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Starr Carter lives in two worlds - her poor, mostly Black neighborhood, and the wealthy, mostly white school she attends. Facing pressure from all sides, she must find her voice to stand up for what’s right.
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CommonLit | Book Pairings - The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963CommonLit Answer Key For Students 2024 [FREE ACCESS] - AnswerKeyFinderQuestions about Emmett Till? Here are the answers.For this book, we offer a mix of literary and informational texts to support your upcoming novel unit. These lessons are designed to build students’ reading comprehension and engagement.
10th GradeInterview1200LDoes It Matter If Schools Are Racially Integrated?Michel Martin2014Passage Summary: This NPR interview, broadcast 60 years after Brown vs. Board of Education, discusses the necessity of integration in our modern society, and what remains to be done to improve the state of American education.When and How to Pair: Introduce this text in chapter 3, after Starr has explained why her mom moved her from the Garden Heights neighborhood schools to Williamson. Ask students to consider Martin’s text alongside their own experiences and to make an argument for whether or not it is important for schools to be integrated. In the novel, we see the inside of Williamson Prep, but never the inside of Garden Heights High School. Why do students think the author made that choice? Revisit this topic at the end of the novel and ask students to discuss what Starr gained and lost by attending Williamson Prep instead of Garden Heights. How might Sekani’s experience have been different from Starr’s? Why?
11th GradeOpinion1200LI went from prison to professorStanley Andrisse2018Passage Summary: In the informational text, "I went from prison to professor," Dr. Stanley Andrisse, a professor who was previously incarcerated, discusses the importance of access to education.When and How to Pair: Introduce this memoir after students have read chapter 3 and ask them to discuss how Maverick is characterized in this chapter. How do we first meet him? Which qualities does the author choose to focus on, and why is that important? How does Maverick’s character continue to expand throughout the novel? What do we lose when we exclude formerly incarcerated people from opportunities in society? What might Maverick’s future have looked like if Mr. Wyatt hadn’t given him a chance? Based on what we know about Maverick, how might his future have been different if the opportunities described in the memoir had been available to him?
7th GradeInformational Text1070LEmmett TillJessica McBirney2016Passage Summary: This informational text explains how the murder of Emmett Till helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.When and How to Pair: Introduce this text before students read chapter 5, to provide them with background knowledge on Emmett Till’s murder. After students have finished chapter 5, ask them to discuss how Starr may have felt when Hailey unfollowed her on Tumblr specifically because of a post about Emmett Till. Why do students think that the author included this detail about Emmett Till in the building tension between Starr and Hailey? How does having a true historical event in the background of the story impact the tone of the novel?
9th GradeInformational Text1280LLearning How To Code-Switch: Humbling, But NecessaryEric Deggans2013Passage Summary: In "Learning How To Code-Switch: Humbling, But Necessary," Eric Deggans discusses how cultural identity shapes the communication style a person uses.When and How to Pair: Introduce this nonfiction text after students have read chapter 5. Ask students to explain what Starr means when says that she must “flip the switch” to become “Williamson Starr?” Connect Starr’s transformation to “Williamson Starr” with the main idea in Deggan’s text. Are some characters in the novel required to code-switch more than others? According to Eric Deggans, why is code-switching often necessary for people of color? What factors influence whether code-switching is a skill that is necessary for an individual person to learn?
10th GradePrimary Source Document1160LLetter from Birmingham JailDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.1963Passage Summary: In the famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., outlines his nonviolence approach to addressing injustice while responding to criticism.When and How to Pair: Introduce this text before students read chapter 7 and ask them to explain what Dr. King means when he describes the “white moderate” in paragraph 24 of “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” In the novel, Hailey does not consider herself to be racist and is offended when her responses to both Emmett Till’s and Khalil’s murders are criticized. How is Hailey’s attitude in chapter 7 similar to the way that Dr. King describes white moderates throughout “Letter from Birmingham Jail?” As you continue to read the novel, consider how Hailey and Chris serve as foils for one another, and evaluate how they represent two different approaches that white people can take to addressing racism.
