CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Student Packet
Directions: Use your book to fill out the information on the lines below. Then
write your name on this packet.
Title: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963
Author: ________________________________
Genre: ________________________________
Concepts: Setting, Theme, Compare and Contrast, Cause and Effect, Character,
and Sequence
Name: _________________________________________________
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© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Student Packet
Genre Lesson Independent Practice: History Detectives
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________
Directions: Find the terms listed below in your book. Write an “H” if it is a real historical term in
the novel. Then, using the context in the book to help you, record the historical element in the
last column (person, language/words, cultural artifacts, events, and places).
Detail from the Book
Jack Frost (p. 1)
Hambone Henderson (p. 2)
“Cutting-Up” (p. 3 )
Igloos (p.5)
Coloreds-Only Bathrooms (p. 5)
“Coloreds” (p. 5)
How to Survive a Blizzard Part I (p. 8)
“Brown Bomber” (p.13)
Clark Elementary (p. 20)
Mr. Alums (p. 23)
“Negroes” (p. 23)
Langston Hughes (p. 24)
Poindexter (p. 27)
Larry Dunn (p. 30)
The Arrival of Rufus Fry (p. 32)
Arkansas (p. 35)
“dig” (p. 53)
Montgomery Wards (p. 55)
Maytag Wash (p. 58)
“The Miracle Worker” (p. 59)
The Great Carp Escape (p. 62)
“jink jink” (p. 63)
Untouchables (p. 66)
Welfare (p. 76)
The Magnificent Seven (p. 79)
Weenie-Nose (p. 84)
“Conk” and “Butter” (p. 87)
Handkerchief (p. 87)
“Daddy-O” (p. 87)
Jell-O (p. 94)
“Straighten Up and Fly Right” (p. 96)
45s (p. 113)
The Ultra Glide (p. 100)
Yakety Yak (p. 117)
Under the Boardwalk (p. 117)
Old Spice (p. 106)
Historical Term?
Historical Element
2
© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Student Packet
Name: ______________________________
Date: ___________
Vocabulary Activity: Have You Ever?
Chapter 1 — Chapter 5
Directions: Think about the meaning of the following words from The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963.
numb, vital, intimidate, disappointed, hollered, damaged, influence
Answer the following questions about the vocabulary words.
1.
Describe a time you or someone you know felt numb.
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2.
What is vital to life—eating or going to the movies? Explain.
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3.
Would a bully or a kind person intimidate you? Explain.
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4.
Give an example of a time that you felt disappointed.
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5.
Would you want to be friends with someone that hollered at you all the time? Why or why not?
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6.
If you damaged something that belonged to someone else, should you apologize?
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7.
Why should you stay away from someone that is a bad influence?
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© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Student Packet
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1 — Chapter 5
Directions: Read the questions and answer them in complete sentences or choose the correct answer.
Use the book to help you, if needed. Use details from the text to support your answer. Record the
Concept of Comprehension© on the line next to each question.
_____ 1. Describe the setting of the Watson’s home in Chapter 1.
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_____
2. What caused Byron’s mouth to get stuck to the car mirror?
a. Momma poured water on Byron’s mouth while he was near the mirror.
b. Kenny glued Byron’s mouth to the mirror.
c. Byron’s lips became frozen to the mirror.
d. Byron tied himself to the mirror with a scarf.
_____ 3. How did Mr. Alums introduce Kenny to his class? How does this introduction reflect the time
period in which this story takes place?
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_____ 4. What consequence did Kenny dread as a result of Byron skipping school?
a. Having to cover for Byron’s absence.
b. Being teased while riding the bus.
c. Sitting next to Joey on the bus.
d. Being late to school.
_____ 5. How were Rufus and Cody’s lives in Arkansas different from their lives in Flint?
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© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM – 1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Student Packet
Comprehension Questions (continued)
Chapter 1 — Chapter 5
_____ 6. What did Kenny do to upset Rufus? How did Rufus respond to Kenny afterwards?
a. Kenny made fun of Rufus. Rufus yelled at Kenny.
b. Kenny made fun of Rufus. Rufus started talking to Byron.
c. Kenny laughed when Larry Dunn made fun of Rufus. Rufus stopped talking to Kenny.
d. Kenny laughed when Larry Dunn made fun of Rufus. Rufus yelled at Kenny.
