Lesson 1 - LearningThroughMuseums

section that deals with the narrator’s life in the South. Choose another section that tells about
her journey. Plan to read aloud from sections.
● Vocabulary
feelings
decision
expectation
illustration
narrative
voice
● Procedure
Part 1: Learning about Migration
1. Distribute copies of Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, The Great Migration North.
2. Read a section aloud and ask students: “Whose voice do you hear?” “Why do you think the
author wrote this way?” “What do you expect the other parts of the book to tell you?”
3. Ask students to read a few more pages independently and to pair and share what they learned
about: the situation in the South; the decision Nellie Lee Love made; and what her expectations
were for her life in the North.
4. Facilitate a discussion on Nellie’s life in the South and her travel to the North.
Part 2: Connecting Passages and Paintings
1. Ask students how the book and the painting are alike.
2. Ask them to identify an important idea from the book.
3. Ask if they think they can see the same idea in the painting—and how the artist communicates
it (through composition and other details).
4. Discuss how an illustration can help people understand ideas in a book.
5. Ask students to draw a sketch of an idea that they understand from reading the book. Tell them
to use the Illustrator Planner to plan the drawing.
Days 4–5: Synthesis
● Time Allotment
two days, 45 minutes each day (or two, 45 minute segments in one day)
● Materials
Materials for each student:
Art Planner
“One Way Ticket” by Langston Hughes
Letter Writing Organizer
Art Institute of Chicago • 85