Unspoken

Outcomes:

Recount in role, letters of advice, descriptive retellings, wanted posters, dialogue

Main Outcome:

Biography

Length:

15 sessions, 3 weeks

Overview and Outcomes:

In this three-week sequence for Unspoken by Henry Cole, children use their inference skills to explore what is happening in this wordless book. They examine the historical period of the time and write as the main character, ensuring they can draw upon any experiences they have had themselves where a dilemma is presented. They finish the sequence by researching the life of Harriet Tubman and writing a biography.

Synopsis of Text:

A young girl's courage is tested in this haunting, wordless story.  When a farm girl discovers a runaway slave hiding in the barn, she is at once startled and frightened. But the stranger's fearful eyes weigh upon her conscience, and she must make a difficult choice. Will she have the courage to help him? Unspoken gifts of humanity unite the girl and the runaway as they each face a journey: one following the North Star, the other following her heart. Henry Cole's unusual and original rendering of the Underground Railroad speaks directly to our deepest sense of compassion.

Links:

Wordless, Underground Railroad, quilts, African-American, Bklack History, slavery