"In this tale of a busy Underground Railroad station in North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, the author of the Littlejim books offers the insight that slaves weren't the only "bound people." Young Bright Freedom Cameron has helped her parents for years to care for the human "bundles" that pass through the farm's hidden room, but it is only after she asks why her father and Marcus, an ex-slave conductor, are marked with the same brand that she learns why her father is so devoted to dangerous work. He reveals that he, too, is a fugitive, forced off a farm in Scotland, kidnapped and tricked into signing indenture papers, and ultimately driven to flee a slave holder who treated black and white with equal brutality. As Bright weathers several tense encounters with slave catchers, she comes to understand something of the conditions and convictions that led to the Underground Railroad's formation."Bright Freedom's Song
by Gloria Houston
Fifth Grade (on grade level)
John Peters
From Booklist November 1, 19981.What is the setting of this novel?Your job is to write down questions that your group can talk about.
Section 1 preface - page 26
(preface - Chapter 4)Section 2 pages 27-45
(Chapter 5 - 6)Section 3 pages 46-70
(Chapter 7 - 12)Section 4 pages 71-97
(Chapter 13 - 18)Section 5 pages 98-119
(Chapter 19 - 22)Section 6 pages 120-141
(Chapter 23 - End)Section 1
Preface - page 26Discussion Director
*1 setting
*1 character
*1 cause-effect
*1 EOG
*1 prediction(preface, p.1, p.5, p. 9)Your job is to pick passages from this section that you and your group can talk about. Choose passages that satisfies these 4 reasons:This story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains on Bright's, the main characters, family's farm. This story occurs between 1853 and the 1860s, before and during the Civil War.
2. Describe Bright's character. Give three specific examples using passages in the book.
caring - pg. 11, par. 6 - Bright helps Marcus and brings him food
curious - pg. 15, par. 5 and pg. 24, par. 8 - Bright questions Marcus about the brand on his arm and how he knows her Papa
trustworthy - pg. 19, par. 7 - Bright promises Marcus that she will not tell anyone about him3. Name 3 events that happened in the section (events) and then discuss why (cause) each one happened.
1. (p. 5, par. 4)
Effect - Bright runs to get Papa when she sees two eyes in the hen house.
Cause - Bright has never seen a "brown face" before and was terrified that a devil was in their hen house.2. (p.14 , par.1 )
Effect - Bright carries cornbread and potatoes to the winter cellar.
Cause - Bright finds Marcus, a runaway slave, in the hog pen and decides to help him.3.(p.12 , par. 5 )4. All of the following describe Marcus except which one?
Effect - Bright helps the men water their horses by drawing water from the well.
Cause - Bright does not want the men to find Marcus.a. gentleAnswer: B
b. careless
c. brave
d. African American
Marcus is gentle, brave and African American. However, he is not careless. Add some more here from book.5. What do you predict will happen when the horsemen catch up to Papa and Bright? Do you think that the horsemen are dangerous? Why or why not?
Be open to all possibilities, but here is what happens:
The men question Papa about where he is going and who is traveling with. By the tone of the story, the reader recognizes that there is something different about the way that the men approach Papa and
Bright. (Cite example from story here.)
Passage Picker
Descriptive
Informative
Simile
*Problem
1. Descriptive1. Pick out passage.2. Informative
2. p. 26, par. 2
3. "And Mairi's...blinded me."
4. This passage is very descriptive because it has many vivid details about the day Bright was born. Papa describes the sun outside shining, her shiny black curls, and the color of her blue eyes - all of the reasons why she was named Bright!
5. Q: What month was Bright born in?
A: December
6. Author's Purpose: To describe1. Pick out passage.3. Simile
2. p. 19, par. 4
3. "We once...our place."
4. This passage is informative because it tells of Marcus and Papa's relationship, which is very important to know.
5. Q: How do Papa and Marcus know each other and what do they have in common?
A: Marcus and Papa once belonged to the same master. They both have the same scar on their arm where their master branded them.
6. Author's Purpose: To inform1. Pick out passage.4. Problem
2. p. 1, par. 1
3. "With trembling...to spring."
4. This passage contains a simile that describes Marcus ("poised like a cat") which tells the reader a great deal of information about Marcus.
5. Q: Identify the simile and tell what two things are being compared.
A: Marcus is compared to a cat - he looked relaxed, but was very attentive and ready to defend Bright if necessary
6. Author's purpose: to describe1. Pick out passage.
2. p. 26, par. 6
3. "But her...around them."
4. This passage says that there are several horsemen "pounding" towards Bright and Papa's wagon.
5. Q: How do you think the men will react towards Bright and Papa?
A: Be open to all predictions, but this is what occurs:
The men all have pistols, which is uncommon, and stop Bright and Papa. The men question Papa about many things - what his name is, what he does, and if he has seen a runaway slave.Word Wizard Instructions:
1. Copy down the word.
2. Copy the sentence from the book in which the word appears.
3. Look up the word in the dictionary.
4. Using your context clues from the sentence and the dictionary definition, write down in your own words the definition of the word.
