Goin someplace special study guide 2017

Goin’ Someplace Special Book Written by Patricia C. McKissack Book Illustrations by Jerry Pinkney

BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE ARTS AND EDUCATION PROGRAM STUDY GUIDE 206-428-6266

www.book-it.org

Goin’ Someplace Special HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE

Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Arts and Education Program closely aligns its performances and learning materials with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to engage students in the Book-It Style®, literacy objectives, and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of Last Stop on Market Street.

LITERACY OBJECTIVES ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE REFLECTING & EVALUATING

FIRST: READ THE BOOK

As part of Book-It’s touring package, your school has received a copy of the story that serves as a permanent resource for your library.

SECOND: SELECT ACTIVITIES

Select one or all of the activities and adjust them to fit your students and classroom needs. Some activities are designed for teachers to lead students through an interactive process; directions and support materials are included for successful facilitation. Others are handouts for independent student work or to be used for whole-class instruction.

THEMES & CONCEPTS CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT JIM CROW LAWS FAMILY DYNAMICS PERSEVERANCE

THIRD: KEEP READING!

Standards for the study guide and Performance: Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts*: R.CCR.1, R.CCR.2, R.CCR.3. R.CCR.4, R.CCR.6, RI.CCR.5, L.CCR.4 Washington EARLs in Theatre: 1.1, 1.4, 3.1, 4.3 *Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the Standard Study Guide Written and compiled by: Annie DiMartino, Director of Education 2006 Study Guide written by Leslie Barnard and Margaret carter Study Guide Edited by: Myra Platt, Co-Founding Artistic Director Patricia Britton, Director of Marketing and Communications

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Goin’ Someplace Special An important note on the Book-It Style® The use of narrative, particularly third-person narrative, is a hallmark and founding principle of BookIt Repertory Theatre productions since the company’s inception in 1987. Book-It’s approach to narrative text on stage is known throughout theatre communities regionally and nationally as the Book -It Style®. Book-It adaptations provide an experience of the book unlike any other adapted work. By preserving the author’s original language, Book-It adaptations capture the essence of the novel’s original intent and tone, while celebrating the author’s unique voice.

Actors in a Book-It Style production perform narrative lines in character with objectives and intentions as they would with any line of dialogue in a standard play. Narrative lines are delivered with motivation to other characters, as opposed to a detached delivery straight out to the audience as a narrator.

SCRIPT EXAMPLE: ‘Tricia Ann: Crossing her fingers and closing her eyes, she blurted out her question. Mama Frances, may I go to Someplace Special by myself today? Pretty please? I know where to get off the bus and what streets to take and all.

Mama Frances: I don’t know if I’m ready to turn you loose in the world.

Mama Frances answered, tying the sash of ‘Tricia Ann’s dress.

Mama Frances: Although it had been another name ‘Tricia Ann: ‘Tricia Ann always called it Someplace Special Mama Frances: because it was her favorite spot in the world.

‘Tricia Ann: Please may I go? Pretty please with marshmallows on top?

Book-It adapters will often divide descriptive narrative amongst several characters. This arrangement and editing process is a result of purposeful exploration and development over the last 29 years of the company’s artistic history, and overseen by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt.

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Goin’ Someplace Special TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE STORY & CHARACTERS

Story Synopsis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5 Characters in the Story………………………………………………………………………………………………..6 Words to Know Activity…………………………………………………………………………………………………7 About the Author: Patricia C. McKissack………………………………………………………………………8 About the Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney…………………………………………………………………………...9

CONTEXT

Goin’ On a Journey with ‘Tricia Ann……………………………………………………………………………10 Words of Wisdom………………………………..……………………………………………………………………….11 Self-to-Text: Drawing Something Special……………………..……………………………………………12 Guess What’s In the Box (Alternate Activity)…………….………………………………………………13 Jim Crow Laws in Tennessee………………………………………………………………………………………14 Jim Crow Laws Across America……………………………………………………………………………………15

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Struggle for Freedom (Civil Rights Timeline)…………………………………………………………16-17 Choosing Your Words: Ways to Walk……………………………………………………………………………18 Square your Shoulders and Fix Your Thoughts!..………………………………………………………..19

INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE’S ARTS & EDUCATION PROGRAM:

Book-It’s Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington state, conduct long-term residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development for school staff, and present low-cost student matinées of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by the characters as if it were dialogue in a play—actors speak both the narration and the dialogue. Book-It takes the written word back to its roots—storytelling!

OUR MISSION

To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire the imagination.

