Novel Study: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Pre-Reading Activity

Prepare students for reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor by accessing and building background knowledge! Designed for sixth- and seventh-grade students, this pre-reading activity provides a bit of background knowledge about the major concepts in the novel: Jim Crow laws, sharecropping, and the Great Depression. Students are challenged to conduct research about one of the topics to learn more, complete a mind map with the new information, and respond to a question about their chosen topic. This engaging pre-reading activity is part of a larger novel study unit on Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.