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Section 1: Overview

Push and Pull

We will begin to examine the ways in which history is constructed, examined, and understood. We will read Part 1 and Part 2 of The Warmth of Other Suns to start analyzing Wilkerson’s structure and approach in constructing the history of the Great Migration and the major factors that influenced African-Americans to leave the South in search of a better life by considering the following questions:

  • What were the push-and-pull factors that impacted people’s decisions to migrate from the South?

  • How do Wilkerson’s choices in terms of sources, organization, and structure convey her perspective and purpose?

Also in this section, we will begin working in a rotating jigsaw, one that we will continue throughout Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the unit. We will track the timeline, locations, events, push and pull decision factors, and impact for the three individuals whose narratives are delineated and who form the foundation of the history told in The Warmth of Other Suns.

  • Lesson 1:

    We will begin our study by reading the beginning of The Warmth of Other Suns to set the context and focus for the unit. These first pages of the text introduce us to the three African American migrants on whom Wilkerson focuses, and we will explore the similarities and differences among the details in their stories and how those details interact to convey the impact of migration on individuals and families.

  • Lesson 2:

    We will continue reading Part 1 of The Warmth of Other Suns and begin tracking our ideas about Wilkerson’s use of sources and structure in the text to convey her ideas and perspective about the Great Migration. We will also preview the unit’s Culminating Task.

  • Lesson 3:

    We will begin Part 2 of The Warmth of Other Suns by reading and discussing the epigraph from Richard Wright and then engaging in our first jigsaw about the three central figures in Wilkerson’s text: Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, George Swanson Starling, and Robert Joseph Pershing Foster.

  • Lesson 4:

    We will continue working in our expert groups to engage in our first jigsaw reading about the three central figures in Wilkerson’s text: Ida Mae Brandon Gladney, George Swanson Starling, and Robert Joseph Pershing Foster.

  • Lesson 5:

    We will share and discuss what we learned about the three focus figures in The Warmth of Other Suns, focusing on the details of their experiences and the push-and-pull factors driving them to consider leaving the South. We will also read and discuss additional sections of Part 2 to add to our understanding of how Wilkerson uses structure to share this period in our history.

  • Lesson 6:

    We will continue reading Part 2 in our jigsaw groups. As in the first jigsaw, we will frame our work with the epigraphs Wilkerson has selected to begin this section. We also will concentrate on one of the three focus figures to understand more about the events and experiences that impact their decisions and to broaden our understanding of the circumstances that led to the Great Migration.

  • Lesson 7:

    In a jigsaw discussion, we will share and discuss what we learned about the three focus figures, continuing to focus on the details of their experiences and the push-and-pull factors driving them to consider leaving the South. To prepare for the Section Diagnostic in the next lesson, we will finish Part 2, deepening our understanding of Wilkerson’s choices regarding sources, organization, and structure. We will examine what those decisions suggest about her purpose and perspective toward this period in our history.

  • Lesson 8:

    Based on Part 1 and Part 2 of The Warmth of Other Suns, we will write responses to demonstrate how well we understand Wilkerson’s use of sources, organization, and structure and how they relate to her purpose and perspective.

  • Lesson 9:

    We will review feedback on the Section Diagnostic. We will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

  • Lesson 10:

    We will commence an Independent Reading Program in which we choose texts to read independently as we progress through the unit. We will learn how to choose texts, what activities we may complete, about the final task, and about any materials we will use as we read our independent reading texts. We will begin by reading our texts, using tools to help us take notes and analyze important textual elements.