Book Detail

I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly

Publication Information
Author:  Hansen, Joyce Illustrator:  
Title:  I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly Date:  1997
Publisher:  Scholastic City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-590-84913-1 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    fiction, diaries and journals, historical fiction

HSE Descriptor(s):    social studies

Summary:
Patsy, a 12-year-old slave girl, keeps a diary during 1865, describing the changes in the plantation that come with the Emancipation Proclamation. The author appends historical notes, archival photographs, the wording of Constitutional Amendments 13,14, and 15, maps, a recipe, and music and words for "Free at Last."

Teaching Ideas:
Students might want to keep response journals as they read. The characterization of Patsy and Nancy lend themselves to writing character sketches. Researching the work of the Freedmen's Bureau might interest some students. Pair with Jubliee, another story about the education of ex-slaves, to compare and contrast the communities and the role of books and teaching. Students interested in the theme of abandonment and reunion might compare Nancy's story with contemporary stories of seeking birth parents after adoption. The reference to Nancy's reunion with her parents could be dramatized. www.civilwar.com

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Ethnic Groups > African-American
bullet Education > literacy
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > coming-of-age
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > physical disability
bullet History > region > U.S. history
bullet History > topic > war > Civil War > Emancipation Proclamation
bullet Social Studies > sociology > women
bullet Communities > change
bullet History > topic > war > reconstruction


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