Jill Bellomy

SLIS 5960

May 19, 2003

 
 
Miracle’s Boys

Written by Jacqueline Woodson

New York:  Puffin Books, 2000

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize

 

                                                                       

About the Book

At the death of their mother, twelve-year-old Lafayette and his older brothers, Charlie and Ty’ree, are left parentless.  Ty’ree becomes the legal guardian; instead of attending college he works full time to support the boys.  Charlie is at a correctional facility for an earlier crime, and he returns a stranger.  Formerly close to his brother, Lafayette struggles with a changed relationship and with acceptance of his mother’s death.  The story, told by Lafayette, is gripping and emotional.  It gives a realistic view into loss and

 

About the Author

Born in Columbus Ohio, Jacqueline Woodson grew up in Greenville, South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York.  She graduated from college with a B.A. in English and worked as a drama therapist for runaways and homeless children in New York City.  After reading three books that offered characters differing from mainstream, white characters, she discovered that books could be about people like her.  She now writes full time about characters from a variety of races, ethnic groups, and social classes.  Her writings have earned her numerous awards including the Coretta Scott King Award and the Kenyon Review Award for Excellence in Fiction.

 

Pre-Reading Activities

  1. Before reading, have the children think of someone who is

 

very special to them such as a family member or close friend.  Ask the students to list the characteristics they appreciate about this person.   Then, have them craft these thoughts into a rhyming or free verse tribute poem.  Allow the students to share their tributes. 

 

  1. Before reading, have the students complete the “Pre-Reading Organizer” to make predictions about the novel.

 

During the Reading

If possible, allow the students to experience this novel in literature circles.  This allows the children to discuss their thoughts, opinions, and reactions to the reading frequently in a small, less threatening setting.  Divide the class into groups. Alternate reading time, responding time, and meeting time.  Students should read a specified amount of the text, then respond and prepare for a literature circle meeting.  After circles meet, take time to debrief as a class.

 

Suggested Literature Circle Reading Schedule:

  1. Chapters 1 – 2
  2. Chapters 3 - 5
  3. Chapters 6 - 7
  4. Chapters 8 - 10
  5. Chapters 11 – 13
  6. Chapters 14 – 16
  7. Chapters 17 - 18

 

Suggested Forms of Response:

After each reading, assign or allow students to choose a way to respond: 

·         Questions:  Students write a list of questions they have as read.

·         Connections:  Students write what they are reminded of from their own life, from other texts or from the world as they read.

·         Literary Illumination:  Students choose quotes from the passage that are particularly meaningful and explain why they chose each excerpt.

·         Illustration:  Students respond to the passage through illustration.  These serve as prompts for discussion in the groups.

·         Main ideas:  Students write main ideas from the passage and they search for theme and author’s purpose within the text.

Another option is to provide students with discussion questions after each reading to consider and then discuss within their circles.  Examples:

  1. How does the author create mood in the story?
  2. Why do you think the story is told from Lafayette’s point of view?
  3. Why is the setting important to the story?

 

Post –Reading Points to Ponder:

After reading the novel, allow the children to discuss the following issues in groups or as a class:

 

  1. The main characters in the book are biracial.  Discuss this issue with the class.  Why might this be difficult?  What advantages does a mixed ethnicity have?  Possibly allow the children to brainstorm a list of the many sports figures and celebrities that are biracial to increase awareness and celebrate talents.

 
  1. The boys’ aunt could have taken them to live with her down south.  Have the children discuss how

this would have changed the story and events. 

 

  1. Ask the students to consider why it was so important to Ty’ree that they stay together in their apartment, even when it meant giving up his college plans.

 

  1. Ask the students to imagine that they were left in charge of younger siblings.   How would they feel?  How would they respond to the immense responsibility?  On the flip side, how would they respond to having an older sibling in charge instead of a parent?

 

Post-Reading Activities:

Choose one or more of the following activities for students to complete after the reading of the novel:

  1. Ask the students to consider the story through the perspective of Charlie or Ty’ree.  Have them write a series of journal entries one of these characters might have written explaining his thoughts and actions.

 

  1. What do you think happened to these boys?  Ask the students to write an epilogue for the book to explore their predictions.

 

  1. The idea of going to the theater is repeated several times in the novel.  Allow the students to choose one scene from the book and rewrite it as a play or movie script.  If desired, let the children act out the simple dramas.

 

 
  1. Discuss how Lafayette felt about his mother, Charlie and Ty’ree.  Write a rhyming or free verse poem from his perspective about one of them reflecting his emotions and feelings. 

 

  1. Names are important in the book.  Have the students write an acrostic poem about one or more of the characters describing their personality and actions.  

 

  1. When Charlie visits the psychologist, he writes the names of his brothers on a sheet of paper to represent his family.  Ask the students to fold a piece of plain white paper into thirds.  In each section have them write one of the boys’ names, draw a picture of him, and then write about why he is important to the family.  Ask them to consider each boy’s role and what he contributed to the trio.  As a possible extension, have each student do a similar exercise focusing on the members of his/her own family.

 

 

 

 

Possible Extensions

Have the students read The Outsiders or That Was Then, This is Now and compare the novels’ characters, style and theme.

 

Additional Resources

Companion novels:

Hinton, S.E.  The Outsiders.  Prentice

     Hall.  (1967)

 

Hinton, S.E. That Was Then, This is Now. 

    Viking Press.  (1971)

 

Literature circles:

Daniels, Harvey.  Literature Circles: 

     Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and 

     Reading Groups.  Stenhouse

     Publishers.  (2002).

 

Day, Jenny Pollac.  Moving Forward with

     Literature Circles.  Scholastic

     Professional Books.  (2002)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name _______________________________  Class ___________  Date _____________

 

PRE-READING ORGANIZER

Directions:  Before reading the novel, observe the title, covers and set-up.  Record your observations.  Then, use these clues to make predictions about the novel.  Explain your ideas. 

Title
 
 

 


Text Box: Back cover (Read the back cover if you wish - Sometimes you might want to wait to be surprised!)

The insides, the guts!  J

(Flip through the pages… glance at the table of contents, chapter lay out, writing style, the lead (first line or paragraph) . . . )