Grade 4 Unit 3:
Clean Getaway
Summary:
In Clean Getaway, 11 year old Scoob just had his spring break canceled because he got in trouble again at school! He thinks that he will have the most boring spring break until his grandmother pulls up in a brand new Winnebago and offers to take him on the trip of his life. As the two drive through the American South, Scoob learns an eye-opening history about his grandparents. This road trip is educational, scary, fun, sad, and full of ups and downs. Clean Getaway is also an introduction to racial inequality both in the past and currently in our country. Through the experiences of Scoob and our characters, we can begin to have meaningful discussions about racial inequality and the experiences of living in America from the perspectives of different racial backgrounds.
Big Ideas:
Prejudices and misconceptions can negatively impact an individual’s experiences.
Secrets can affect trust between individuals.
Family dynamics influence relationships.
Individuals throughout history have experienced inequality.
Events can change the views we have.
Culminating Task:
In the text, Scoob takes a journey across states reliving the journey G’Ma and G’Pop took many years ago. Through this road trip with G’Ma, Scoob learns of the injustices and prejudices people of different racial backgrounds faced back then and even still today. Through each stop, Scoob learns more about the Civil Rights Movement. Students will be able to create their own travel magazine article/ Google Earth presentation based on the historical Civil Rights Movement locations or monuments Scoob and G’Ma visited in the story. Students will include information as well as text features to their travel magazine article/ Google Earth presentation. Together, the class will create an informational writing piece informing others about the Civil Rights Movement and analyzing its pivotal role in the lives of G’ma and G’Pop and in America's history.
