Lessons & Units :: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt 4th Grade Unit

Read-Aloud Lesson: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

Lesson Plan

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt | 680L

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Learning Goal
Students will identify Clara’s main goal and the steps she takes to achieve it. Students will then discuss what traits make people successful at achieving their goals.
Duration
Part 1: Approximately 40-45 minutes
 
Part 2: Approximately 15-20 minutes
 
Part 3: Approximately 15-20 minutes
Necessary Materials

Provided:
1. Detailed lesson plan
2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
3. Independent student worksheet

Not Provided:
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

 
  1. This lesson is a close reading of the entire text. So it’s important to engage students often, to enhance their learning. Here are two tips:

    •   When you ask the more complex questions from the lesson, ask students to “turn-and-talk” or “buddy-talk” before answering.

    •   Once you are deep into the lesson, instead of asking students every question provided, ask them to share with you what questions they should be asking themselves at that point in the text. This is also a great opportunity to use "turn-and-talk."
       
  2. Suggested teacher language is included in the lesson.

  3. We recommend you read the book once to your students, either the day or morning before teaching the lesson.

  4. This research-based, read-aloud lesson may seem long. Why do students need the lesson to be this way?
 

Part 1: Teacher Modeling and Questioning

 

Write the following student-friendly learning goal on the board, then read the learning goal out loud with the class: 

We will identify Clara’s main goal and the steps she takes to achieve it. We will also describe what makes people successful at achieving their goals.

 
Transition Students into the Text
 
Teacher says: We are going to read a story about a girl around your age. Unlike you, she is not in school. She is a slave who works at a big house and farm, far from her family.
 
Read page 1 out loud, then stop. Page 1 ends with, “...give up dreamin’”.
1.

Teacher says: This story is told by one of the characters in it. Listen as I reread these sentences from the beginning. As you listen, try to figure out which character is telling the story:

“I didn’t want to leave my momma. 'I'm goin' back to her,' I whispered every day to Young Jack, who worked beside me in the fields. 'Well, you better start eatin' all you can, Sweet Clara.' He smiled at me.”

2.
Teacher asks: Who is the character telling this story?
 
Students answer: The character telling this story is Sweet Clara.
3.
Teacher says: We have already learned some important things about Sweet Clara. Let’s review what those are.
4.
Teacher asks: About how old is Sweet Clara?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara is about twelve years old.
Read more
5.
Teacher says: We also learned that Sweet Clara is a field hand at a plantation. That means she works in the fields on a big farm.
6.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara cries when she arrives at the plantation. Based on what the story tells us, why does she cry?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara cries because she misses her momma.
7.
Teacher asks: What does Sweet Clara dream of doing?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara dreams of going back to her mother.
8.
Teacher says: Sweet Clara states that she did not give up on her dream. Keep that in mind as we read on.
 
Read page 3 out loud, then stop. Page 3 ends with, “...that’s why.”
9.
Teacher asks: What does Aunt Rachel start teaching Sweet Clara?
 
Students answer: Aunt Rachel starts teaching Sweet Clara how to sew.
 
Read pages 5-7 out loud, then stop. Page 7 ends with, “...she cried”.
10.
Teacher asks: What does Missus tell Sweet Clara after looking over her sewing?
 
Students answer: Missus tells Sweet Clara to come to the house from now on.
 
Read page 10 out loud, then stop. Page 10 ends with, “’...get a map’.”
11.
Teacher asks: Where in the house does Sweet Clara work?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara works in a room next to the kitchen.
12.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara can hear people talking in the kitchen from where she works. What does she hear them talk about?
 

Students answer (may vary but should resemble the following):

  • Sweet Clara hears them talk about all kinds of new places and things.
  • Sweet Clara hears them talk about the Underground Railroad.
 
Read page 12 out loud, then stop. Page 12 ends with, “’...have it’.”
13.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara asks Aunt Rachel what the Underground Railroad is. What is the Underground Railroad?
 
Students answer: The Underground Railroad is people who help runaway slaves escape to Canada to freedom.
14.
Teacher asks: What does Sweet Clara ask Cook the next day?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara asks Cook what a map is.
15.
Teacher asks: Think back to Sweet Clara’s dream. Why might she be interested in the Underground Railroad and maps?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara might be interested in the Underground Railroad and maps because they could help her get back to her mother.
16.
Teacher says: Let’s see whether there is a connection between maps and Sweet Clara’s dream as we read on.
 