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Goin’ Someplace Special STORY SYNOPSIS

4-6 Activity

Set in 1950’s in Nashville Tennessee, Goin' Someplace Special follows a girl named 'Tricia Ann as she leaves the protective comfort of her home and grandmother to go downtown alone, to someplace special. In the story we see what the Jim Crow world was like through 'Tricia Ann's eyes. As she travels to her destination she encounters a sign on the bus that says "Colored Section," a bench by the Peace Fountain that reads, "For Whites Only" and the Southland Hotel's grand lobby, where she is not permitted to go. This journey away from her grandmother's loving arms is frightening indeed but along the way, 'Tricia Ann is supported by friends and neighbors. In the bus, Mrs. Gannell tells her to "Carry yo'self proud" and Jimmy Lee, a street vendor, helps keep her spirits up by saying "Don't let those signs steal yo' happiness." In the end, 'Tricia Ann reaches her destination. And it is only then that the reader learns that someplace special is the Nashville Public Library, which in the late 1950s quietly voted to integrate its facilities.

Our production takes the story one step further by including a little about the author, Patricia C. McKissack, as this is her story as a young girl growing up in the 1950’s. Woven throughout are songs which help to underscore the questions and challenges faced by many during that period in our history. Additionally, quotes from Michelle Obama, Langston Hughes and Malala Yousafzai are included in our end to heighten the overall message that “reading is the doorway to freedom.”

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY: ‘Tricia Ann faced segregation as she made her journey to someplace special. What would it feel like to live in a segregated world? By doing the following mock segregation activity students can glimpse into the world Tricia Ann lived in and be able to reflect on the experience in a different way. The following website goes through this activity in detail. We recommend that you read the website due to the sensitive nature of the activity.

Instructions for teacher The teacher explains to students that they will be doing a mock segregation activity to see what it might have felt like to be ‘Tricia Ann in 1950’s Nashville. Students will be randomly assigned stickers of circles and squares, which will be worn on the outside of their clothing throughout the activity.

The circles will not be given the same privileges or opportunities as the squares during the day’s activities. The mock segregation activity can last only an hour or one full school day. Teachers may elect to have students switch roles halfway through the activity. At the end of the activity students journal about their feelings, then come together to discuss their thoughts as a group.

FOR EXAMPLE:  Squares will be given brand new crayons for class activities. Circles must use old broken crayons.  Squares will have access to new paper for projects. Circles will be permitted to use only recycled scraps of paper.

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Goin’ Someplace Special CHARACTERS IN THE STORY Patricia: The author of the story, who becomes ‘Tricia Ann. ‘Tricia Ann: A girl who takes a trip to someplace special’ all by herself.

Mama Frances: ‘Tricia Ann’s grandmother.

Mrs. Grannell: Mama Frances’ friend from sewing club.

Bus Driver: Driver of the bus.

Jimmy Lee: A street vendor and friend to ‘Tricia Ann. John Willis: The hotel doorman.

Manager: Manager of the Southland Hotel.

Sister: Girl ‘Tricia encounters in the street outside a theater.

Bloomin’ Mary: Old woman who tends the city garden.

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Goin’ Someplace Special WORDS TO KNOW Like Bloomin’ Mary helped ‘Tricia Ann and gave her an orange Zinnia to take with her to someplace special, match the words from the story to their definitions by drawing a line from the Zinnias to the flowerpots.

K-3 Activity

Vendor

A person that sells goods or services.

A craftsman who works with stone or brick.

Stonemason Zinnia

Tropical American plants with brightly colored flower heads.

Muddled or confused.

Addled Determined Resolute, firm and steadfast.

A musical or dramatic performance held in the daytime.

Matinee 7

Goin’ Someplace Special ABOUT THE AUTHOR: PATRICIA C. McKISSACK

4-6 Activity

As a child growing up in the South, Patricia McKissack

always enjoyed writing. She was inspired by the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar which her mother would recite to her on their front porch, her grandfather’s stories and encouraged by her teachers’ praise. In her own words, Patricia recalls how “from an early age, possibility swirled in the air and poetry danced in my dreams.”

Patricia graduated from Tennessee State University in 1964 with a Bachelor’s degree in English. In 1975, she received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Literature and Media Programming at Webster University. After teaching junior high school for nine years and editing children’s books for six, she launched her writing career by authoring the first juvenile biography entitled Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Poet to Remember which first came into print in 1982.

That commitment to filling in the missing pieces of America’s story marks McKissack’s career as a children’s book author. Her award-winning stories have helped change the face of children’s literature.

And, with more than 100 books published, McKissack is as prolific as she is passionate.

She draws on memories — listening to spooky stories and tall tales spun by elders on the front porch. She explores the past, bringing to life gems of African-American history.

When asked why she writes, McKissack answers “to tell a different story — one that has been marginalized by mainstream history; one that has been distorted, misrepresented or just plain forgotten.”

Among her wide collection, Patricia is the author of many highly acclaimed books for children, including Goin' Someplace Special, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; The Honest-to-Goodness Truth; Let My People Go, recipient of the NAACP Image Award; The Dark-Thirty, a Newbery Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Award winner; and Mirandy and Brother Wind, recipient of the Caldecott Medal and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.

