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Read Chapter 4: “Marriage, and Activism” – Chapter 6: “Secretary to the NAACP;” Complete Student Packet Worksheets for Chapter 4: “Marriage, and Activism” – Chapter 6: “Secretary to the NAACP”

Choose a photograph from a newspaper or magazine and show the photograph to the class. Ask students to make up a story about what’s going on in the photograph

will explain that pictures are, indeed, worth a thousand words. Photographs tell their own stories, so an author of an autobiography often uses photographs or pictures to support the text in their book. I will explain that photographs help readers visually understand the people and events described with words in the book. Good readers examine the photographs and captions in a book to make a connection with events and ideas in the text. In Rosa Parks: My Story, the author has included photographs throughout the book.

I will examine a photograph and its caption. I will use descriptive language to describe what I see. I will then think about what the photograph might show me about the author’s life, and I will make a connection to the text. I will examine the photograph in Chapter 3: “Schooling and Marriage,” on page 47. First, I will read aloud the caption. The caption tells me that it is a “colored” water fountain, which was part of legal segregation during that time.

Next, I will use descriptive language to talk about the picture. For example, I see a young African-American boy who has just finished drinking from the fountain. He is wearing a white shirt, a belt, and a cap, but no shoes. In front of the water fountain is a sign that reads, “Colored.” 

I will make a connection to the text. In Chapter 3, on page 46, the author talks about segregation in Montgomery. The author describes segregation on public buses and with public water fountains. The author says that the fountains were labeled as “colored” or “white.” The author explains that when she was a child, she wondered if “white” water tasted different from “colored” water.. The photograph supports the description of the segregated water fountains that were found in Montgomery and in other cities.

Ask: "How can I figure out how a photograph or caption supports a description or event in an autobiography?" Students should respond that you can use descriptive language to analyze the photos and captions used in the book. Then, you can make a connection between the photo and actual text to understand why the author would include this photo in the autobiography.

will look at the photograph in Chapter 4: “Marriage, and Activism,” on page 61. We will use descriptive language to describe what we see in the photo. For example, we see a bunch of young men coming out of a building, being led by a white man. We will read the caption aloud. We will make a connection to the text for the photo, and we will analyze what is written in the text and why the photo/caption was used in the book in order to support the text. For example, the author tells the reader about the case of the Scottsboro Boys, and explains in detail what happened and how the African-American boys were treated. The author included this incident and the photo to illustrate the difficulties and incidents that African-Americans faced during this time period.

will look at the photo/caption of the photograph in Chapter 6: “Secretary of the NAACP,” on page 82, of the Montgomery NAACP. You will use descriptive language on the Photos and Captions Worksheet to identify what you see in each photo. (See page 10 in the Student Packet.) Then, you will make a connection to the text and cite page numbers and the details that support each photo. You will answer the question: Why were these photos/captions used in the book and how do they support the details in the text?

will come together to share our ideas about the photos/captions we have analyzed. We will discus how photos contribute to understanding an autobiography.