Teaching the Importance of Friendship

Title: The Lions of Little Rock

Author: Kristin Levine

 Copyright: 2012

 Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York

 Guided Reading Level: W

    Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:  This relatively new novel is spectacular!  Once I started reading, I couldn't put the novel down - it was breathtaking.  From the start of the novel, the heart-felt story is pretty much a flashback to the past.  I am a huge fan of history, but not what happened historically during the time period of this novel, as it's focus is during the late 1950s in Little Rock, Arkansas, when the school systems were closing to try to prevent desegregation.  This is known as the Lost Year.  Friendship is a key theme in this novel as the novel focuses on a detailed friendship between an incredibly quiet young girl named Marlee, and an outgoing young girl named Liz.  After getting used to the budding friendship between Marlee and Liz, we find out that Liz gets kicked out of school for being an African American.  Liz was trying to pass as a white, and she looked like one - as she is considered light skinned in the novel.  All Liz wanted was a proper education - something so near and dear to my heart.  Even though Liz was kicked out of school, Marlee and Liz reunite and take on adventures - some being typical activities friends do - like watching The Wizard of Oz, and others being incredibly perilous. They risk a lot for their friendship, and yet they don't care as much as they could, because they know they have found each other as a true friend.  At the end of the novel, I teared up with joy, because not only do Liz and Marlee become unbreakable friends until the end of time, but almost all the main characters in the novel stand up for racial integration!

Suggested Delivery: Classroom Read

The book holds many different topics to discuss in the classroom.  The novel can be presented to 5-6 graders given the lexile grade level measurement, however it is important to discuss various topics within the novel in the classroom during English Language Arts and/or Social Studies time after they read the novel for homework. Topics such as the KKK are mentioned multiple times in the novel, and the "N-word"- an incredibly sensitive word - is used.  Students need to know about these historical topics, and why an offensive word like the "N-word" is being used. For something this sensitive, I would emphasize the time period of this novel, and the context of how the word is being used.  I would also reiterate the level of offense the word still holds to this day.

Key Vocabulary:

•  Quapaw
•  Negro
•  Mimeographing
•  Boycott
•  Swaggered
•  Preening
•  Schnapps
•  Quorum

Electronic Resources:

As this book can be used in an English Language Arts and Social Studies environment, I suggest using it for both!  Saying that, I would inform students of the Lost Year.  The hyperlink is above in the summary, but here it is again:

• The Lost Year

I would also show the class this video to get students amped up about reading this amazing novel!

Increasing Comprehension Skills:

Before Classroom Read:

• I would have students brainstorm for a couple of minutes about the late 1950s.  I would have them come to the whiteboard and write down what they think was going on during that time period.  This will help the teacher be able to see how much students know about events going on during the time period.

• The vocabulary words can be incredibly difficult for students to be able to understand without aid from the teacher, so I would start adding these key words to a "word wall" before the students start reading the novel and go over meanings and examples of these words during an English Language Arts or Social Studies class.

During Classroom Read (home and school):

• Have students keep a journal while reading the novel at home to write down words they think are important to learn, that they do not know already.  It would also be beneficial to assign this as homework.  I would have students come up with definitions of 4-5 words they do not know during each assigned reading.  At school, I would have students complete warm up activities before each lesson on the book.  These activities would likely include crossword puzzles, and/or multiple choice formative assessments.

• During their assigned homework reading, I would have students answer a few questions after their chapters are read.  I would come up with a few questions providing inferential comprehension, some could be:

                                                                     What is the theme?
                                                     What effect does Liz have on Marlee?
                                    Pick a character: Liz or Marlee.  How can you relate to her?

After Book is finished:

• I would either give a summative assessment on vocabulary - either a multiple choice test or a fill in the blank test with a word bank -  or I would have them go up to the front of the classroom and play a vocabulary game.  The game could go something like this:

Rules:

1.  Give each student a note card which holds a typed definition of a word on it. 

Cards should look like this:

I have the first card.  The definition I have is a member of a North American Indian people formerly from Arkansas, now living mostly in Oklahoma.       

2. The next student shouts out the definition of the word, so in this case, a student would have a card that reads, "I have the word Quapaw, the definition I have is relating to African Americans, describing their appearance"

3. The class then continues until all cards are read.  If a student misses or confuses a vocabulary word, I would ask the class to help the student, I would not help the student.  This is a constructivist approach, something needed more often in the classroom within our educational system.

• I would have a class discussion about the theme of the novel, and have students come up with a summary of what happened on the board.  I have posted a link to this already, but I really love the Summary Star! Just click on the template and use it!  :)

Writing Activity:

Once the novel is completed as a class, I would have each student write a short essay about one of the main characters - either Marlee or Liz.  I would tell students to imagine being in their chosen character's shoes. I would have them write about how they could relate to their chosen character, providing examples from the text using past answers from their homework, and why they could relate to their chosen character.  I would also have them draw a picture at the end of their essay about something they found important to the character.  One example of a picture could be the yellow brick road from the Wizard of Oz, and another example could be a Zoo.

Tiffany Tidbit - This novel was absolutely amazing!  I rarely cry when reading novels, unless an animal dies in it.  I sound heartless-I know.  However, I cried with tears of joy at the end of this novel.  This is a perfect novel to incorporate into Social Studies classes.  I absolutely love history and this novel covers such an important time period regarding segregation.  Incorporating this novel into the classroom would be an absolutely wonderful idea.  Hope you enjoyed the posting! :)