Book Detail
Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters |
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Publication Information |
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| Author: McKissack, Patricia & McKissack, Frederick | Illustrator: Thompson, John |
| Title: Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters | Date: 1994 |
| Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. | City: New York |
| ISBN, paperback: 0-590-43027-0 | ISBN, hardback: |
Recommended audience: |
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| ABE/ABLE: Yes | ESOL: |
| Family: Yes | Young Adult: |
| Picture: Yes | |
General Information: |
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| Book Type(s): historical fiction | |
HSE Descriptor(s): social studies |
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Summary: |
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| This story describes the customs used in both the plantation house and the slave quarters during the Christmas season during slavery years. The amount of detail--even recipes and songs are included--is unusual, and yet the book flows well and makes compelling reading. It ends with several pages of explanatory notes and a bibliography. Teachers need to approach this book with care, since some readers, because of the book's even-handed tone, may not be struck with the cruel irony of slave families being broken up on New Year's Day, while other readers may react very emotionally. | |
Teaching Ideas: |
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| This book lends itself to compare and contrast activities, such as Venn diagrams or distinctive feature charts. Students could explore the traditional culture of those who lived in the plantation house versus those who lived in the quarters. Students may want to follow by reading biographies of Harriet Tubman or John Brown and follow with projects on folk songs or on the art of storytelling. Students may also want to research the other Coretta Scott King award winners or look for other McKissack books. | |
Teaching Strategies: |
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 Matrices or Chartshttp://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/matrices_charts.pdf |
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Venn Diagrams http://literacy.kent.edu/eureka/strategies/venn_diagrams.pdf |
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Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword |
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