Read pages 13-16 out loud, then stop. Page 16 ends with, “...just nodded”.
17.
Teacher asks: What does Sweet Clara start sewing?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara starts sewing a quilt.
18.
Teacher asks: What is the quilt made out of?
 
Students answer: The quilt is made out of scraps of cloth left over from Clara’s other sewing.
19.
Teacher asks: What does Sweet Clara start asking people?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara starts asking people which fields are where.
20.
Teacher asks: Why might Sweet Clara want to know which fields are where?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara might want to know which fields are where so that she can sew their location into her quilt.
21.
Teacher asks: What is Sweet Clara making with her quilt?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara is making a map.
22.
Teacher says (models thinking): As we read, I am noticing one of Sweet Clara’s personal traits, or qualities. She is resourceful. That means she is good at finding creative ways to get things done. One example is her making a map.
23.
Teacher asks: How does the map show Sweet Clara’s resourcefulness, or creativity?
 
Students answer (may vary): Sweet Clara comes up with the idea of making a map out of a quilt and uses the information she hears from other people to figure out what places belong where on the quilt, or map she is sewing.
 
Read pages 17-19 out loud, then stop. Page 19 ends with, “’...that cloth.’”
24.

Teacher says: We just got a clue about what Clara is up to. Listen again to this sentence: “Missus liked to wear pink a lot, so Big House, the Quarters, and finally, the Big House at North Farm, they was all pink.”

This is the second time that North Farm has been mentioned. The first time was at the very beginning of the book. “Before I was even twelve years old,” Clara told us, “I got sent from North Farm to Home Plantation.”

25.
Teacher asks: Whom does Clara know at North Farm?
 
Students answer: Clara’s mother lives at North Farm.
26.
Teacher asks: Why does Clara put North Farm on her quilt-map?
 
Students answer: Clara puts North Farm on her quilt-map because she wants to go there.
27.
Teacher says (models thinking): The presence of North Farm on Clara’s quilt shows that she still dreams of returning to her mother. Working on the quilt and getting information from other slaves are two steps Clara is taking to make her dream come true. We're going to see whether she takes any others.
28.
Teacher asks: Before moving on, let's take a closer look at the illustration on page 20. Based on the information in the book, what type of place is Clara most likely sewing in this illustration?
 
Students answer: Clara is most likely sewing fields in the illustration.
 

If students are unsure what type of place Clara is sewing in the illustration, reread the following sentence from page 19 to indicate that it is fields:

"Sometimes I had to wait to get the right kind of cloth - I had blue calico and flowered blue silk for creeks and rivers, and greens and blue-greens for the fields, and white sheeting for roads."

 
Read pages 22-23 out loud, then stop. Page 23 ends with, “...already dreamed”.
29.
Teacher asks: What do Sweet Clara and Jack do?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara and Jack leave Home Plantation.
30.
Teacher asks: What route, or trail, do Sweet Clara and Jack follow?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara and Jack follow the route of the freedom quilt.
31.
Teacher says (models thinking): Now I am noticing another of Sweet Clara’s personal traits. She is brave. Running away from slave-owners who will probably come after her and traveling to places she has never been takes courage.
32.
Teacher asks: How is Sweet Clara’s bravery helping her achieve her dream?
 
Students answer (may vary): Sweet Clara’s bravery makes it possible for her to go on a dangerous journey.
 
Read page 26 out loud, then stop. Page 26 ends with, “’To Canada.’”
33.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara and Jack reach North Farm. Who is there?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara’s mother and little sister are there.
34.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara’s mother and sister join her and Jack on their journey north. The four of them eventually come to the Ohio River. How do they cross it?
 
Students answer: They cross it on a little boat.
35.
Teacher asks: How is Sweet Clara able to find the boat?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara is able to find the boat because she remembers the place on the quilt where she marked the crossing.
36.
Teacher asks: Has Sweet Clara achieved her dream? Explain why or why not.
 
Students answer: Yes, Sweet Clara has achieved her dream because she has gone back to her mother.
 
Read the remainder of the book, pages 27-30.
37.
Teacher asks: Sweet Clara has come a long way since the beginning of the story, when she was working in the fields. What steps has she taken to achieve her dream of returning to her mother?
 

