Lesson Plan: March Book Two

“At first, I didn’t believe that man could’ve really left us there to die.
Were we not human to him?” (John Lewis, page 15)

Review

Some stories simply inspire their readers. This is one of them. With images and with words the second in a trilogy of graphic novels based on those who inspired and enthused the Civil Rights Movement and some of its marches not only for themselves, but also for successive, future generations March: Book Two revisits and rethinks what civil rights really, really means (and meant) for all Americans today and yesterday. March Book Two is actually more of a biography/autobiography for it tells the true story of John Lewis and his journey from a sharecroppers farm to the halls of congress.

As I insinuated in my first review of March Book One hats off to the writers, artists, and publishers who stand strong and brave enough to publish stories that all Americans need to hear. Discuss. And grow and learn from.

Elements of Story

Plot: the Civil Rights movement that took place during the 1960s in America

Characters: John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Nita, Maurice, President Barack Obama, Reverend Will Campbell,

Settings: Nashville, TN (1960), U.S. Capitol (2009)

Themes: Racism and multiculturalism, courage and bravery, past-present-future, change, belief and disbelief

Recommended Common Core Standards for Early Readers

Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3 Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

Lesson Plan:

The easiest way to teach young adult readers about how events unfold in a story is to offer them a chance to keep a running record of their progressive with March: Book 2. A simple “What? Then What? And now?” graphic novel questionnaires can help readers bottom line and reflect upon all of the key elements of story. For that reason, the elements of story listed above are only foundational, the very skeletal bones of a story.

In the graphic organizer below ask students to find and explain the 5 Ws of who, what, why, where, and when directly focusing your teaching and their learning on the movement of plot critical to the third Common Core standard for teaching reading to young adults.

When students finish reading the entire class can engage in a very detailed and fruitful discussion about the 10 key ideas and details they each chose.