Emily Basham

Date of Lesson: 2/10/14

Pink and Say - Intro to the Civil War
State Standard: 3-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in antebellum period, the
causes and effects of the Civil War, and the impact of Reconstruction in South Carolina.

Learning Objective: The student will be able to compare and contrast the lives of Pink (a former slave)
and Say (the son of a small farmer).

Essential Question: How did daily life differ for the various classes of people in South Carolina?

Assessment: The student will write 1 paragraph on Pink and Say. The teacher score the students based
on whether they included 3 differences/similarities between Pink and Say. The teacher will record score
in an anything chart.

Activities/Procedures:
Opening Hook and EQ: The teacher will ask the EQ. The teacher will discuss the Civil War and the
students prior knowledge. The teacher will create a chart comparing Pink and Say. The class will
complete this chart as they walk through the book.
The teacher will read Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. Periodically, the teacher will stop and ask
questions relating the text to the Civil War and vocabulary.
The teacher will emphasize the difference between the social classes of Pink and Say. The class
will complete the graphic organizer comparing them together. Students will write a short
paragraph explaining the difference between Pinks life and Says life.
Closure/Answering the EQ: The class will discuss the impact of the war on Pink and Say, as well
as their families. The teacher will tell the class that they will learn about several families who
were affected by the war and the time period.

Accommodations:
ESL: The teacher will be reading the book aloud to aid students who struggle with reading. The teacher
will discuss words or phrases that are hard to understand.
Special Education: Students who struggle to understand may take the book with them to resource and
reread before the test.
Early Finishers: The early finishers could read or take the AR test on their library books or Pink and Say.
They may also complete an early finishers task from the challenge box (assignments and rationale
attached).

Materials: Pink and Say, large chart paper, sticky notes, paper, pencils

Questioning:
1) Create questions based on the text. (Creating)
2) What social class is Pink from? How do you know? (Evaluating)
3) What details about the time before the war can you pull from this text set during
the war? (Analyzing)


Early Finishers
Early finishers may select an assignment through the challenge box. The teacher will add the
assignments below to the challenge box as each is covered in the unit. The student will select and
complete an assignment. Upon completion of the assignment, the student will receive 5 points of extra
credit. The teacher will add extra credit to daily grades or test grades in any subject, as needed.

Challenge Box 1:
If the computers are open, go to www.knowitall.org/gullahtales/. Read one of the tales along with Aunt
Pearl. Write your own folktale. Remember that folktales often include animals as characters and a
moral.

Challenge Box 2:
Reread Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. If you have not taken an AR test on the book, now would be a
good time. (Please show Ms. Basham your grade.) Identify which social class Pinkus Aylee belonged to
and which Sheldon belonged to. Why do you believe that is true? Use your Antebellum flipbook for help.

Challenge Box 3:
Do you remember the skits we did in class? Each skit showed the life of a family in one social class. Draw
an illustration or comic strip for one of the skits. Look at the skits for help.

Challenge Box 4:
Do you remember the skits we did in class? Each skit showed the life of a family in one social class. Now
its your turn! Pick a social class and write your own skit about life in that class. Make sure your skit
includes details from that social group. Use your Antebellum flipbook for help!


Challenge Box 5:
Pick a book from the box. Read the book and take an AR test on the book. How does the book relate to
what we are learning about the Antebellum period? (Remember to show Ms. Basham your grade on the
AR test.) Books: The Patchwork Quilt, Circle Unbroken, Follow the Drinking Gourd, Pink and Say

Challenge Box 6:
Remember Clara and the Freedom Quilt? In the book Clara used her quilt to convey a secret message.
What was the message? Now its your turn. Make your own freedom quilt by drawing signs on a square
of paper (in this box). Think about what you know about how slaves escaped when you draw your
symbols. Look back at the book for ideas.

Challenge Box 7:
Complete the Civil War word search. What are the words included? What do they mean?




Challenge Box 8:
Read the pamphlet about sweetgrass baskets. Is this fiction or nonfiction? Create your own pamphlet
about the Gullah people using construction paper (in the box). Your pamphlet can include information
about Gullah language, stories, music, food, and sweetgrass baskets.

Challenge Box 9:
Reread A Gullah Alphabet that we read together on Gullah day. Write a paragraph about the importance
of the Gullah language to the African American people.



Lesson 1 Sample Assessment
Students will write a paragraph explaining the similarities and differences between Pink and Say. The
teacher will look for at least three similarities or differences. The outcomes will be recorded in an
anything chart.

2/10/14 2/26/14 2/27/14 3/3/14 3/4/14 3/10/14
Student Pink & Say
3 details of
differences
Antebellum Skits
Out of 7 (5 is
passing)
3, 2, 1
Slavery
Dear
Diary

Cotton Gin The Civil War
begins
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