Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Coretta Scott King Award (Author & Illustrator)
among many other honors

“ Our centuries-long struggle for freedom 
and equal rights had helped 
make the American promise of life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness
 a reality for all Americans.  
We have come a mighty long way, honey, 
and we still have a good ways to go, 
but that promise and the right to fight 
for it is worth every ounce of its weight in gold. 
It is our nation’s heart and soul."



Heart and Soul is: Extraordinary, Illuminative, Encouraging, Great Read, and Educational

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

 Written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Published by Balzer and Bray- An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2011

Reading Level:

Lexile: 1050L

Grade Level: 3-7

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud

Summary: 

This country was built on the idea that all men are created equal, but unfortunately not all men were treated equally for a long period of time. This book is about the journey that African Americans took to get from being slaves to free men and women who are integral parts of American society. Readers will learn about the transformation of African Americans from  the times of slavery, to fighting in American battles, to working the fields as sharecroppers, to women craving the right to vote, to participating in peaceful protests, and finally earning the right and ability to vote.  Read Kadir Nelson's heart-wrenching, inspiring story of the African American experience.

Electronic Resources for Educators:

Please use the following resources to extend your students learning and to provide background knowledge before reading the book.

Book trailer

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16735646
This is an interview with Kadir Nelson, he shares the meaning behind his artwork and gives some insight on his book.

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
This website is a great tool to learn about the Civil Rights Movement.  There are videos, interviews, pictures and detailed summaries of the different events that occurred.

http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africanaage/essay-world-war-i.html
Heart and Soul goes into detail about the different American wars that African Americans were involved in.  This link has pictures and a summary of African Americans involvement and roles in World War I.

http://nmaahc.si.edu/

This is the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

There are some great pictures, audio clips, and primary documents for you to use on this website.

Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:

African American-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/african%20american

Slavery-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slavery

Property-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/property

Plantation-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plantation

Illiterate-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illiterate

Abolitionists-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abolitionist

Sharecroppers-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sharecropper

Jim Crow Laws-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jim%20crow

Racism-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism

Segregation-http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/segregation

Comprehension Activities for the Classroom Teacher:

Before Reading Activity: 
1. Introduce key vocabulary.

Wordle.net

Brainstorm as a class and create a K-W-L chart on what students know and want to know about the African American Experience. 

During Reading Activity: 
-After reading each section of the book, break students into small groups and have them continue to fill in the K-W-L chart.
-While students are filling in the K-W-L chart write questions on the board after each section for them to discuss as a group. For example after Nelson talks about Jim Crow Laws, ask students what were Jim Crow Laws and how did they affect African Americans?
- Take time to model what a good literary discussion looks like and sounds like.
-After students have had time to discuss let them share their key points that were made with the rest of the class.
-This would also be a good time to extend on important topics that Nelson touches upon.  Please make use of the electronic resources that I have provided for you under electronic resources for educators. 

Post Reading Activity: Finish filling in the K-W-L chart.  Break students into small groups and have them discuss the following questions. 

1. What was life like for a slave? Think about where they lived, who they lived with, how they were treated.

2. What were Jim Crow laws? How did they affect African Americans?

3. Today, African Americans have the right to vote and can sit anywhere on a bus.  What event(s) or people made this possible?  Talk about the Civil Rights Movement.

Writing Activity:

After reading and discussing Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson, why do you think Nelson chose to name his book Heart and Soul? Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.