Patricia and her husband, Frederick, live in Chesterfield, Missouri.

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Goin’ Someplace Special ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: JERRY PINKNEY

4-6 Activity

A native of Philadelphia, Jerry Pinkney studied at the

Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts) where, in 1992 he received the Alumni Award. He has been illustrating children's books since 1964, illustrating over one hundred titles and has been the recipient of five Caldecott Honor Medals, a Caldecott Medal, and five The New York Times "Best Illustrated Books". He has received five Coretta Scott King Awards, and four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and published in fourteen countries. Furthermore, he has received numerous awards for a body of work.

In 2003, he received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University; in 2010 the Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa from the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, Lancaster, PA; and in May 2012 an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education in New York. Jerry was also a United States nominee for the l997 Hans Christian Andersen Illustration Medal.

The Society of Illustrators in New York, NY has presented Jerry with four gold medals, four silver medals, the Hamilton King Award, and in 2006 their Original Arts Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011, he was elected into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame.

He lives with his wife, author, Gloria Jean in Westchester County, NY.

RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: (4-6) 1. What Poet was Patricia particularly inspired by and how did she honor him later on in life?

2. In an interview, Patricia McKissack was asked why she writes. What was her answer?

3. What profession did Patricia McKissack have prior to becoming a book author?

4. What award did Jerry Pinkney win in 1992 and in 1997 what award was he nominated for?

5. What awards have both Patricia McKissack and Jerry Pinkney received?

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K-3 Activity

GOIN’ ON A JOURNEY WITH ‘TRICIA ANN Trace the path of ‘Tricia Ann’s journey to Someplace Special. After, circle all the places she encountered prejudice in RED and every place she encountered encouragement in BLUE. ‘Tricia Ann’s House

Bus Stop

Farmer’s Market

Peace Fountain

Bus Stop

South land Hotel

Church Garden

Theatre

Library

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K-3 Activity

WORDS OF WISDOM ‘Tricia Ann was given a lot of advice and encouragement on her journey to someplace special. On the note paper below, write what each person told ‘Tricia Ann to help her on her journey.

Example:

Hold your head high and remember, you belong to somebody!

-Mama Frances

Mrs. Grannell

Jimmy Lee

Bloomin’ Mary

Mr. John Willis

If you could have given ‘Tricia Ann advice on her journey, what would you have said?

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K-3 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS DRAWING SOMETHING SPECIAL In Goin’ Someplace Special, ‘Tricia Ann not only goes on a journey to a location that she considers special, she also rediscovers things about herself that makes her a truly special human being. In the large mirror below, draw a portrait of yourself, and in the little mirrors below it, write something that makes you special.

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K-3 Activity

SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS GUESS WHAT’S IN THE BOX

(An alternate classroom activity to Drawing Something Special)

Prior to Class:

Wrap a box large enough to securely hold a hand mirror.  Place question marks on the outside of the “secret” box.  Inside place the mirror, securing it to the bottom. 

Activity:

Have all the students sit in a circle.

Ask students to guess what is inside.

Explain that everyone will see something different.  As you pass the box around the circle have each student look into the box and remind them not say anything about what they saw.  Pass out the self-portrait worksheet or ask your students to draw on a piece of paper what it is that they saw when they looked in the mirror.  After all of the portraits are finished you can put them up all together in the room to celebrate everyone’s individuality and diversity.   

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4-6 Activity

JIM CROW LAWS IN TENNESSEE ‘Tricia Ann lived in Nashville, Tennessee in the 1950’s.

The government of Tennessee enacted 20 Jim Crow laws between 1866 and 1955 enforcing the segregation of schools, railroads, streetcars, public accommodations and prohibiting interracial marriage. As of 1954, segregation laws were still in effect. Here is an example of one of the Jim Crow laws passed in Tennessee in 1875.

‘Hotel keepers, carriers of passengers and keepers of places of amusement have the right to control access and exclude persons as ‘that of any private person over his private house.’

1.) Can you translate this Jim Crow law into your own words?

2.) What are public accommodations?

3.) How did ‘Tricia Ann encounter this Jim Crow law on her journey to someplace special?

4.) What other kinds of Jim Crow laws were passed in Tennessee?

5.) How might these laws affect ‘Tricia Ann’s life, as a child and when she grows up?

Critical Thinking Question: Do we have any laws today that promote discrimination against different groups?

This website is a resource to help you answer the questions: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/scripts/jimcrow/insidesouth.cgi?state=Tennessee 14

4-6 Activity

JIM CROW LAWS ACROSS AMERICA ’Tricia Ann had to ride in the back of the bus because of Jim Crow laws in Tennessee. But, this problem wasn’t just limited to Tennessee. Many states enacted laws to segregate all sorts of public services, including transportation.

