The Watson’s Go to Birmingham- 1963
Sights, Sites, and Reviews
http://www.planetbookclub.com/teachers/watsons.html
This website includes multiple helpful tools to go along with the novel, including links to related topics, information about the author, as well as related readings and other media information available online.
http://www.daily-tangents.com/BOB/BookLink/L/L_watso.shtml
This website is full of additional resources to the novel. It has multiple book reviews as well as a whole list of activities related to the novel, teaching resources and lesson plans.
http://www.adlit.org/authors/Curtis/4639
The website has a short biography about author Christopher Paul Curtis. It also has several video interviews with the author in which he discusses his novels and his writing process.
My View, My World
I really enjoyed The Watson’s Go to Birmingham-1963 quite a lot. I thought it was an interesting novel that included many defining characteristics of the Watson’s and also humor to keep the novel interesting.
The Watson’s Go to Birmingham included humor that kept it interesting and kept me entertained. Simple things such as the way Mrs. Watson forced the kids to bundle up with layers and layers of clothes and how Byron got his lips frozen to the car mirror provide laughs. These simple stories for me also made the novel real, it built the characters and the small details of their lives helped explain some of the bigger details.
Kenny and Byron’s relationship was one that always kept me guessing. Byron seemed to be extremely temperamental and I could never tell if he was going treat Kenny nicely and be protective of him, or if he was going to be cruel and rebellious toward Kenny. This attitude was almost frustrating to me, because I could not understand why Byron acted the way he did and why he always felt the need to rebel and get himself into trouble. I think there will definitely be young adult readers that can identify with Byron’s rebellious behavior. I am more of a people-pleaser myself, and try my best to avoid conflict or getting into trouble. For these reasons, I was often perplexed by the way Byron handled situations and anger throughout the novel.
Racism was a discovery the Watson’s made upon arriving in Birmingham. Byron, Kenny, and Joetta had never really encountered racism as they did when they visited the South. This novel is an excellent example of the extreme damage and pain racism caused African Americans in the 1960’s, especially in southern parts of the country. Speaking as someone from a tiny town in Mid-Missouri with little-to-no diversity, this novel definitely exposed to me how harsh racism actually was. I have personally never experienced anything like that. I think that many students reading this novel would be coming from the same perspective as me, so reading about how the Watson’s were affected could be an opportunity for vicarious experience and a true understanding of the situation.
Kenny’s reaction to the bombing of the church was one that surprised me. At first, I was very confused about what had actually happened because of the way Kenny reacted and the way the situation was initially described. Through that initial description, I gained an understanding of why Kenny was upset so deeply by the bombing. I wasn’t sure what exactly to think about how he became so inverted. This situation did give me some insight as to how deeply an individual can be affected by trauma. Having never experienced anything near the bombing that Kenny experienced, I had to try to learn about the impact through Kenny’s reaction. I think that this portion of the novel would be helpful for students like me who do not understand this type of trauma, and would also be a way for students who have experienced trauma to identify with someone.
TWS
| In This UNIT
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| Knowledge Blocks pursued (what specific elements are you trying to teach here
| Methods you would apply?
| How will you “test” for understanding?
| What is the specific goal of this unit?
| OBJECTIVE
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| Align with Learning Goals and Instruction
| Teaches historical background of racism and segregation can be linked to history lesson.
Narrative point of view.
| Group discussions on the violence in Birmingham.
Writing assignment to explain a small portion of the book from another character’s point of view.
| Short answer test covering the historical context of the novel.
Personal reflective essays on student responses to the novel, specifically the dynamic of the Watson family. The essay should discuss how the Watson’s may have lived differently in the present as opposed to the 1960’s.
| Students should gain an understanding of the historical background in the 1960’s.
Students should also gain skills in reflective and comparative writing.
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| Clarity of Criteria and Standards for Performance? A rubric, pre-instruction, or post testing?
| One-on-one evaluations of written assignments.
| Pre-reading discussion of life in the 1960’s.
| Dialect- what it is and how it is specifically used in this novel.
Awareness of cultural and behavioral differences in separate regions of the country.
Civil Rights in the 1960’s
| Students will experience cultural development and will understand how the acceptance of racial diversity has evolved over time.
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| What technical resources would you apply: (be specific) Web, graphic or writing programs, databases, research?
| Create PowerPoint presentation to use during lecture, highlighting key terms and events of the Civil Rights Movement.
If possible, gain access to online library resource materials, such as journals or newspaper articles from the 1960’s.
| Create a multiple choice test that students complete on the computer using a program such as ClassMarker over events in the novel.
Students create poster comparing and contrasting the treatment of the Watson’s in Flint and Birmingham.
| Watch video called “Birmingham Campaign” that specifically addresses movements for segregation in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1960’s.
| Students are able to visually see the destruction caused by race-riots in the 1960’s. The visual aspect helps students to better relate to those affected by racism.
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