Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students By Suzanne Jurmain
Intermediate level
Genre/nonfiction- The book describes accurate accounts of the retaliation towards Prudence Crandall and her students when she opened a school for African Americans girls.
Illustration: The cover uses a black and white photograph of the school to reflect the time era. The house in the photo appears to be out of focus causing you to look closely to the details of the house.
Summary: In 1832 Prudence Crandall a schoolteacher admitted an African American female to her boarding school which upsets the white community in Canterbury, Connecticut. When she is urged to expel the girl and refuses the community uses extreme tactics to make their message clear. Prudence decides to open her school to African American females and goes against the status quo.
Reader Response Questions
What is the most important thing the author wanted you to learn about the book?
How can you use what you learned in your own life?
Connection Activities-
Have students complete a graphic organizer to answer Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why questions followed with a summary of the book.
Have students write a letter to the author with questions and responses they have to his/her writing.
Personal Response- The author's writing style gives the reader a glimpse of what is was like to live in the 1830's. The illustrations play a huge role in the setting of the story. They paint a realistic image of the people and events mentioned in the text. The photo of Sarah Harris the first black student symbolizes an important message to stand up for what you believe in.
References
Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Jurmain, S. (2005). The forbidden schoolhouse: the true and dramatic story of Prudence Crandall and her students.Carmel, CA: Hampton-Brown.
Sarah Harris [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2018, from https://connecticuthistory.org/prudence-crandall-fights-for-equal-access-to-education/
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