_____ 7. Why did Byron tell Joey and Kenny the garbage truck story?
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_____ 8. Based on what you have read in the story, what belongs in box D?
Kenny shared his gloves
with Rufus. Kenny wore
the right hand glove and
Rufus wore the left hand
glove.
A
a.
b.
c.
d.
Kenny told Momma he
lost his first pair of
gloves. She gave him
the second pair. A week
later they were gone.
Larry was seen wearing
Kenny’s gloves painted
black.
B
Kenny told Byron about
his missing gloves.
C
D
Kenny hit Larry and Larry gave the gloves back.
Byron told Momma about the gloves and got them back from Larry.
Byron hit Larry and took the gloves off his hands.
Larry decided to give the gloves back to Kenny.
_____ 9. What had Momma planned to do to Byron after she caught him playing with matches in the
bathroom?
a. Spit on Byron’s hands.
b. Burn Byron’s hands to teach him a lesson.
c. Punish him by not allowing him to play in the bathroom.
d. Tell Dad and let him deal with Byron.
_____ 10. Describe how Momma must have been feeling after catching Byron playing with matches
again. How does her behavior in this chapter (5) support your description?
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© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
Lesson 1 Independent Practice: Kenny Watson: From Past to Present
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________
Directions: Use examples from Kenny’s past (memories, stories, flashbacks, or
background information) to draw a conclusion about his present.
Details
about Past
Present
Actions,
Behaviors,
Thoughts
Conclusion
Name: ______________________________
Date: ___________
Vocabulary Activity: Sentence Stems
Chapter 6 — Chapter 8
Directions: Read each sentence stem and think about the meaning of the bold word
from The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. Use the sentence stem and the meaning
of the bold word to finish each sentence stem.
1.
I felt insulted after the boy called me a liar in front of the class because _______
_____________________________________________________________________ .
2.
Since I studied haphazardly for the test, _______________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ .
3.
The car could not drive down the alley because __________________________
_____________________________________________________________________ .
4.
It was against my conscience to cheat on the test because ________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
5.
I was unable to tolerate the noise while I was studying because _____________
_____________________________________________________________________.
6.
I placed a towel under the faucet that was leaking because _________________
_____________________________________________________________________.
7.
When I had a cold, it was helpful to have tissues at my dispersal because _____
_____________________________________________________________________.
8.
The teacher said to the group of boys to stop imitating her because __________
_____________________________________________________________________.
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 6 — Chapter 8
Directions: Read the questions and answer them in complete sentences or choose the
correct answer. Use the book to help you, if needed. Use details from the text to support
your answer. Record the Concept of Comprehension© on the line next to each question.
_____ 1. How did Byron pay for the two bags of Swedish Cremes?
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_____ 2. What is a peon? Why do you think Byron defined peon as people who were
“so poor that rich people would just as soon pee on them as anything else”?
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_____ 3. How did Byron react after he killed the bird with a Swedish Creme?
a. He encouraged Kenny to hit another bird.
b. He cheered.
c. He threw up and cried.
d. He ran home.
_____4. What did Byron do to his hair? Why do you think he did this?
a. He straightened and colored it to look cool.
b. He cut it off because he did not like it.
c. He made it look like a porcupine to get Momma to notice him.
d. He put butter in his hair so that it would not stick up.
_____ 5. Why were Mr. and Mrs. Watson upset by Byron’s “conk”?
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Comprehension Questions (continued)
Chapter 6 — Chapter 8
_____ 6. How did Mr. Watson react after he found out about Byron’s new hair style?
a. He made Byron go back to the barbershop.
b. He shaved Byron’s hair off.
c. He called Byron a clown.
d. He burned Byron’s fingers with matches.
_____ 7. What was Mr. Watson’s final purchase for the Brown Bomber? What impact
did it have on the Watson family?
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_____ 8. Why did Mr. Watson hide his toothbrush?
a. He also used it to clean quarters and did not want Kenny to know.
b. He did not want Kenny using it for cleaning other things besides teeth.
c. He did not want Byron using it for cleaning other things besides teeth.
d. He did not want Kenny to know that he really did not brush his teeth.
