Bright Freedom's Song
by Gloria Houston

Section 3
page 46-70
 

Discussion Director

      Your job is to write down questions that your group can talk about.

*1 EOG
*1 Fact/Opinion
*1 Simile
*1 Problem
*1 Cause/Effect
 

1. State two facts from chapter 7. Now pick two opinions from chapter 7. Discuss the differences between fact and opinion.

Fact
1. those who come to Bright's farm to escape slavery are called bundles. (pg. 47, par. 9)
2. The lantern is to show escaping slaves that Bright's home is a safe place to stay. (p. 50, par. 6)

Opinion
1. Bright should have been told this "secret" when she found Marcus.
2. Bright should run away because she is in danger if her family gets caught.

A fact is a statement that can be proven. An opinion cannot be proven, it is someone's thoughts about an idea or thing.

2. Find the simile on page 60. Explain the two things being compared. Why does Papa tell Bright this?

"Sometimes life be as hard as stone."
Papa is comparing life with the hardness of stone. Papa is trying to comfort Bright after she found out that Evie and Lloyd had been killed.

3. Describe Bright's problem in chapter 12. How can Bright solve this problem?

Bright does not think that they should visit Edward Haverford's home because he has slaves. Even though he treats his slaves well and was once a slave himself, Bright does not agree with his way of life.

Be open to all possibilies, but here is how Bright solves the problem:
Bright has to attend noonday dinner at the Haverford's. She is suprised that Edward's daughter, Daphne, had her own slaves. Bright had to speak carefully as to not reveal the work that Papa does. Later in the story, Bright helps Cuba and Cain, Daphne's slaves escape.

4. MCEOG

5. Cause/Effect
 
 

Passage Picker

Your job is to pick passages from this section that you and your group can talk about. Choose passages that satisfies these 4 reasons:

*Informative
*Mysterious
*Historical (p. 58, par. 2)
*Descriptive

    1. Informative
        1. Pick out passage.
        2. p. 47, par. 8-9
        3. "Yes, agreed...the forge.."
        4. This passage is very informative because it tells how Papa and
        Mama help slaves escape and what they they call them.
        5. Q: What are bundles?
            A: "Bundles" are slaves that are helped to freedom. They call
            them bundles because everything that leaves or arrives in the
            forge, like plows and cookpots, are called bundles, so no one
            would think it was suspicious.
       6. To inform

    2. Mysterious
        1. Pick out passage.
        2. p.62, par. 7
        3. "A bundle...running together.."
        4. This passage is mysterious because if you did not know what
        bundles meant you would not know what it meant.
        5. Q: What does the hired hand say?
            A: Some runaway slaves will be arriving at the forge soon and
            Marcus will pick them up before the sun comes up.
        6. To describe

3. Desriptive
 

4. Historical
 
 

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.

 

Possible Words

mangled - p. 46, par. 1    emigration - p. 50, par. 6       chafed - p. 51, par. 1
bondage - p. 47, par. 6    grazing  - p. 50, par. 6            cipher - p. 52, par. 1
turnpike - p. 48, par. 6    null - p. 50, par. 6                   wharves - p. 52, par. 2
tenderly - p. 30, par. 10  flux - p. 51, par. 2                   scrouge - p. 59, par. 4
recollect - p. 50, par. 1   shackled - p. 51, par. 1
mantel - p. 50, par. 1      chafed - p. 51, par. 1
 

1. rue
2. "Mark my word, you'll live to rue the day you treat slaves like human beings...." (p. 67, par. 5)
3. (Look up the word in the dictionary.)
4. to regret
5. verb
6. Q: Why did the man say that the other man would rue?
A: The day slaves were treated like slaves.
7.Word wizard card

2. genteel
2. "He gained a large plantation, a genteel life, and a great number of slaves in his marriage."
3.(Look up the word in the dictionary.)
4. an elegant, very polite, or refined person
5. noun
6. Q: Why does Papa say that Mr. Haverford has gained a genteel life?
A: Mr. Haverford took the idenity of a noble man from England after he escaped from slavery.
7. Word wizard card
 
 

Character Sketcher

    Your job is to find an interesting character from the chapters you read today. You will then find three words that desribe 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.
    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!
 

Marcus

Character Traits

1. Brave - (p. 55, par. 4) Marcus was very brave when he had to endure through losing his wife and escaping from his master.
2. Determined - (p. 56, par. 1) After he escaped from slavery, Marcus educated himself which must have been very hard.
3. Dependable - (p. 56, par. 1) Marcus always returns to help slaves after slaves escape.

Character Goal

Marcus desperately wants to keep helping slaves escape.

Problem

Marcus could lose his life if it was discovered that he was a former slave who is now free or if someone found out that he helped rescue slaves.

Solution

Marcus can either keep helping slaves and be extremely careful not to let anyone know what he does or he can stop helping the slaves. Everyone who knows about Marcus must also protect Marcus by not telling anyone about him.
 
 

Connector

Your job is to connect the book your group is reading to the outside world. This means asking yourself these questions and writing a paragraph about one or more of them:

        * Does this part of the story remind you of any other story or
        book you have read or heard? Explain.
        * Does this part of the story remind you of anything that has
        happened to you, a friend, or a family member? Explain.
        * Does this part of the story remind you of a movie or
        television show you have seen? Explain.

In your paragraph, be sure to include who or what your connection is about, where and when it happened, what happened, and how it connects or deals with the part of the story you were reading.

Example:
Have you ever had to do something that was dangerous but you did it anyway because it would help someone? What made you decide to do it? What were some advantages and disadvantages of doing it?

Answers will vary.

Additional Resources
Famous People

Frederick Douglass
http://www.cr.nps.gov/csd/exhibits/douglass/

John Brown
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/brown/

Sojurner Truth
http://www.noho.com/sojourner/

Harriet Tubman
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/tubman/tubman.html
An excellent site made by a second grade classroom about Harriet Tubman's involvement with the Underground Railroad.