Monday, October 26th and Thursday, October 29th

  1. Small group discussion/ mini-Socratic seminar. March Book One. 

• Remember small group norms. 
• Socratic discussion is question-prompted and text-based. 
• Take notes during discussion. 
• Goal is wide-knowledge base, not a "correct answer"

     When you are finished, you need to individually complete the reflection board in Schoology. 

A. Why do you think that John Lewis decided to tell his story through a graphic novel?

• What are the affordances and constraints of this genre?
• What kinds of design choices did the authors and artist have to make as they used this media to tell this story?
• How did you respond to this genre on a personal level?

B. What can we learn about social movements in general from this narrative, and about the African-American Civil Rights movement in particular?

•  Often times the Civil Rights movement is represented as a monolithic, unified force. How does this narrative conform to, or challenge, this depiction?
• What challenges do social movements face, both internally and externally?
• What resources and tactics can social movements employ to overcome these challenges?
• How did the tactics employed by various actors shift over time

C. Historical questions:  

• What choices did the authors make about when (and where) to begin and end this particular historical account, and also about which events to include? How might they have structured the narrative differently? 
• How does this account balance Lewis’ personal narrative with the larger historical narrative of the country?

D. Art and Design: 

• How is violence represented in the graphic novel, both directly and indirectly? Is it effective? Are there instances where it is too graphic, or too unrealistically depicted for your sensibility?
• Select a few panels to discuss and critique in-depth.

E. March as Rhetoric: 

• How does March function as a piece of rhetoric? 
• How does this style work to support Lewis, et al. goals for this book? 
• When is the message subtle? When is the message direct? Why is the message delivered in different ways? 
• How does this book speak to young adults? 

F. Connection to the present. 

• How does this book connect to the present? What specific parallels can be drawn?
• How can this book reveal insight to motivation of current civil rights movements?