_____ 9. Why are the Watsons sending Byron to Grandma Sands? How do you think
that this will affect him?
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_____ 10. How did Mrs. Watson first react to the TT AB-700? How did this effect Mr.
Watson?
a. She screamed and cheered. Mr. Watson played her favorite song.
b. She told Mr. Watson to return it to the store. Mr. Watson gave her a dirty
look and went into the house.
c. She gave Mr. Watson a dirty look and went into the house. Mr. Watson was
a little disappointed.
d. She ran and got her records. Mr. Watson told her she was acting childish.
Name: ______________________________
Date: ___________
Vocabulary Activity: Making Choices
Chapter 9 — Chapter 12
Directions: Think about the meaning of the bold vocabulary word and read the
situations that follow. Circle the situations that are examples of the vocabulary word.
1.
Which of the following are examples of a person showing that they appreciate a
gift?
a.Ignoring the person.
b.Hugging the person.
c. Sending a thank you note.
d.Yelling at the person.
2.
Which of the following are examples of something that has been transferred?
a.Visiting a friend.
b.Putting groceries from a bag to a refrigerator.
c. Taking books out of bag and onto a bookshelf.
d.Putting leftover food from a plate into a container.
3.
Which of the following are examples of something that may whimper?
a.A child.
b.A puppy.
c. A baby.
d.A book.
4.
Which of the following are examples of a person’s disposition?
a.A woman singing.
b.A mother that visits the zoo.
c. A girl who is always cheerful.
d.A father that often yells.
5.
Which of the following are examples of good sanitation?
a.Piling garbage up for weeks and weeks.
b.A system for clean water.
c. Having garbage regularly taken away.
d.Cleaning streets.
6.
Which of the following are examples of scolding?
a.A student receiving an award for good behavior.
b.A girl being punished for coming home late.
c. A mother yelling at a son for not taking out the garbage.
d.A class applauding after a student reads their story.
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 9 — Chapter 12
Directions: Read the questions and answer them in complete sentences or choose the
correct answer. Use the book to help you, if needed. Use details from the text to support
your answer. Record the Concept of Comprehension© on the line next to each question.
_____ 1. How does Kenny show his affection for his parents?
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_____ 2. Why didn’t Joey like Mrs. Davidson’s gift?
a. Byron and Kenny made fun of the gift.
b. Joey thought she was too old for a doll.
c. Joey did not like angels.
d. Mrs. Davidson said the doll reminded her of Joey, but the doll was white,
not black.
_____ 3. What are two reasons why Mrs. Watson planned the trip so carefully?
a. She was nervous about the trip and did not want to forget anything.
b. She liked planning trips and wanted to show her family some attractions.
c. She wanted to make sure the family had enough money and food in case of
an emergency.
d. She did not like going on long car rides and wanted to make sure the
children had something to do for each part of the trip.
_____ 4. Describe the rest stop that the Watsons stop at in Ohio.
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_____ 5. What was Mr. Watson’s secret plan for the trip?
a. To stop in every state and visit an attraction.
b. To move the entire family to Birmingham.
c. To stop at every rest stop along the way.
d. To drive straight through to Birmingham.
Comprehension Questions (continued)
Chapter 9 — Chapter 12
_____ 6. Why hadn’t Mr. Watson stopped the skipping record?
a. He did not want to ruin the record.
b. He used it to help him stay awake on the long drive to Birmingham.
c. He did not realize the record was skipping.
d. He was unable to stop it from skipping.
_____ 7. What caused Grandma Sands to mention the possibility of keeping Kenny for
the summer too?
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_____ 8. Compare and contrast what Kenny had thought Grandma Sands was going to
look like with what she actually looked like.
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_____ 9. Who did Grandma Sand’s laugh remind Kenny of?
a. A beautiful bird singing.
b. Kenny’s mother.
c. The Wicked Witch of the South.
d. The Wicked Witch of the West.
