Birmingham Sunday

 Birmingham Sunday

 

Written by Larry Dane Brimner

Title:  Birmingham Sunday
 

Larry Dane Brimner

Author: Larry Dane Brimner was born in Florida, but grew up on Alaska's Kodiak Island. He began writing poetry in college, but turned his attention towards children's books while teaching. He no longer teaches and is a full-time writer. Larry has won numerous awards and has had his books translated into other languages such as Japanese. http://www.brimner.com/index.html

Genre: Nonfiction

Grade Level: Upper elementary and middle school

Synopsis: Birmingham Sunday revisits the town of Birmingham, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement. The book starts out on September 15, 1963 a day that later became known as Birmingham Sunday. On this day four African American girls were killed by a bomb set off in a church by the Ku Klux Klan. The book then goes back before the bombing and discusses the events of the Civil Rights Movement that lead up to the day of the bombing and all of the acts of hatred and violence that the African American people of the South had endured. The text covers sit-ins, bus boycotts, and freedom marches. The book provides biographies on all of the African American children who died on Birminingham Sunday and also the justice that they received when investigations lead athorities to the Caucasian men responsible for so many of the deaths.

Theme: The two major themes that can be connected to this story are the Civil Rights Movement and African American culture.

Pre-reading Activity: This book is graphic and tragic as were many of the events that went on during the Civil Rights Movement. As a teacher I would give the students a disclaimer and then proceed with a picture walk to get the prepared for the facts.

Post-reading Activity: After the book is read, have the class write a formal letter to one of the children who died on Birmingham Sunday. In the letter they must include three ways the Civil Rights Movement promoted equality, two ways African Americans and Caucasians are equal now, and one way their death affected the student writing the letter. The students will use a formal writing layout.

Assessment: The students will be assessed on their letter. They must include all six areas listed above and they must use the formal writing layout.
 

Carol Denise McNair, Cynthia D. Morris Wesley, Addie Mae Collins and Carole Rosamond Robertson

Personal Reflection: Birmingham Sunday was a book I enjoyed learning from. I have always had an interest in the Civil Rights Movement and I think that Larry Dane Brimner brought a new life to such a tragic day. The book is tastefully done and tells the factual information in an interesting way. They book would be great for using in a classroom during a unit on the Civil Rights Movement or African American History. It might be a little graphic for some students so before using the book make sure to read it thoroughly and decide if it would be a good fit for your particular students.