Brittany Thomas, thanks for the GREAT post, a new book, and some awesome big questions.
Coleman, E., & Robinson, A. B. L. (1998). To be a drum. Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman & Company.
"Long before time, before hours and minutes and seconds, on the continent of Africa, the rhythm of the earth beat for the first people..."
To Be a Drum is a beautifully written and illustrated book about the trials and tribulations of the African people. The book starts out with a father telling his children the story of the beginnings of the African people and their bond with the earth, hearing it like a drum. He tells them how slavery begins and about the African American way of living. The beat of the earth's drum never left the African people as long as they were together and fighting for what they believed. The father weaves through the story of African Americans fighting in the civil war, the march for freedom, and the accomplishments, both academically and politically, of their people. In the end, as the children lay on the ground, they can hear the drum of the earth, beating just like a heart.
The illustrations in this multicultural book are beautiful! The author used homemade dyes and paper, cloth, wool, sisal threads from Kenya, clay, sand, wood strips, vintage buttons, and basket fragments, put together like a collage and giving the pages different textures. In the beginning of the book, it was indicated that some of the cloth scraps were taken from a quilt made by the artist's great - aunt when she was a slave in Georgia. This story depicts the spirit of the African people and the theme of freedom.
R.L. 1.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Students could make an accordion book to illustrate and write about the events in the book. The events will include: Africa before slavery, the Middle Passage, slave auction, slaves working in the fields, slave survival through dance and music, civil war, inventions, march for freedom.
Big Questions:
What is the significance of the Earth's heartbeat? Why do you think it's important in the story?
Do you know your family's history?
African Americans are very proud of their history and things they have overcome. What are you proud of that you have done? What is something you have overcome?
Coleman, E., & Robinson, A. B. L. (1998). To be a drum. Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman & Company. "Long before time, before hours and minutes and seconds, on the continent of Africa, the rhythm of the earth beat for the first people..."
To Be a Drum is a beautifully written and illustrated book about the trials and tribulations of the African people. The book starts out with a father telling his children the story of the beginnings of the African people and their bond with the earth, hearing it like a drum. He tells them how slavery begins and about the African American way of living. The beat of the earth's drum never left the African people as long as they were together and fighting for what they believed. The father weaves through the story of African Americans fighting in the civil war, the march for freedom, and the accomplishments, both academically and politically, of their people. In the end, as the children lay on the ground, they can hear the drum of the earth, beating just like a heart.
The illustrations in this multicultural book are beautiful! The author used homemade dyes and paper, cloth, wool, sisal threads from Kenya, clay, sand, wood strips, vintage buttons, and basket fragments, put together like a collage and giving the pages different textures. In the beginning of the book, it was indicated that some of the cloth scraps were taken from a quilt made by the artist's great - aunt when she was a slave in Georgia. This story depicts the spirit of the African people and the theme of freedom.
Students could make an accordion book to illustrate and write about the events in the book. The events will include: Africa before slavery, the Middle Passage, slave auction, slaves working in the fields, slave survival through dance and music, civil war, inventions, march for freedom.
Big Questions:
What is the significance of the Earth's heartbeat? Why do you think it's important in the story?
Do you know your family's history?
African Americans are very proud of their history and things they have overcome. What are you proud of that you have done? What is something you have overcome?
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