Fourth Grade Engages with Author Evelyn Coleman

Fourth Grade students prepared for author Evelyn Coleman's visit by watching and listening to James Earl Jones read her book To Be A Drum and Amber Rose Tamblyn read White Socks Only- both on Storyline. http://www.storylineonline.net/a-to-z-book-directory/?sort=titleb. Our students shared the big ideas about each of these books in small groups and then each student generated a question for Evelyn Coleman. These questions were emailed to her in preparation to her visit and she answered each question in detail when she spoke with the fourth graders.

Freedom Train is a historical fiction chapter book written about the real Freedom Train that traveled during 1947-49 from Philadelphia to 322 cities across the country with documents symbolizing freedom and stopping only in cities that allowed all of their citizens to visit the train. The Rosenbach Museum provided many of the documents shared during the journey of the train across our country. (We want to thank Emilie Parker the Education Director at the Rosenbach Museum for facilitating Evelyn Coleman's visit to our school during her residency at the museum in conjunction with the Freedom train exhibit at the museum.  https://www.rosenbach.org/learn/exhibitions) Clyde, the main character is a twelve year old white boy,  growing up in an impoverished family in Atlanta who becomes aware of the segregation and racism surrounding him and the prejudice his poor family experiences as well. He develops a friendship with William, a wealthy African American boy who comes to Clyde's rescue when Clyde is being bullied by a bigger white boy from his class.  While listening to the first chapter, our fourth graders took notes in two columns about facts that were historical and the fictional elements in the story and then generated questions and compliments about Evelyn Coleman's writing style. She carefully read their notes and questions about Freedom Train. The anecdotes she shared about the craft of writing and the inspiration for the events and characters in her books were enlightening. She was very impressed with the quality of the questions and the perceptive insights that students shared about her writing.

We will be continuing our relationship with this talented author. During the winter, the entire grade will be reading her mystery book Shadows on Society Hill during our study of Abolition and life after enslavement. Shadows on Society Hill takes place in Philadelphia, right after the end of the Civil War when a family is reunited and begin their life as free citizens in the Society Hill section of the city. We will be emailing Evelyn our questions and comments while reading this book and will have a virtual conversation with her when we finish reading.