CORE BOOK FOR CIVIL WAR UNIT
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN BY ELIZABETH YATES
SYNOPSIS:
At-mun is born the son of a king in Africa in 1710. During a tribal celebration, his people are attacked by slave-traders, his father killed and At-mun is taken captive. At the age of 15, he is transported to America on a slave ship and sold into slavery. At-mun is given the name Amos Fortune and learns to speak, read, and write through the study of the Bible. Throughout the remainder of his life, Amos uses his religious beliefs as a blueprint for righteous living. He holds his head high through persecution, poverty, and racism, and faces life’s challenges with dignity, determination, and persistence. At almost 60 years of age, Amos Fortune buys his own freedom and starts his own tanning business. Through hard work and determination, he is able to purchase the freedom of four other slaves, buy land, build a home and help others.
The beauty of the story expands as Amos comes to see himself, not just as a prince of Africa, but also as a child of God and therefore an heir to the kingdom of Heaven. Although the events in this book took place before the Civil war, its theme of freedom is clearly relevant to this unit. It is written for ages 8-12 and will be excellent for multi-grade use, especially for grades 5-8.
ESSENTIALS:
As the core book, everything is done together as a class, however, a few independent or small group activities have been provided.
The main activities for this book have been designed as follows:
· An introductory day, 14 days of readings, a closure day
· Vocabulary awareness for each day
· Questions to guide student thinking and comprehension as you read together
· Author’s Craft (Literary Elements)
· Graphic Organizers and Concept Maps
· Writing Opportunities
As the instructor, please take time each day to go over the material and prepare yourself to “seamlessly” weave these activities into your joint class reading time. Use only what you feel will benefit your students. You may wish for each child to have a literature journal to provide added assessment.
VOCABULARY: (Numbers in parentheses represent page numbers)
Possible Ideas:
· Give each student mini sticky-notes to highlight words that they do not understand, or want more information on.
· Students could create ongoing class vocabulary visual by assigning different words to individual students. When a student is assigned a work they can create small quad-frames (a square with an x dividing it into four sections) for each word. One section for the word; one section for the sentence containing the word; one section for the meaning; and one section for a picture illustrating the meaning. Mount the frames as desired to create mobiles, quilt, bulletin board, etc.
· Present students with multiple definitions and have children choose correct meanings as they read words in context. Vocabulary sheets have been provided that state the definitions only. They can be used in a variety of ways, such as:
1. Make an overhead and write in words as you come to them in the reading.
2. Give each student their own sheet and they fill in the words as come across them in reading.
3. Use as a quiz. Create a matching game, etc.
DURING THE READING:
As you and your students read together, think out loud, ask questions, comment on pictures that come to your mind. Help students see your thinking as much as possible. The Questions given are designed to help you guide the students’ comprehension and provide you with a springboard to stimulate discussions. Never feel obligated to use everything. Use what you need to provide your students with what they need.
AUTHOR’S CRAFT:
When the entire class is working together, it is an ideal time to present Literary Elements, the main tools in author’s craft. Students will grasp the basics at their own level. When Graphic Organizers are used they are designed to do on overhead or computer presentation so entire class can participate. Teaching the literary elements to the entire class will make it easier to model what you want students to do in their individual reading classes.
WRITING OPPORTUNITIES:
Use at your discretion, to provide ideas, individualization, and/or ownership of text.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
TRIANGULAR TRADE ROUTE
The most massive of all slave trading systems was the Atlantic slave trade. The route of the slave trade ran a triangular course. Ships left Europe with goods such as molasses and rum, which were traded for slaves in Africa. From there the slaves were taken to the New World, where they were sold for cash or exchanged for goods. The final leg involved the sale of these goods in Europe.
SLAVERY IN THE NORTH
Before the American Revolution, slavery extended from the shops of New England to the plantations of Georgia. In the decades afterward, as slavery became more fixed in the South, it began to disappear in the North. Slavery was gradually abolished in the North, beginning with Vermont in 1777 and concluding with New York in 1817.
Although the northerners deserve some credit for acting morally, the main reason for the abolishment of slavery in the North was purely economical. The Northern states were substantially populated and whites feared losing jobs to black slaves. In addition, slaves in the North were not as important to the Northern economy as they were to the economy of the South, where they worked the large plantations. Northern businessmen might not have owned slaves themselves, but they did not give up their profitable trade based on southern slavery. New England industry grew rich and powerful from the African slave trade and business with southern slaveowners.
Although they freed their slaves, white northerners were not without prejudice. Free blacks could not vote, or serve on a jury. They could not serve in the army with white soldiers, or hold any political office. They were made to sit in separate areas in churches, and most attended separate schools. The thought of blacks receiving a decent education in their neighborhoods led to violence in several New England communities.
THE QUAKERS
The Religious Society of Friends is a Protestant sect dating back to 17th century England. Its members, known as Quakers, believe that God dwells internally in the heart of every human being and provides direct inspiration for the living of a perfect life. This direct relationship, called the Inner Light, is reflected in a strict mode of living, an emphasis on spiritual responsibility, and a strong feeling of concern for fellow human beings. Whipped, jailed, and even executed in England, the Quakers began coming to America in 1656. One of the trademarks of the Quakers is their insistence upon equality regardless of race, creed, and national origin. As strange as it seems, some Quakers did own slaves, however, they were among the first to release them. Quakers were active in the anti-slavery movement, the Underground Railroad, and in promoting the welfare of freed slaves.
