Show Way
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated
by Hudson Talbott
Summary
Jacqueline Woodson shares a very personal story of racial
injustice in her account of the women in her own family tree. Woodson takes us
back to the heartbreaking events in the life of her great-great-great
grandmother, who, as a child of 7 years, was taken from her family and sold
into a life of slavery. Inspired by a single piece of muslin fabric, the sole
remnant and link to her family and loving mother, she began making “Show Ways”,
quilted maps that laid out symbolic pathways that served to help slaves escape
to freedom. The author provides example of how craft and creativity was passed
on from mother to daughter through generations of women who persevered through the
horrible expressions of racial oppression and bias that have prevailed well
beyond the “end” of slavery.
Activity
This book would function well as an introduction to a
broader unit discussing the oppression of Black Americans from slavery through
the Civil Rights Movement. After shared reading of “Show Way”, students would benefit from
expanded discussion of the history of slavery in America. Based upon grade
level, sequential lessons might include investigations of the Underground
Railroad, the secretive network of people that helped slaves find their way to
freedom in the North and the use of Show Way quilts to provide direction and
guidance. Students might also make a personal connection through a creative
learning experience in which students design and create a quilt square telling
the story of their own family. A classroom quilt can be created from individual
squares. This book and associated lessons/course of study is recommended for
students in Grades 3 through 6.
Elements of Social
Injustice
“Show Way” is a great choice of reading material for
transitioning from Element 2: Respect for Diversity to Element 3: Exploring
Issues of Social Injustice. Element 2 is
a celebration of diversity intended to instill an appreciation for differences
as well as build student understanding of the interconnectivity among humans.
Ideally, students will bring empathy into their discussions of Element 3, the
exploration of social injustices and how diversity has negatively impacted the
lives of an entire race of people in the United States. In Woodson’s book, the
young reader meets the author’s ancestors, making connections to real people who
have lived through the struggles for freedom and equality that
African-Americans have endured since they were captured and forced into a life
of slavery. Most importantly, Woodson’s family story not only exposes the horrible
injustice cast upon a race of people who were forced into slavery; it
celebrates the determination and resilience that prevailed within families
through decade after decade of adversity. Focusing on the strengths of the
matriarchs in her ancestry, Woodson proudly reverences their determination,
creativity, resourcefulness and devotion to both family and freedom. “Show Way”
is a powerful message about the enduring effects of oppression and the impact
of social injustice across generations as well as a positive communication of the
effectiveness of continued hope for achieving pure egalitarianism, a hope that
must continue to live within the hearts of mankind.
Buy It
• Audible – An
Amazon Company (audible books) 12 minutes.
• Scholastic –
CD and DVD
• Amazon Books
- Print
• Thrift Books -
Print
Additional
Information
• Author’s
Website
- Additional Books by Author
- Notes for Teachers, Caregivers, and Readers
• Teachers Pay
Teachers
- Lesson plan
- Worksheets
- Printables
• Lesson Plan
-
Lesson
plans for use with “Show Way”
• Thesis Paper
by Rachael Lauer
- Thesis paper discussing the history of Show Way
Quilts and the Underground Railroad including 3 lesson plans relative to this
topic. Paper includes information about the meaning of particular quilt squares
and the creation of student-designed quilt.
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