Using Content Picture Books in the History Classroom:

SlaveryTeaching American History

In Miami-Dade CountyNovember 20, 2010

Fran Macko, Ph.D.Fmacko@aihe.info

The Sunshine State History Standards

• US History Grade 8– Benchmark SS 8.A.4.2 – Describe the debate

surrounding the spread of slavery into the Western Territories and Florida

The Essential Question

• What was unique about the system of slavery that developed and was sustained in the United States and how did those held in servitude able to develop and sustain their cultures?

Framing the Session

• If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a good picture book is practically priceless.

• Picture books aren’t just for little kids.  

• A picture book uses both text and illustration to create meaning; one is not as powerful alone as it is with the other.

Why teach with content picture books?

• Picture books can be easily integrated into classroom instruction.

– They are easy and practical to teach with. Most picture books can be read in one session/class period, thereby giving students a holistic, complete feel for the story.

– They have a clear beginning, middle and end.

– They provide a shared reference/experience for all students.

• Picture books model literacy skills and writer’s craft.

– They provide an opportunity to model fluent reading, critical thinking, and reading as an active process.

– They are a great way for students to listen and read well crafted writing, and acquire an awareness of language.

– They are usually well written and display elements of craft.

• Picture books can be accessed by all students.

– They provide content through a combination of text and illustration.

– They lend themselves to re-reading and analysis.

– They present: – complex concepts, ideas

and themes in a manageable format.

– information in a way that can be understood by a variety of learners on a variety of reading levels.

– They can be used in a variety of ways.

Picture books and Visual literacy

• Visual literacy is the ability to interpret information presented in the form of an image.

• Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read”.

• The visually literate student looks at an image critically to understand the intentions of the image’s creator.

• Students often rely on visual images to assist them in learning new content and concepts.

• The visual format of picture books appeals to students who are increasingly visually oriented, or who are struggling readers.

• The illustrations support students in creating a mental model without struggling with the written word, thereby bridging the gaps in understanding.

Bridging the Gap

• Picture books support students in becoming strategic readers as they integrate text and images.

• Students utilize the same skill set to interpret pictures as they do to interpret print.– determining their purpose for reading– drawing on prior knowledge, experience and attitudes– asking and answering questions– inferring– visualizing

• Applying these skills to both illustration and text enhances comprehension.

What makes a quality content picture book?

• Not all content picture books are the same.

• In selecting quality picture books for older readers consider those titles that have:– mature themes– more complex illustrations– more text or more challenging text– subtle meanings, symbolism or allegory– two levels of meaning: one for younger readers and one

for older readers

What are the features of a quality picture book?

• Rich Language• Effective integration of

text and illustration• Highly engaging• Historically accurate• Asks reader to think

deeply about something• Believable and realistic• Free from stereotypes• Supports teaching

objectives/outcomes

How can content picture books enhance history instruction?

Content picture books:• introduce historical

concepts, people, complex ideas and vocabulary in an engaging context.

• build prior knowledge.• make historical periods

and distant lands come alive for students.

• create relevance through the emotional appeal of the characters.

• extend the textbook and support differentiation.

What are some quality picture books about Slavery?

Under the Quilt of Night

Bound for America

A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Henry’s Freedom Box

Molly Bannaky

A Strawbeater’s Thanksgiving

From Slave Ship to Freedom Road

The Middle Passage- White Ships Black Cargo

Taking a Closer Look

Henry’s Freedom Box

Before Reading Activity: “Reading” the Cover Illustration

• Introduce the book by asking students to “read” the cover.

• Display the book for students or make copies of the cover art.

• Ask students to

complete the three column chart titled: “What I See, What I Think, What I Wonder”.

Discussion Questions

• Look carefully at the cover illustration – what might the title Henry’s Freedom Box refer to?

• Where does the illustrator place you, the viewer? From which perspective are you looking into the picture?

• What clues do you have as to the time period in which this story is set?

• What can you infer about the story after thinking about the title and the cover illustration?

During Reading Activity:Blending Text and Image

Extension Activities• Have students compare

the story to the Henry’s first-hand account of his escape to freedom.

– http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/boxbrown/summary.html

• Have students research Harriet Tubman and The Underground Railroad.– http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/

underground/– http://www.freedomcenter.org/

underground-railroad/– http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

railroad/– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/

part4/4p2944.html

Extension Activities

• Have students read and discuss the poems of Phillis Wheatley.– http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/

webtexts/Wheatley/phil.htm

• Have students read excerpts from slave narratives and compare them to the fictionalized portrayals.– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/

aia/part4/4p2958.html

• Have students read the historical fiction novel Chains and compare it to first-hand accounts of slavery in colonial America and the New Nation

Connecting Picture Books to Resources in CICERO

Speeches• Abolitionist Speech

Angela Grimke Weld, 1838

– http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-7/L06-PrimarySources/SpeechesAndCorrespondence/03Abolition_AngelaGrimke_1838.pdf

• The Constitution and the Union Daniel Webster, March 7, 1850

– http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-7/L06-PrimarySources/SpeechesAndCorrespondence/06ConstitutionAndUnion_DanielWebster_1850.pdf

Images• John Brown

– http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book-8/R04-Galleries/People/JohnBrown.pdf

Links• Underground Railroad

– http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/

Classroom Application

• Where and how could you use these quality picture books in your classroom?

Final Thoughts

• High quality content picture books:– provide content through a combination of text and

illustration.– present complex concepts, ideas and themes in a

manageable format. – make historical periods and distant lands come

alive for students.– create relevance through the emotional appeal of

the characters.– extend the textbook and support differentiation.