Students answer (may vary but should include the following):

  • Sweet Clara has sewn a quilt that was also a map to freedom.
  • Sweet Clara saved scraps for her quilt.
  • Sweet Clara gathered details from many people for her map.
38.
Teacher says: We just discussed the steps that Sweet Clara took to achieve her dream. Now think about what she is like as a person.
39.
Teacher asks: What personal traits, or qualities, help Sweet Clara achieve her dream? Explain how.
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Resourcefulness: Sweet Clara comes up with the idea of making a map out of a quilt and uses her ears to figure out what belongs where on it.
  • Bravery: Sweet Clara runs away from slave-owners and travels to places she has never been.
  • Patience: Sweet Clara spends a long time waiting for scraps of cloth to use in her quilt.
  • Dedication: Sweet Clara sticks to her dream and works to achieve it.
 

Part 2: Guided Practice and Discussion

 
For this oral lesson, it is suggested to have the completed graphic organizer on the board with the answers concealed before this part of the lesson. After students provide a correct answer, reveal the corresponding answer on the graphic organizer.
 
Transition Students into the Guided Practice
 
Teacher says: In the first part of the lesson, we discussed Sweet Clara’s dream and the steps she took to achieve it. We also talked about the personal traits that helped Sweet Clara achieve her dream. Now we are going to bring all that information together into a graphic organizer.
1.
Teacher asks: What does Sweet Clara dream of?
 
Students answer: Sweet Clara dreams of going back to her mother.
2.
Teacher asks: What steps does Sweet Clara take to achieve her dream?
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Sweet Clara sews a quilt that is also a map to freedom.
  • Sweet Clara saves scraps for her quilt.
  • Sweet Clara gathers details from many people for her map.
  • Sweet Clara runs away from Home Plantation.
Read more
 
Continue asking for steps until students run out of them.
3.
Teacher asks: What personal traits, or qualities, help Sweet Clara achieve her dream? Explain how.
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Resourcefulness: Sweet Clara comes up with the idea of making a map out of a quilt and uses her ears to figure out what belongs where on it.
  • Bravery: Sweet Clara runs away from slave-owners and travels to places she has never been.
  • Patience: Sweet Clara spends a long time waiting for scraps of cloth to use in her quilt.
  • Dedication: Sweet Clara sticks to her dream and works to achieve it.
 
Continue asking for traits until students run out of them.
 

After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed with the class, ask the following two extension questions.

 
Teacher asks: Give at least two examples of things other characters do that help Sweet Clara achieve her dream. Explain how each thing leads to Sweet Clara achieving her dream.
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Aunt Rachel teaches Sweet Clara how to sew, which makes it possible for Clara to sew a quilt-map. Sewing that map allows her to escape to her mother.
  • Cook’s husband tells Sweet Clara how to get through the swamp next to their plantation. Knowing how to get through the swamp helps Sweet Clara escape to her mother.
 
Teacher asks: Could Sweet Clara have achieved her dream without the help of others? Use evidence from the book to explain why or why not.
 

Students answer (may vary):

  • Sweet Clara could not have achieved her dream without the help of others. If not for Aunt Rachel, she might never have learned to sew. Without knowing how to sew, she could not have made the quilt-map that helped her escape to her mother.
  • Sweet Clara might have been able to achieve her dream without the help of others. Even if she had not gotten information from Cook’s husband and other slaves about the area around her, she could still have traveled through it. Getting to her mother might have taken longer and been more dangerous, but she could have done it.
 

Part 3: Student Independent Practice

 
Both the student question set and teacher answer sheet are provided in the 'Text & Materials' section.

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

User Comments

Love this lesson. My students will love this lesson. Thanks.

Submitted by Bacalao on 12/27/16

My students absolutely loved this lesson.

Submitted by ms.shacahriparks_1198915 on 2/2/16

Great lesson. I plan to use it with my ESL students.
Thank you.

Submitted by liliazel on 2/1/16

This is fantastic! My students are so engaged. Thank you.

Submitted by pharris_1179184 on 2/10/15

This is great! Thank you!

Submitted by vquintero6 on 2/3/15

Wonderful lesson, Thanks.

Submitted by bettyestokes on 1/31/15

Love this lesson. Perfect way to start Black History Month.

Submitted by cb10013 on 1/31/15