Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

The Book:

Hopkinson, D. (1993) Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Summary:
This book tells the story of a young slave girl taken from one farm to another without her family. There she learns how to sew for the masters in the big house in order to get out of field work. While she did her sewing she would listen to the other slaves coming in and out of the plantation that talked about the road to freedom and the Underground Railroad. Using their conversations as directions, she pieced together a map out of a quilt to help slaves like herself to freedom.

Lesson: A Quilt to Freedom

SC Social Studies Standard 3-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the events that led to the Civil War, the course of the War and Reconstruction, and South Carolina’s role in these events.

Indicators
3-4.1 Compare the conditions of daily life for various classes of people in South Carolina, including the elite, the middle class, the lower class, the independent farmers, and the free and the enslaved African Americans. (H, E)
3-4.2 Summarize the institution of slavery prior to the Civil War, including reference to conditions in South Carolina, the invention of the cotton gin, subsequent expansion of slavery, and economic dependence on slavery. (H, E, P)

Objectives:

The student will respond to the text by writing and drawing.

Assessment:
The student will be assessed on their quilt square that contains at least one response to the text.

Materials:
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt
Chart paper, markers

Procedure:
1. Introduce the story by showing several different kinds of maps.
Ask students to share a time when they used a map the teacher will list the types of maps and reasons for their use.
3. Introduce the story by reviewing the purpose for the Underground Railroad. Ask students to listen for how the “maps” for the Underground Railroad were drawn.
4. While reading the book ask some strategic questions to help the students better understand and think about the story.[What role does Clara have on the plantation? How does she get the idea to make a map? ]
5. After the story is read have students make a response quilt square on which they can respond to the text by writing and drawing. In order to give them ideas of where to begin write some prompts on the board such as:
- The setting reminds me of…
- The event that I like best is …
- The conflict of the story is …
- I liked when Clara …
- Clara reminds me of …
6. Have each student share his or her quilt patch; when finished, assemble them to form a quilt and hang it in the classroom.