10th GradePoemPoem Resisting ArrestKyle Dargan2018Passage Summary: In Kyle Dargan's poem "Poem Resisting Arrest," a speaker describes a poem that questions its arrest.When and How to Pair: Introduce this poem before students read chapter 11. Ask students to think back to the moments surrounding Khalil’s death in chapter 3 and identify parallels between Khalil’s experience and what the speaker describes in the poem. After students finish reading chapter 11, ask them to compare the feelings of the speaker with Maverick’s feelings when he is detained by the police. Why did Khalil and Maverick respond differently to the police? Was one response “better” than the other? Why? Does the fact that Khalil did not follow the police officer’s instructions justify his murder? Does it matter that he was unarmed? Why?
8th GradePoemJabari UnmaskedNikki Grimes2017Passage Summary: In Nikki Grimes' poem "Jabari Unmasked," a speaker describes hiding their identity from the world.When and How to Pair: Introduce this poem after students have read chapter 17 of The Hate U Give. According to the speaker, what does it mean to “wear the mask,” and why do students of color feel compelled to do it sometimes? How does Starr “wear the mask” at various points throughout the text? Are there examples of other characters in the story “wearing the mask?” How does not being able to be her full self impact Starr in chapter 17 and other points in the story?
8th GradeShort Story760LGyroscopesSusan Muaddi Darraj2022Passage Summary: In "Gyroscopes," an Arab American teenager deals with painful feelings when she confronts racism in an unexpected place.When and How to Pair: Introduce this short story after chapter 20 and ask students to compare the moment when Starr punches Hailey in the novel with the moment in “Gyroscopes” when Layla smashes the magic carpet contraption that she built. What do these moments represent for each character? What does it take for each character to arrive at this critical moment in their lives?
10th GradeSpeech1300LPresident Obama's Remarks on Trayvon Martin RulingPresident Barack Obama2013Passage Summary: On the evening of February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year old African American boy from Florida, was fatally shot by a George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder and was found "not guilty" by a jury in July of 2013. These are the remarks of President Barack Obama after the trial.When and How to Pair: Introduce this text after students have finished chapter 27. How does President Obama react to the Trayvon Martin verdict? If President Obama had given these remarks after the grand jury decided not to charge Officer Cruise with Khalil’s murder, how would the story’s characters respond? Which characters would agree with the sentiments expressed in President Obama’s remarks? Which characters would have been dissatisfied with President Obama’s response? Explain your answer using textual evidence.
8th GradeInformational Text1190LTeen girls organized Nashville's largest protest. They joined a long history of black women activists.Lena Felton2020Passage Summary: In this text, Lena Felton describes how a teenager used social media to organize one of Nashville's most successful protests.When and How to Pair: Introduce this text before students read chapter 23 and ask them to use the article, as well as their own experience, to discuss the role that technology and social media play in modern activism. After students have read chapter 23, ask them to discuss all of the ways that technology and social media impacted the characters’ experiences on the night that the grand jury decision was announced. How can social media both support and hinder protest efforts? Students should also consider the fake protest enacted by the Williamson students in chapter 11.
8th GradePoemI look at the worldLangston HughesCirca 1930-1933Passage Summary: In "I look at the world," a speaker describes becoming aware of their oppression, as well as their role in making the world more just.When and How to Pair: Have students read this poem after they have finished the novel and ask them to explain how the poem’s themes connect with Starr’s characterization throughout the novel. How does Starr change and grow from the beginning of the novel to the end? What are the major and minor factors that influence her growth? Which other characters most influence Starr’s growth? How? What do you imagine Starr might be doing a few years from now? How do you think her experiences will affect her future choices?
8th GradePoemSonnetJames Weldon Johnson1893Passage Summary: In "Sonnet," the speaker urges their heart to be brave.When and How to Pair: Have students read this poem after they have finished reading the novel and ask them to identify and discuss the poem’s theme. How could this poem be a motto for the Carters and all of their extended and chosen family? Explain. Students could also consider the poem’s Reconstruction origins and the role of the author in the earliest parts of the Civil Rights movement and how that history has directly or indirectly shaped the views and values of the Carter family.
