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As Fast as Words Could Fly (before reading)
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As Fast as Words Could Fly (during reading)
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As Fast as Words Could Fly (after reading)
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As Fast As Words Could Fly
Summary:
Young Mason Steele takes pride in turning his father’s excited ramblings about the latest civil rights incidents into handwritten business letters. One day Pa comes home with a gift from his civil rights group: a typewriter. Thrilled with the present, Mason spends all his spare time teaching himself to type. Soon he knows where every letter on the keyboard is located. When the civil rights group wins a school desegregation case, Mason learns that now he will be attending a formerly all-white high school. Despite his fears and injustice from the students and faculty, Mason perseveres. He does well in school—especially in his typing class. And when he competes in the county typing tournament, Mason decides to take a stand, using his skills to triumph over prejudice and break racial barriers. |
Here are some questions for you to consider before reading the book
1. There are a variety of important words that are included even just in the summary. I want you to either look up the following words, or discuss them with a family member.
a) civil rights
b) desegregation
c) perseverance
2. Do you think that this story is set in modern day, or in the past? What makes you think this? Give at least two reasons.
3. What do you know about typewriters? Have you ever seen one? What is the difference between a typewriter and a keyboard?
a) civil rights
b) desegregation
c) perseverance
2. Do you think that this story is set in modern day, or in the past? What makes you think this? Give at least two reasons.
3. What do you know about typewriters? Have you ever seen one? What is the difference between a typewriter and a keyboard?
Now that you know a little bit of background behind the book, watch the video below of the book being read to you, then head over to the next tab to complete some activities to go along with it.
Mason was a very talented boy, yet the people around him did not want to celebrate him because of the colour of the skin that he was born with. Read a bit below about the history of segregated schools and how things have changed in the recent past because of activists and people who fought for civil rights.
Up until 1954, schools in the United States were segregated, meaning that white students went to different schools than black students. In most cases, the black schools did not have enough funding. The buildings were in rough shape, and they did not get money from the governments for the supplies and books they needed for a good education. Then, in 1954 the civil rights movement won a case with the supreme court of the United States that ruled that schools must integrate all students together (meaning that all students go to the same schools). That didn't solve all of the problems that the black, and other minority students faced, however. When they started going to the sane school, they still experienced racist treatment by other students and adults in the schools. Just look at how Mason was treated in the book! It took many years for these students to start to be treated as equals. Although prejudice against minority groups still exists, if we all stand up and fight against discrimination, the future for everyone, no matter the colour of their skin, will be much brighter.
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Response Questions:
1. How do you think Mason and his brothers felt when their father told them they would be attending Belvoir High, a school that used to be only for white students? Why do you think they felt this way?
2. How did the students, teachers, and administrators treat Mason when he arrived at Belvoir High? Did this surprise you? Why?
3. Give three words that you would use to describe Mason, and explain why you chose those three words. What is one word you would use to describe his father, and why?
2. How did the students, teachers, and administrators treat Mason when he arrived at Belvoir High? Did this surprise you? Why?
3. Give three words that you would use to describe Mason, and explain why you chose those three words. What is one word you would use to describe his father, and why?
Iconic Pictures from the Civil Rights Movement
The Slideshow linked below consists of some of the most famous and iconic pictures from the Civil Rights Movement. View them (they have captions on the bottom to tell you what the picture is of), then summarize how each of the following played a role in the civil rights movement. The first one is done for you.
![](http://www.weebly.com/weebly/images/file_icons/xls.png)
civil_rights_pictures.ppt | |
File Size: | 2046 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
Martin Luther King Jr. |
Rosa Parks |
Ruby Bridges |
Little Rock Nine |
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist that held many non-violent protests to fight for the rights of black people in America. Sadly, he was assassinated, but he is still remembered to this day as a very important leader of the civil rights movement. |
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