Introduction

In Mildred Taylor's novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, many readers will be exposed to an unfamiliar setting. Most of us have not experienced the effects of slavery or the Great Depression. So, this webquest is prepared to offer you some background to enhance your reading and understanding of the novel. But, in considering the background of this novel and in reading the text, consider modern forms of discrimination, question whether the Civil Rights Act has accomplished its goals, look around and see if there are still lingering effects leftover from the Great Depression today. Look to see how this novel of the past is still with us in our lives today.

Task

In preparation for your reading of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, you will become an expert on one of the six topics listed below and then prepare a presentation of your research to share with the rest of the class.

The topics for this assignment are:

• The Great Depression

• Segregated Schools and Brown vs. the Board of Education

• The Little Rock Nine

• The Biography of Mildred Taylor

• Sharecropping

• Jim Crowe Laws

Your presentation must be in the form of 1.) a poster project, 2.) Hyperstudio or PowerPoint, 3.) acting/speech/role playing, or 4.) a method approved in advance by Mr. Tonks

Resources

The Great Depression

http://rs6.loc.gov/wpaintro/intro01.html

http://scrtec.org/track/tracks/f05805.html

http://home.sullivan.k12.il.us/teachers/dwyer/Dep.htm

Segregated Schools

http://www.scrtec.org/track/tracks/f06588.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/edu.htm

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html

http://www.letsfindout.com/subjects/america/brown.html

Little Rock Nine

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/race_relations/july-dec97/rock_9-25a.html

http://cr.virtualscholar.com/cr6.htm

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/school-integration/lilrock/index.html

Mildred Taylor Biography

http://www.penguinputnam.com/catalog/yreader/authors/2104_biography.html

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/taylor.htm

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring98/taylor.html

http://206.183.164.3/cmslmc/Grade6/taylorbio.htm

Sharecropping

http://www.uwec.edu/Academic/Geography/Ivogeler/w188/planta3.htm

http://tinpan.fortunecity.com/kowalski/112/dictionary/sharecropping.htm

http://www.bchm.org/wrr/recon/p6a.html

Jim Crow Laws

http://www.nps.gov/malu/documents/jim_crow_laws.htm

http://www.ushmm.org/olympics/zcc036a.htm

http://www.midsouth.rr.com/civilrights/it13.html

http://topaz.kenyon.edu/projects/neh/edu/jimcrow.htm

http://www.usbol.com/ctjournal/JCrow1.html

Process

1. As a class determine to which topic you have been assigned.

2. Review the resources for your topic.

3. Decide how you will present your research to the rest of the class.

4. Research your topic.

5. Organize your materials and design your presentation.

6. Present your research to the class.

Evaluation

Your final presentation before the class is equivalent to a major test score.

Conclusion

As you read this novel, it is important that you come away with an understanding of the history so that you can better understand your present and bring about changes for your future.