Child of the Dream

Title: Child of the Dream

Author: Sharon Robinson

Copyright: 2019

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Reading level: 740L

Age range: 8-13

Suggested delivery: Read aloud, independent read

Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3

Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Summary

This book is a coming of age memoir about Sharon Robinson who is the daughter of the famous baseball player Jackie Robinson. This follows her life during 1963 which is an impactful year for the civil rights movement. Even though Sharon's father is well known and she gets more than other children do, she still faces hardships and struggles with the feeling of isolation. Sharon uses her voice to fight for equality and justice during such a vital time.

Reviews/Key Words

Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 2015-2021

Key Words:

  • History

  • Culture

  • Equality

  • Vulnerable

  • Family

  • Resilience

Electronic Resources

Teaching Suggestions

Key Vocabulary:

  • Racism- prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior

  • Discrimination- the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially of race, age, or sex

  • Civil Rights Movement- a political movement and campaign from 1954-1968 to abolish institutional racial segregation and discrimination

  • Equality- providing equal and fair opportunities for all

  • Diversity- having representation of all individuals and points of view being acknowledged

  • Constitutional rights- are protections and liberties guaranteed to people by the U.S. constitution

Teaching:

  • Before: Introduce the book to the students. Provide videos and pictures of who Jackie Robinson was and why he made such an impact during this time. Ask students what they know about the civil rights movement, who was involved, how it started, how it ended, etc.

  • During: Make an illustrated timeline showing events of the story and draw a map showing the location(s) where they take place.

  • After: Use https://www.loc.gov to research about other civil rights movements during that time. Students can then create a visual representing what it was like during that time using the text and the information provided in the website.

Writing Activity:

Retell the story as a whole class, writing down the parts as they are told. Each child illustrates a part.