Pudd'nhead Wilson Lesson Plan

Knowledge is Power

Kind of Activity:

Classwide Discussion

Objective:

To allow students to understand the important role that literacy has played in black history—from slavery days to modern times.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1; CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9

Structure:

In Pudd’nhead Wilson, we’ve seen how knowledge is power (see Thought Question #4). In this activity, students will read two well-known passages from Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X, two of the most famous black leaders in history. These passages describe how they learned to read and write, and how becoming literate helped set them “free”.

The two passages can be found here:

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