Label and color 1956: Texas Alabama South Carolina

the states where transportation was segregated by law until Oklahoma Tennessee North Carolina

Arkansas Kentucky Virginia

Louisiana Georgia Maryland

Mississippi Florida

Using the interactive maps on the website provided, answer the following Questions: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/themap/map.html 1.) In what region of the country were the most Jim Crow laws passed?

2.) What types of Jim Crow laws were the most widespread in the United States?

3.) Choose a state and find out what kind of Jim Crow laws were passed there.

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4-6 Activity

STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

If not us, then who? If not now, then when?-John Lewis Tricia Ann grew up in 1950’s Nashville during the Civil Rights Movement. Some of the significant events of the Civil Rights movement are listed on the timeline below and on the following page: May 17th, 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education: After hearing Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas the Supreme Court decides unanimously that segregation is unconstitutional, overthrowing the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling that had set the “separate but equal” precedent.

Dec. 1st, 1955 - Montgomery Bus Boycott: NAACP member Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat at the front of the "colored section" of a bus to a white passenger, defying a southern custom of the time. In response to her arrest the Montgomery black community launches a bus boycott, which will last for more than a year, until the buses are desegregated on Dec. 21, 1956.

Sept. 1957 - Desegregation at Little Rock: Little Rock Central High School is slated to begin the 1957 school year desegregated. On the first day of school, nine black students are blocked from entering the school on the orders of Governor Orval Faubus. President Eisenhower sends federal troops and the National Guard to intervene on behalf of the students, who become known as the "Little Rock Nine."

Feb. 1, 1960 – Student Sit-Ins: Four black students begin a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Although they are refused service, they are allowed to stay at the counter.

The event triggers many similar nonviolent protests throughout the South. Six months later the original four protesters are served lunch at the same Woolworth's counter.

April 16, 1963 – Letter from Birmingham: Martin Luther King is arrested and jailed during antisegregation protests in Birmingham, Alabama.

While in solitary confinement, he writes his seminal "Letter from Birmingham Jail," arguing that individuals have the moral duty to non-violently resist unjust laws.

May, 1963- Police Brutality: During civil rights protests in Birmingham, Ala., Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene "Bull" Connor uses fire hoses and police dogs on black demonstrators. These images of brutality, which are televised and published widely, are instrumental in gaining sympathy for the Civil Rights Movement around the world.

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4-6 Activity

August 28th, 1963 – March on Washington: About 200,000 people join the March on Washington. Congregating at the Lincoln Memorial, participants listen as Martin Luther King delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

July 2nd, 1964 – The Civil Rights Act of 1964: President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination of all kinds based on race, color, religion, or national origin. The law also provides the federal government with the powers to enforce desegregation.

August 10th, 1965 -- Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits literacy tests and poll taxes, which had been used to prevent blacks from voting.

April 4th, 1968 – Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee.

Civil Rights Discussion Questions: 1. Of the events featured on this timeline, which do you think had the greatest impact on the struggle for Civil Rights in America?

2. Is the Civil Rights Movement still going on?

3. What additional events would you add to this timeline?

For more information see the following websites: http://www.ags.uci.edu/~skaufman/teaching/win2001ch4.htm http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html

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K-3 Activity

CHOOSING YOUR WORDS: WAYS TO WALK! In this story 'Tricia Ann has to walk from here and there until she finally makes it to her destination-- The Public Library. Instead of using the words walk and ran over and over again, McKissack has uses words such as staggered, bounded, strutted and skipped.

What is the definition of each of these words?

Staggered:____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Bounded: _____________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________

Strutted: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________

Skipped: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Using different words can help strengthen your writing. Using the words above, rewrite the following short story using a different word than walk/walked: Sally got out of bed and walked down the stairs. She walked to the kitchen to help her mother with breakfast. After eating breakfast, she walked down the sidewalk to her friend’s house, bus no one was home. She then decided to walk back home. _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ 18

K-3 Activity

SQUARE YOUR SHOULDERS AND FIX YOUR THOUGHTS!

In our production of Goin’ Someplace Special, whenever ’Tricia Ann feels nervous, embarrassed, or scared, she squares her shoulders and fixes her thoughts. In the space below, make a list of all the things you can do whenever you might feel nervous, embarrassed or scared like ’Tricia Ann.

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Additional Resources not listed in the context of each activity are as follows: http://books.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/ authorhome.jsp?authorID=60&collateralID=5235&displayName=Biography http://voices.cla.umn.edu/vg/Bios/entries/mckissack_patricia.html http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm?tab=1&pid=358354&agid=13 http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/1/96.01.01.x.html www.jerrypinkneystudio.com

www.patriciamckissack.com

Book-It Repertory Theatre would like to thank the following Arts & Education Program Supporters

Norcliffe Foundation

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