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Grade Level:
6 - 9
Literary Form:
American Novel
Paired with:
I, Juan de Pareja10 Lesson Plans/32 Handouts/88 Pages
ISBN:978-1-56077-180-7
Description:
An award-winning story of a teenage boy in the 1840s pressed into service aboard a slave ship, The Slave Dancer depicts the brutality of the slave trade and the corruption of Jessie Bollier’s musical talent. Paula Fox has written the novel in the first person, so that Jessie describes, with vivid and emotional details, the sudden transition from a placid, sheltered existence with his mother and sister to the rigorous life at sea. The novel offers an in-depth examination of the issue of freedom of artistic expression.
Activities:
Students analyze the content and examine the structure of this work of historical fiction. They sort fact from fiction; create fictional alternatives; and participate in close reading, mapping, and free writing activities. Students also brainstorm, discuss, research, and present. Activities help students understand the importance of freedom of expression and the place of the arts in daily life. They see that slavery is more than physical humiliation; it is a denial of choice or free will, leading to immoral acts and personal conflicts.
Supplementary materials include objective and essay tests with answer keys.
Ethical Values:
Courage, Endurance, Family commitment, Freedom, Loyalty
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