Kyla Schooling
SLIS 5960
MayMester2003
Multicultural Literature Activity

Written by Virginia Hamilton
Illustrated by Eros Keith
Simon and Schuster, 1968
An ALA Notable Children's Book
Edgar Alan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America "Edgar")
School Library Journal Best Book
“The house held secrets, Thomas knew, even before he first saw it looming gray and massive on its ledge of rock. It had a century-old legend- two fugitive slaves had been killed by bounty hunters after leaving its passageways, and Dies Drear himself, the abolitionist who had made the house into a station on the Underground Railroad, had been murdered there. The ghosts of the three were said to walk its rooms…”
The past
moves me and with me, although I remove myself from it. It's light often shines
on this night traveler: and when it does, I scribble it down. Whatever pleasure
is in it I need pass on. That's happiness. That is who I am. (http://www.virginiahamilton.com/pages/biostuff.htm)
Pre-reading
Activity
Give the
student this list of words abstracted from The House of Dies Drear. Giving the students only the title and the
list of words, have them write their own story. The words given must be used in the same order as they appear on
the list. Any additional words may be
added. Have students share and compare
their stories. Talk about the
similarities and why they occurred.
Talk about the differences and why they occurred.
List:
1) Thomas
2) Underground Railroad
3) Slaves
4) New home
5) Mr. Pluto
6) Demon
7) Standoffish
8) Horse
9) Pesty
10) Trees
11) Lives
12) Murder
13) Dies
Drear
14) Tunnels
15) Bottles
16) Green
eyes
17) Cave
18) Mac
Darrow
19) Treasure
20) Justice
Post
Reading Activity
Place
students in groups of three or four.
Give each group a cardboard box.
Have students modify the box to look like a treasure chest. Students must fill the box with items that
represent the “treasures” of their cultural heritage. You may consider combining students into groups of mixed heritage
or similar heritage. If groups are of mixed heritage, have students place the
items in a Venn diagram that has been taped off on the floor or a
tabletop. Items in the center of the
diagram would represent all of the cultures in the group. Items in separate sections would represent
attributes that are unique to a culture.
Students must orally explain the selection of each item. They must explain why the item is a treasure. To represent people that are treasures to a
culture, the students could include an illustration or a biography. To represent foods they could include
recipes or actual food items. The
creative possibilities are limitless.
In an
alternative format, the items could be presented in a PowerPoint slide show.
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