Theme: The book, Momma, Where Are You From?, can be used to introduce your students to African-American studies.

Pre-reading: Show the students the cover of the book, read the book’s title as well as the names of the author and illustrator. Ask them what they think the book will be about.

Language Arts/Communication Skills/Writing:

• Write a story about your mother’s or father’s family history.
• Write a paragraph about the difference between the city and country.
• Read other books related to African-American history.
• Read material about segregation in America and how it affected people of that era.
• Discuss how our cultures have changed over time.
• Write a story about your family reunion.

Social Studies/History/Geography:

• Using reference materials, research how daily chores were done “in the past”. Compare how the same chores are done today. Have students display comparisons visually on poster boards or in Powerpoint.
• In the story, it talked about the “Fish-man, Rag-man, and Ice-man”. Discuss how these people jobs have or have not changed.
• Discuss how the schools have changed over the years. Web or chart results.
• Discuss segregation and desegregation.

Science:

• Discuss how food was kept fresh in the old days.
• Using reference materials, make a list of things people use daily and how they have changed. Example: lights, refrigerators, stove, irons, washing machines, and music makers.

Music/Art/Drama:

• Have children draw a picture of their family.
• Have children draw a picture of their family reunion.
• Have children sing or listen to music from the past.
• Perform creative movements to music composed by an African-American.

Reading: As you read and show the illustrations to the class and have them look closely at the images. What details can they find in the pictures? Have them look closely at facial expressions and how they change during the story. Ask the students how the characters are feeling. Can they tell by the illustrations?

Interview: Have students interview their mom, dad, grandmother, stepmother, etc. and ask “where are they from” – then write their story.

Related Books:
The Hickory Chair by Lisa Rowe Fraustino
Sweet, Sweet Memory by Jacqueline Woodson
The Ruby Bridges Story by Hallie Marshall
Uncle Jed’s Barber Shop by Margaret King Mitchell

Literature by this author or illustrator:
Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth
More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby.

If you enjoyed reading Momma, Where Are You From? write a review about the book and post it on Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com so others can enjoy your reading experience.

 

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Message from Marie Bradby

Children’s author Marie Bradby switched from a career as a full-time journalist to mothering, fiction writing, and freelance writing. She had held staff reporting positions with The Providence-Journal (Rhode Island), The Lexington-Herald (Kentucky), and The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY); and was a staff writer for National Geographic Magazine.

“The neighborhood where I grew up doesn’t exist any more. I wrote Momma, Where Are You From? to tell my son about a time and place where I grew up. The story highlights the things that would be different from today.” – Marie Bradby