Pearson's Teacher Guide
Thematic Connections
Prejudice
Is it ever right for one individual to own another, or for one group of people to be denied equal rights because they are different in some way? This would make a good debate topic for students.
Getting Along with Others
Slave owners such as Clel Waller used fear and intimidation to control their workers. Students should see that these methods are inappropriate. Put students into small groups and give them a task that needs cooperation to finish. Have students rate themselves on their work habits and project how they could do better in the future.
Freedom
Nightjohn had gone North and was free, but returned to the South to help others gain freedom by teaching them how to read and write. Have students discuss the value of literacy and how it creates freedom. Students can brainstorm how they would perform a familiar routine (eating in a restaurant, going to a different part of town) if they couldn't read or write.
Leadership
Nightjohn is viewed as a leader among the slaves because of his efforts to help them. What does it take to be an effective leader? Students can select some local or national leaders and decide why they believe these people have been successful in getting support from the voters.
Adapted from Random House
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