Projects for The Liberation of Gabriel King
1. Have you ever had to deal with a bully? How did you deal with them? Interview your school counselor to get some information, then create a poster using Comic Life that can be displayed in your school on how to deal with bullies.
2. Find a song (and lyrics) that was popular in the 1970's that a character in the story might have liked. Make a copy of the lyrics and tell which character would have liked it and why.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gary.hart/lyricsa/1970s.html
3. Gabe and his momma get real mad at each other. Have you ever been real mad at one of your parents? How did you work it out? Think about how the situation was resolved. Write a diary entry explaining your side of the situation, and then try to look at it from your parent's side. How do you feel about the result?
4. Gabe is afraid of moving into a new wing of his school. Have you ever had to make a big change at home or at school? Write a letter of advice to Gabe, giving him tips and encouragement on moving up to fifth grade.
5. Research the games that take place during the Olympics. Where and when were the last Olympics held? Where and when will the next ones be? Make a list of 8-10 sporting events that will take place at the next Olympics. Use these events to play charades and have others try to guess what sport you are acting out. You may have to do a little research about the sport to act it out!
http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/olympics/
http://library.thinkquest.org/27528/main.htm
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
6. Research the Argiope Aurantia. Draw a picture of this spider, and use some basic facts to create a Keynote presentation about it.
7. Who were Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter? What information can you find on-line about them? After the information is collected, complete a Venn diagram that includes their positions on important issues from the 1970's.
8. Research the Bicentennial. Find 8-10 events that occurred in 1976 and create a timeline in Kidspiration showing these events. Which ones would Gabriel or Frita have been interested in being a part of?
9. Research the Watergate scandal. Open Kidspiration and choose Social Studies. Click on the Historical Event template and complete it. Why might a President do something illegal? When you finish, print it and write a 5-7 sentence paragraph on the back that tells your position of this event.
10. Think about the things you fear. Make a fear list that can be either shared or kept secret. Write a one-page diary entry that tells why you think you are afraid of these things and how you will either overcome these fears or deal with them as you grow older.
11. What was television like in the 1970's? How was it different from today? What do you think has caused these changes? Did these changes make life better or worse? Why? Write one page comparing and contrasting these ideas.
12. Why would Jimmy Carter stand up to the White Citizens Council? Have you ever stood up for something you believed in? Write a short skit that shows a time when you stood up for something you believed in. Include some friends and act it out for your class.
13. Choose a vocabulary word from this list:
liberate, justify, segretation, faith, integrity, portent, racist, courage, pereverance, confidence, oppression, insight.
Open Inspiration and open the Language Arts folder. Choose the Vocabulary Word template. Do some research on your chosen word and complete the template. When you are finished, print it and draw a picture of the meaning of the word on the back of your paper.
14. Research the decade of the 1970's using these links:
http://history1900s.about.com/library/time/bltime1970.htm
http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade70.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0111064/70home.htm
Open Inspiration and click on the Social Studies folder. Open the Understanding the Era template. Use your research to complete and print it.
15. Choose a character from the book. Open Inspiration and click on the Language Arts folder. Open the Cinquain template and think of a character from the book. Write a Cinquain that describes this character.
16. Find out who the Black Panthers were. What did they believe in? Why might Terrance want to join them instead of going to college? Pretend you are Terrance and compose a letter to your mom and dad letting them know your reasons for wanting to join the Black Panthers.
17. Have you ever had a pet die? How did that make you feel? Is it okay to kill bugs? Research the part that spiders play in the food chain. What would happen if all spiders were exterminated?
18. What might it mean to be a Peace Warrior? Design and draw membership badges for this club. Make a list of all the things the Peace Warriors might do. What would be the qualifications for membership?
19. Look in the newspaper and see if you can find stories about people who have been discriminated against. Write a short summary of the article, including the main points.
20. 'Mr. Evans's words were like the sticky strands of a spider web. Even though they seemed tiny, we knew they could spread everywhere."
How can small things cause big problems or lead to big solutions? Can you think of any examples of when this has happened? Draw a flowchart that shows how a small things can become a big problem or lead to big solutions.
21. What do you think happens to Gabe and Frita after the book ends? What do you think happens to Duke and Frankie? Create a "Where Are They Now?" follow-up that tells this in 250-300 words.