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN by ELIZABATH YATES
DAY 1 – INTRODUCTION TO BOOK
CONNECT: Limit the freedom your students have in some way that they will notice. Perhaps the area they can play in at recess, who they eat with, when they can do something. You may even want to start taking some things that belong to them, a piece of fruit at lunch, a pencil, …” Do this until they grumble and start with “That’s not fair.”
ATTEND: Talk about how they feel to loose freedoms they are use to and things that belong to them. Begin with the story of Joseph. Remind the students that he was a favored son of Jacob. He was treated like a prince, given the best of everything, until that awful day when his brothers sold him into slavery.
IMAGINE
“Imagine how you would feel if you were suddenly captured and forced to leave your homeland. After three months of harsh captivity, you arrive in a new country and are sold into slavery. You don’t know the language, and you struggle to hold on to your past life. What do you think it would be like? ”
After students have had some time to think about how Joseph felt, you may wish the students to discuss what the following words mean and how they relate to the Joseph story:
· self-worth,
· determination,
· dreams,
· perseverance, and
· courage.
INFORM, PRACTICE
The last activity for today is to hand out copies of the book to the students. Ask them NOT to open the book, ONLY look at outside for now. Have students study the cover, consider the title, and read together the synopsis on the back. Invite students to discuss what you have read and complete together the Book Clue Search chart (page 5). You may wish to post predictions on chart paper.
INFORM, PRACTICE, EXTEND
As you read Amos Fortune together over the next four weeks, students will see many similarities to the Joseph story and their own lives. They will also learn more about slavery in America, the need for personal excellence and self-discipline, and the powerful impact the Bible and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit have on the success of an individual’s life.
REFINE, PERFORM
After the book is completed, a day will be given to bringing closure to this text. Activities will help refine what has been studied and celebrate the Freedom we have through Christ Jesus our Lord.
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN by ELIZABATH YATES
DAY 1
BOOK CLUE SEARCHINFORMATION SOURCE / INFORMATION PROVIDED
Title
Cover
Teasers on the Cover
Reviewers’ Recommendations/ Awards Won
Teacher’s Introduction
Predictions about the book:
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN by ELIZABATH YATES
DAY 2 – Africa 1725, pages 3-13
Vocabulary:
equatorial (3), mystic (3), conical (4), fervor (4), obeisance (4), pagan (5), reverberations (6), seethed (9), shackles (10), audible (11)
Questions:
· (7) According to the incantation, what do the At-mun-shi people worship? (nature)
· (8) What does the old woman mean when she taps her head saying, “Not with this will he rule, but so,” laying her hand on her heart? (She is saying that At-mun has a good, kind heart, and he will rule his people
· well.)
· (3-8) Why were the At-mun-shi undefended and all congregated in one place? (They were celebrating a festival, time to plant the corn.)
· (9-12) Why were the At-mun-shi attacked? (Slave Traders collecting slaves.)
· (9-13) In what way did At-mun act differently from the rest of the captives? What accounted for the difference? (Unlike the other captives, At-mun was bold and held his head high. He acted this way because he recognized his role as leader of his people.)
· (13) At the end of the first chapter, At-mun reminds his sister that she is a princess. Why do you think these are his parting words? (Answers will vary)
Author’s Craft: Setting
Setting refers to the place and time in which the events in a work of fiction occur. The setting changes several times throughout this novel.
· Discuss each setting as it occurs in the book. Help students to “picture” the setting in their mind.
· Provide students with the opportunity to draw pictures of the setting changes as they occur in the book.
· Create a setting mural along one wall
Writing: Informative Writing
There appears to be no written record of the At-mun-shi tribe in Africa except in the book Amos Fortune: Free Man. Based on the information provided in the first two chapters of the book, write an essay explaining why you think the tribe cannot be found.
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN by ELIZABATH YATES
DAY 2 – Vocabulary for pages 3-13 (TE)
To be full of bustling activity - seethed
shaped like a cone -conical
iron cuffs and chains - shackles
mysterious, hard to explain - mystic
echoing sounds - reverberations
intensity -fervor
located near the equator - equatorial
one who worships false gods - pagan
able to be heard - audible
respectful gesture - obeisance
equatorial (3), mystic (3), conical (4), fervor (4), obeisance (4), pagan (5), reverberations (6), seethed (9), shackles (10), audible (11)
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN
DAY 2 – Vocabulary for pages 3-13
As we read the story, look for the word that match the following definitions. Please find a word that means:
To be full of bustling activity______
shaped like a cone ______
iron cuffs and chains ______
mysterious, hard to explain ______
echoing sounds ______
intensity ______
located near the equator ______
one who worships false gods ______
able to be heard ______
respectful gesture ______
equatorial (3), mystic (3), conical (4), fervor (4), obeisance (4), pagan (5), reverberations (6), seethed (9), shackles (10), audible (11)
AMOS FORTUNE, FREE MAN by ELIZABATH YATES
DAY 3 – The Middle Passage, pages 14-27
Vocabulary:
abashed (15), brandished (20), shrewd (24), docile (24)
Questions:
· (18) What do you think At-mun is feeling as he leaves the familiarity of the jungle and journeys farther from his home than he had ever been before? (Responsibility for protecting and leading his people, anticipation, wonder, curiosity, fear of the unknown)