Welcome to this Unit on The Watsons Go to Birmingham. I created this website for my gifted class. There are chapter activities for the students as they read the story. If you do not have a hard copy of the book, you will find a link below to read a digital copy of the book. This page was updated 12/22/2022. If you have any questions, please contact me. ([email protected])
The Author
Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953) is an African-American writer of children's books. He may be known best for the Newbery Medal-winning Bud, Not Buddy and the critically acclaimed The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. (Wikipedia) Click on his picture to go to his official website.
|
The Book
Themes: Racism (Discrimination); Family; Bullying; Growing Up
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 is a historical-fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. It was written in 1995 and republished in 1997. It tells the story of a loving African-American family, living in the town of Flint, Michigan in 1963. When the oldest son begins to get into a bit of trouble, the parents decide he should spend some time with his strict grandmother, Grandma Sands, (Mrs. Watson's mother) in Birmingham, Alabama. The entire family travels there together by car, and during their visit, tragic events take place that affect them collectively. (Wikipedia)
Resources
Helpful Websites
|
Google Forms |
Study Guides |
Before You Read
Try this activity before you start reading the book. Character Traits
As you learn more about the characters, you can use this form. You can also go to Meet the Cast and learn about the characters before reading the book. NOTE to Educators: You can duplicate these forms to use in your own Google account.
|
Check out the song Yakety Yak by the Coasters.
Download the song sheet if you want to sing along. Click here.
Do you think the words are perfect for the boys relationship with their parents? Why?
Download the song sheet if you want to sing along. Click here.
Do you think the words are perfect for the boys relationship with their parents? Why?
*I do not own the copyrights to the music or books. Check out the book from the library or purchase from a local or online seller. (The same for the music.)
Chapter Activities
THIS PAGE AS UPDATED ON 12/22/22. IF YOU FIND LINKS THAT ARE EXPIRED, YOU MAY CONTACT ME.
Below you will find activities that I completed with my students while we read the book. I have updated the links (12-22-22). The comprehension and vocabulary pages were created in Google Docs and Nearpod. If the students submit the answers to Google, I will receive them. So feel free to use the documents and quizzes to create your own forms. You can copy anything and transfer to your own pages. If you have any questions, please contact me: [email protected].
Before starting the book, Try Elements of a Story from the Cinderella story. The activities help you learn how stories are constructed. Click on link below.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.3
Elements of a Story
1. Listen to the Story & Setting
2.Characters & Sequence
3. Exposition & Conflict
4. Climax & Resolution
Assessment (Save as a PDF and link to your website.)
Elements of a Story
1. Listen to the Story & Setting
2.Characters & Sequence
3. Exposition & Conflict
4. Climax & Resolution
Assessment (Save as a PDF and link to your website.)
Chapters 1-5
You can find the digital book on our Follett Bookshelf. (Admin46790; Follett1)
You can also listen to people reading each chapter as you follow along in the book. (links updated 12/22/22) Just press the play button.
Audiobook:
|
Chapter 1 (23:18)
|
Chapter 2 (14:43)
|
Chapter 3 (17:00)
|
Chapter 4 (19:41)
|
Chapter 5 (12:17)
|
All Google forms and Nearpod activities are student-paced.
Click on button above to read definitions. Write your answers in complete sentences. Submit to me when completed or ask an adult if you can print it.
|
Find traits for characters. Click on the button above for the form. Submit to me. You will complete the other questions when we get to the end of the story.
|
Note: The Nearpod quizzes will give the students immediate feedback at the end of each quiz.
This Nearpod quiz is available through June 6, 2023.
NOTE: The document directs students to share on their websites. If your students don't have their own websites. You can have them print the documents or save/share them to another platform.
Click on the button above to open the document. Choose an activity to complete for Chapters 1 through 5.
|
Click on the button above to open the document. Choose an activity to complete at any time while reading the book. Use the links below for writing activities for any chapter.
|
Chapters 6-8
Before starting these chapters, learn about personification and idioms. Click on each link below.
You can find the digital book on our Follett Bookshelf. (Admin46790; Follett1)
Muhammed Ali playing records in his car.
Check out the song Yakety Yak by the Coasters.
Download the song sheet if you want to sing along. Click here.
Do you think the words are perfect for the boys relationship with their parents? Why?
Download the song sheet if you want to sing along. Click here.
Do you think the words are perfect for the boys relationship with their parents? Why?
The Nearpod quiz is available through June 5, 2023.
Chapters 9-12
You can find the digital book on our Follett Bookshelf. (Admin46790; Follett1)
You can also listen to people reading each chapter as you follow along in the book.
Audiobook:
|
Chapter 9 (21:33)
|
Chapter 10 (13:42)
|
Chapter 11 (16:40)
|
Chapter 12 (8:20)
|
Click on the button. Read the definitions. Write your answers in complete sentences. Submit to me when completed or ask your an adult if you can print it.
|
The Nearpod quiz is available through June 5, 2023.
Chapter 13-15
You can find the digital book on our Follett Bookshelf. (Admin46790; Follett1)
You can also listen to people reading each chapter as you follow along in the book.
Audiobook:
|
Chapter 13 (13:00)
|
Chapter 14 (12:50)
|
Chapter 15 (18:41)
|
Epilogue (5:30)
|
Read the definitions. Write your answers in complete sentences. Submit when completed.
|
This Nearpod quiz is actually for the whole book. It will be available until June 5, 2023.
Media
4 Little Girls |
Character Poll
|
This video was made as a prologue for a play about the young girls who died in the bombing of a Birmingham church on September 15, 1963.
|
After reading the book or reading my character study, please take the poll below. Thank you!
|
More Books by Christopher Paul Curtis
These are more books that Christopher Paul Curtis has written. You can these books are your local library or purchase them for your home library.
|
Deza Malone, age 12, endures the challenges of the Great Depression with her tight-knit family by her side. When Father must leave their home in Indiana to find work, Mother, Deza, and Deza's brother Jimmie soon realize they are strongest when they are all together—and they start a journey to try to find Father. (2012)
|
Benji and Red are boys young readers will want to run around in the woods with, play pranks on, and entrust with their deepest secrets. Set in Buxton, Ontario, a settlement of runaway slaves, forty years after the events of Elijah of Buxton, the story unfolds through Benji and Red's alternating first-person narratives. (2014)
|
Twelve-year-old Charlie is down on his luck: His dad just died, the share crops are dry, and Ca p'n Buck — the most fearsome man in Possum Moan, South Carolina — has come to collect a debt. Fearing for his life, Charlie strikes a deal with Cap'n Buck and agrees to track down some thieves. (2018)
|