Before reading, activate prior knowledge of the civil rights movement. Consider completing a K/L/W chart where students can identify what they know about the events of the boycotts and marches in the 1960’s.(Consider waiting for the “wonder” part of this chart until you are reading and learning more about your topic because often students cannot ask authentic questions with limited background knowledge.) During reading, continue this chart by adding new learning from the text.

The pictures and text together make this a power book about real events in history.

During reading, stop periodically during the first half of the book and ask students to turn and talk about what they are wondering. As students make powerful connections to the children and adults in this book, they are sure to ask questions and wonder deeply. Record questions on K/L/W chart.

After reading, return to the questions listed and see if any were answered “right there” in the text. Determine how students will locate answers to any unanswered questions remaining on the chart.

After reading, have students work in partners or small groups to compare and contrast the following scenarios at the beginning and ending of the book:

• Drinking from water fountains  
• Riding public transportation  
• Eating in restaurants  
• Using public libraries  
• Attending schools

When you come across a tricky word, one way to figure it out is by looking at the smaller parts inside it. Many words are made up of prefixes (beginnings), roots (main part), and suffixes (endings). If you can recognize these parts, it can help you understand the word’s meaning and read it more easily!

For example:

• Unwritten — Un- (not) + written (something recorded) — "Not written down" 
• Powerful — Power (strength) + -ful (full of) — "Full of power" 
• Passengers — Pass (to move) + -engers (people who go) — "People traveling somewhere"

Because this story is written in verse, it invites oral reading focusing on phrasing and expression. Consider inviting students or groups of students to practice re-reading sections of the text paying close attention to phrasing using the line breaks as indicators. 

Encourage students to consider how they would be feeling in the situations portrayed on each page of this book. Invite them to indicate these feelings using appropriate expression. 

This is a fantastic story to turn into a reader’s theater for fun and engaging fluency practice.

Choose 2-3 words to highlight from the story. Because the pictures are so dynamic in this book, they are perfect for helping students learn new vocabulary. Record this vocabulary on your class word collect – including student-drawn sketches of each word.

Possible vocabulary to highlight includes: freedom, justice, weary, ignoring.

Choose 2-3 words to highlight from the story. Help student infer the meaning of words based on what they know about the civil rights movement and using the pictures and text as clues to vocabulary meaning. With the students, model this strategy by make a chart to identify picture or text clues (including specific clue words), background knowledge and inferred meaning. Consider reminding students to cross-check when they have determined a meaning to be sure they are self-monitoring and confirming the meaning of the word.

Possible vocabulary to highlight include: harsh, denying, forge, equal, sought, triumph, rallied.