map, or Venn Diagram.