_____ 10. How has Byron’s behavior in Birmingham differed from Flint?
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Lesson 2 Independent Practice: Compare and Contrast the Settings: Birmingham and Flint
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________
Directions: Record details about two settings in the boxes on either side of the
page. Then, draw comparison and contrast links between the two places. On the
next page, use these links to explain the similarities and differences between
Flint, Michigan and Birmingham, Alabama.
Flint, Michigan
Birmingham, Alabama
Compare and Contrast the Settings: Birmingham and Flint (continued)
How are Birmingham, Alabama and Flint, Michigan different?
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How are Birmingham, Alabama and Flint, Michigan similar?
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Why do you think these differences and similarities are important to the
story?
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Name: ______________________________
Date: ___________
Vocabulary Activity: One of These Words is Not Like the Others
Chapter 13 — Epilogue
Directions: Read each group of words. Cross out the word that does not belong in the
group. Then explain why the remaining words belong together.
1.
helping
hitting
punching
duking
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2.
intruding
avoiding
trespassing
meddling
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3.
examined
investigated
ignored
explored
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4.
flicker
unsteadily
irregularly
constantly
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5.
differing
copying
imitating
echoing
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Vocabulary Activity: One of These Words is Not Like the Others (continued)
Chapter 13 — Epilogue
6.
menace
bully
threaten
defend
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7.
permit
prohibit
forbid
prevent
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8.
favor
discriminate
single out
overlook
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9.
discharge
liberate
limit
free
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10.
unite
segregate
separate
disconnect
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Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 13 — Epilogue
Directions: Read the questions and answer them in complete sentences or choose the
correct answer. Use the book to help you, if needed. Use details from the text to support
your answer. Record the Concept of Comprehension© on the line next to each question.
_____ 1. What warning did Grandma Sands give the children about Collier’s Landing?
a. To only walk by it.
b. To stay away because it was dangerous.
c. To go swimming in the shallow end.
d. To be careful when jumping off the pier.
_____ 2. What was Kenny’s first wrong decision at Collier’s Landing?
a. He should have brought his swimsuit.
b. He forgot to tell Momma where he was going.
c. The knots in his tennis shoe laces would not come out when he was in the
water.
d. He should have followed Byron and Joey to the public swimming area.
_____ 3. Describe Byron’s reaction to having saved Kenny from the water.
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_____ 4 Why did Kenny stand still after Byron told him what happened at the church?
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____ 5. Describe what Kenny saw at the church.
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Comprehension Questions (continued)
Chapter 13 — Epilogue
_____ 6. Why wasn’t Joey in the church during the bombing?
a. She became bored and left.
b. She missed Byron and Kenny.
c. She forgot her Bible at home.
d. She got too hot and left.
_____ 7.
Describe the World-Famous Watson Pet Hospital. Where was it? What
was it?
a. It was a hospital for the Watson’s sick pets to go to in Flint.
b. It was Kenny’s bedroom and the Watson’s sick pets and Kenny went there
to feel better.
c. It was a place for the Watson’s sick pets to go in their backyard.
d. It was the Watson’s couch that their sick animals and Kenny hid behind to
feel better.
_____ 8. Compare and contrast the Northern and Southern states during the Civil
Rights Movement.
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_____ 9. Which statement describes two ways that African Americans protested during
the civil rights movement?
a. African Americans marched to the White House to talk about segregation.
African Americans refused to vote.
b. African Americans and whites rode buses together to test laws that banned
segregation. African American students enrolled in segregated schools.
c. African American students enrolled in segregated schools. African
Americans marched to the White House to talk about segregation
d. African Americans refused to vote or go to school until segregation was
ended.
_____ 10. How did the author reference the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing in
the novel?
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Lesson 3 Independent Practice: Birmingham Church Bombing’s Impact on Byron
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________
Directions: In the space below, explain the effects of the Birmingham church bombing
on Byron.
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19
© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved
Lesson 4 Independent Practice: Real World Connections: Family
Name: _____________________________
Date: _____________
Directions: Examine the author’s message about Family in The Watsons Go to
Birmingham—1963 by answering the following questions.
Topic: Family
Textual Examples: When/How is family important?
______________________________________________________________________
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What is the author’s message about family in the story?
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How can you apply this lesson to your own world?
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20
© 2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved