Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Introduction

The novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor is considered historical fiction. To help you to better understand the novel, you will learn about the different historical features within it before reading. The southern portion of the United States, in which the story is set, during the 1930s was full of civil unrest. Most African Americans were sharecroppers and often relied on white plantation owners to sell their crops for them. The Ku Klux Klan was very active, often lynching people for little or no reason. The Jim Crow laws (or black laws) had been recently put into effect and greatly limited what African Americans could do and say. Segregation was everywhere. Whites and blacks had separate schools, churches, bathrooms, and water fountains. Schools were supposed to be "Separate but Equal," but that was hardly the case. Black students were given the hand-me-downs from the white students and some walked hours just to reach their small schools with few or no materials Life was difficult growing up in the South during this time period, especially for African Americans. 

Task

Your task is to discover information about different historical topics during the 1930s in the South. You are to take the position as a reporter finding factual information about FOUR major issues during the era the novel takes place and create a "Southern Newspaper" to present your finding to the class. The class will have a chance to read each other's newspapers and to compare the information found. The objective of this webquest is:

1) to provide you with an understanding of the background and history associated with the novel,

2) to provide references to enhance your understanding in the themes associated with the novel, and

3) to provide you with resources to create your final project --your newspaper. You will use your summarizing skills, computer skills, writing skills, and research skills to complete this project.

You will be given a Guided Reading sheet for each of the four major issues to help you collect the information you will need to produce your newspaper.

You will take the information from your Guided Reading Sheets and create FOUR articles for your newspaper. 

Each article must:

  • Be written in your own words. 
  • Be a minimum of two paragraphs (5-7 sentences each minimum)
  • Include factual information found in the articles and webpages online.
  • Use information from your Guided Reading Sheets.

You will take the advertisements, headlines, and articles and incorporate them into a newspaper format using Microsoft© Publisher. This will be done during class time in the computer lab. You are to create a title for your newspaper, a by-line (your name as editor), and a date on which it is published. Use the year from which you took the headlines.

Evaluation

Sharecropping:  Use the Guided Reading Sheet provided to you in class to research information about sharecropping using the links provided. Make sure you put all of the information in your own words.

Sharecropping:  http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/science/sharecropping.html

About Sharecropping:  http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brown/sharecropping.htm

Sharecropper Plantations:  http://www.uwec.edu/geography/Ivogeler/w188/planta3.htm

Sharecropping for Kids:  http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/economy/shar…

A Photo Gallery of Sharecropping:  http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brown/photos.htm

Sharecropping in Mississippi:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/till/peopleevents/e_sharecrop.html

Mob Violence/KKK:  Use the Guided Reading Sheet provided to you in class to research information about the KKK using the links provided.  Make sure you put all of the information in your own words.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_org_kkk.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_kkk.html

 

Jim Crow Laws:  Use the Guided Reading Sheet provided to you in class to research information about the Jim Crow Laws using the links provided.  Make sure you put all of the information in your own words.

Jim Crow Laws:  http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/history/jim-crow-laws.html

Remembering Jim Crow:  http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/remembering/

Introduction to the Jim Crow South:  http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~aas405b/intro.html

What Was Jim Crow?:  http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

Plessy vs. Ferguson:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_plessy.html

Tools and Activities:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/tools.html

Education:  Use the Guided Reading Sheet provided to you in class to research information about Education using the links provided.  Make sure you put all of the information in your own words.

Education for African Americans:  http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3468301124.html

Beginnings of Black Education:  http://www.vahistorical.org/civilrights/education.htm

Separate is not Equal:  http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/2-battleground/battlegr…

You will also complete a Guided Reading Sheet for the creation of THREE advertisements using items and prices appropriate to the time era and THREE headlines from a specific year. Each advertisement must include

  • the name of the object,
  • the price of the object, and
  • a picture of the object along with a slogan for that object. (Ex. "Do you need a new dress for less?")