5. Write down the correct part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb).
6. Write down a question and the answer about the word that would help you to teach the word to your group. Try to ask a question about the word that makes your group refer back to the text, OR write a sentence using the word wizard word.
7. Make your word wizard card. Be sure to include in big print your word and the page and paragraph number. On the other side of our card should be a picture, the word, and the definition of the word.tandem - p. 1, par. 2 pretense - p. 4, par. 1 prickles - p. 6, par. 1 Possible words
brand - p. 6, par. 5 threshold - p. 7, par. 9 circuit-riding parson-p.7, p.5
bondage - p. 8, par.6 drovers - p. 9, par. 2 tinkers - p. 9, par. 2
proposition - p. 10, par.2 jostled - p. 10, par. 4 embroidery - p. 14, par. 1
shackled - p. 18, par.2 prosperous-p. 21, par. 1 cauldron - p.22, par. 7
bannock - p.22, par. 10 bonniest - p.25, par. 71. tandemYour job is to find an interesting character from the chapters you read today. You will then find three words that describe the character. For each word, or character trait, you will give proof, or example. For example, if you read The Three Little Pigs, you might tell that the wolf was "determined." Your proof would be he was determined when he kept trying to get the pigs by blowing down their houses.
2. "Breathing in tandem with Marcus, silently she prayed for their safety, for courage to meet the responsibilities that rested with her this night, and then she prayed that the horses would not tire before they reached the English farm upriver." (p. 1, par. 2)
3. (Look up the word.)
4. one following right behind the other
5. adverb
6. Q: Why does breathing in tandem with Marcus help Bright?
A: It helps to calm Bright down and not be so scared. Bright notices that the more danger is present, the calmer Marcus is and breathes slower.
7. Word wizard card1. pretense
2. "His pretense that all was normal comforted her, although she could not say just why it did so." (p. 4, par. 1)
3. (Look up the word.)
4. untrue show of something - pretending everything is one way when it is not
5. noun
6. I was under the pretense that she liked me.
7. Word wizard card1. brand
2. "She touched the scar from a brand burned into his arm just above his hand - some very sad thing from his childhood, something of which he never spoke, even when she asked." (p. 6, par. 5)
3. (Look up the word.)
4. a mark made by burning that shows ownership
5. noun
6. Farmers sometimes brand their cows so that they can find them when they get lost.
7. Word Wizard card
1. tinker
2. "Although Papa's forge was a busy place - as many drovers, tinkers, merchants, and stagecoaches passed on the plank road, now widened to become part of the Buncombe Turnpike - men wearing handguns were an unusual sight."
3. (Look up word.)
4. a person who makes or fixes pots, kettles, and pans
5. noun
6. Q: Why would tinkers be traveling to Papa's forge?
A: Papa was a blacksmith and may have needed the help of the tinkers or the tinkers may have been traveling to the market.
Character Sketcher
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). For example, the wolf's goal is to catch the pigs by blowing down their houses.
Then you will find one of the character's problems in that chapter(s) and the solution of possible solution to the problem. For example, a problem the wolf faced was that he was not able to blow down the third little pig's house. A possible solution may have been to go and get some help.
Finally, you get to have fun and illustrate your character!Character Traits
1. caring - (p. 14, par. 1) Bright is caring because she takes food to Marcus and keeps him company.
2. curious - (p. 16, par. 6) Bright is curious because she asks Marcus about her Papa and wants to know about the brand that they both have on their arm.
3. trustworthy - (p. 19, par. 7) Bright promises that she will not tell anyone about Marcus so that he will not get caught.Character Goals
Bright wants to find out about her Papa's secret and why he and Marcus have the same brand on their arm.Problem
Bright has to keep the horsemen away from the hog pen, where Marcus is hiding.Solution
Bright fetches the water for the horsemen to keep them away from the hog pen.
Summarizer
Your job is to prepare a brief summary of today's reading. The other members of your group will be counting on you to give a quick (one- or two minute) statement that tells the key points or the main highlights of today's reading assignment. If there are several main ideas or events to remember, you can number the ideas below.
Summary:
In the first section, readers see an older Bright with Marcus in the wagon, being approached by some men who question Bright and Marcus about runaway slaves. Then we go back in time and see Bright as a little girl, finding an African American in the hen house. Several years later, Bright finds Marcus in the hog pen and has to protect him and bring him food. By asking Marcus questions, Bright finds out quite a bit about Papa and Marcus - they once belonged to the same master. Bright travels with Papa to the market.Key Points:
1. Bright finds Marcus.
2. Papa and Marcus have the same brand - they both belonged to the same master.
3. Bright travels to the market with Papa.
4. Horsemen are approaching their wagon when the section ends.Additional Resources The Appalachian Mountains
http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/6/0,5716,8166+1+8057,00.html?query=appalachian%20mountains
Encyclopedia Britannica's information about the Appalachian Mountains.http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/single_image/0,5716,6438+asmbly%5Fid,00.html
Map of the Appalachian MountainsInformation about the Author: Gloria Houston
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/houston.htm#A
Includes her biography, pictures, information about her books, and lesson plans.
