Literary Theme Lesson: Taking a Stand—Empower Students With ‘Liberation Summer’
Teaching Theme with ‘Liberation Summer’
This theme lesson will help your students determine the theme of the story by starting with the basic, concrete details of reading comprehension—setting, characters, and plot. They’ll also begin to grapple with the overarching question of how a person develops his or her identity, values, and beliefs while reading Liberation Summer.
Suggested Grade Levels: 4–6
Liberation Summer is the powerful story of a young man who learns about an injustice and decides to take a stand, despite the obstacles. It’s based on real events from the author’s life.
The protagonist, Jayden, is a young adult who learns about the cruelty of factory farming and the existence of food deserts in low-income communities. This inspires him to make positive changes for animals and his fellow humans. His actions cause readers to consider at what point an individual should take a stand against injustice.
Students will also be exposed to the idea of what it means to show courage. Liberation Summer will inspire students to have discussions at a deeper level and understand the power of showing courage to fight for the things they believe in.
Use the activities below to study the theme of Liberation Summer—and to address the following Common Core standards for reading literature:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
Preview the Book
- What is the title?
- Who is the author?
- Based only on the title, images on the front and back cover, and the blurb on the back, what do you think will happen in this story?
- Think of 2 questions you have about the book that you’d like to see answered.
- Think About It: Did you ever see anything occur in your life (or in the world) that you wished you could change?
Reading Comprehension Questions
The following questions will help students think about important aspects of the story as well as the qualities of the characters:
Chapters 1 and 2
- What kind of mom (caring, strict, etc.) is Ms. Young? (Inferential)
- Why does Ms. Young want Jayden to get a job? (Literal)
Chapter 3
- Why do you think that getting the new Air Wavy sneakers is important to Jayden? (Inferential)
- Why does Jayden agree to work extra hours? (Literal)
Chapter 4
- On page 28, Jayden thinks to himself, “How could a farm supply tens of thousands of chickens to every single store on a daily basis and never run out?” Why do you think Jayden cares about this? (Inferential)
- What questions was Jayden starting to ask himself about the chickens? (Literal)
Chapter 5
- What made Jayden realize that he was not going to get the answer he was looking for when he called the farm? (Inferential)
- On page 37, Jayden describes what he sees in undercover footage on farms that raise chickens, cows, and pigs. How does it make him feel? (Literal)
Chapter 6
- On page 41, what does the author mean when he says that Jayden “was trying to process the information”? (Inferential)
- How does Felipe feel about what he sees in factory-farm videos? (Literal)
- Why doesn’t Jayden take the box with the chicken meal? (Inferential)
- What makes Jayden think about his health and his neighborhood? (Literal)
Chapter 7
- What connections does Jayden make between different ways that animals are used? (Literal)
- Animals raised for food are sentient (which means that they’re capable of sensing and feeling), yet Ms. Young says that “animals don’t feel pain.” Why do you think she believes this? (Inferential)
Chapter 8
- Why does Jayden start to view his job as a burden? (Literal)
- Why does he quit his job? (Inferential)
Chapter 9
- Have you ever seen a protest in real life or on TV? Why do you think people protest? (Inferential)
- What is Jayden’s reaction to the protest at Belle & Co.? (Literal)
Chapter 10
- How does Tristan react when Jayden talks about not eating animals anymore? How does Rell react? (Literal)
- Why do you think they each react differently? (Inferential)
Chapter 11
- Describe the events of the Baby Fresh protest. (Literal)
- Why does Jayden feel it was a great day? (Inferential)
Chapter 12
- Describe Jayden and Tristan’s visit to the sanctuary. (Literal)
- Why do you think sanctuaries exist? (Inferential)
Chapter 13
- What is a food desert? (Literal)
- Why does Jayden think he lives in a food desert? (Inferential)
Chapter 14
- How does Ms. Young want to change things after her visit to the doctor? (Literal)
- On page 90, Jayden says that he was taught to “seek the truth and stand up for what [he] believe[s] in.” What does he mean by this? (Inferential)
Chapter 15
- Why does Tristan attend the New Orleans Roasters protest? (Literal)
- Why do people gather around Jayden to listen to him speak and then clap? (Inferential)
Chapter 16 and Epilogue
- On page 103, Jayden recalls what someone said to him at the protest: “This community needs young men like you fighting for it.” What impact does this statement have on his life? (Inferential)
Answers for Reading Comprehension Questions
- Why did Ms. Young want Jayden to get a job? (Literal)
- Why does Jayden agree to work extra hours? (Literal)
- What questions was Jayden starting to ask himself about the chicken? (Literal)
- On page 37, Jayden describes what he sees in undercover footage on farms that raise chickens, cows, and pigs. How did it make him feel? (Literal)
- How did Felipe feel about what he’d seen in factory-farm videos? (Literal)
- Why didn’t Jayden take the box with the chicken meal? (Inferential)
- What makes Jayden think about his health and his neighborhood? (Literal)
- Animals raised for food are sentient (which means that they are capable of sensing and feeling), yet Ms. Young says “animals don’t feel pain”. Why do you think she believes this? (Inferential)
- Why did he quit his job? (Inferential)
- What was Jayden’s reaction to the protest at Belle & Co.? (Literal)
- Why do you think they each reacted differently? (Inferential)
- Why did Jayden feel it had been a great day? (Inferential)
- Why do you think animal sanctuaries exist? (Inferential)
- Why does Jayden think he lives in a food desert? (Inferential)
- On page 91, Jayden says that he was taught to “seek the truth and stand up for what [he] believe[s] in.” What does he mean by this? (Inferential)
- Why did people gather around Jayden to listen to him speak and then clap? (Inferential)
Key Vocabulary
- Free-range (p. 35)—adjective: A phrase used to mislead customers into thinking that meat they bought came from animals raised in natural, happy conditions.
- Hypocritical (p. 38)—adjective: When a person’s actions are different from their stated beliefs or feelings.
- Sentient (p. 39)—adjective: Capable of sensing or feeling.
- Liberation (p. 39)—noun: The act of setting someone free.
- Vegan (p. 47)—noun: Someone who does not use animals, including for food, or something that does not come from animals.
- Injustice (p. 74)—noun: The violation of another’s rights.
- Empathy (p. 83)—noun: Imagining how someone else is feeling by putting yourself in their place.
- Ethical (p. 85)—adjective: Related to whether something is fair.
- Cruelty-free (p. 86)—adjective: When a product and its ingredients were not tested on animals.
- Activism (p. 103)—noun. The practice of taking action in support of or in opposition to an issue.
Literary Elements
To help students understand the theme of the story—which is relatively abstract—start by exploring concrete elements of the narrative, such as setting, characters, and plot.
Setting
Paying attention to how the setting influences the plot and characters in stories is important to help students understand and respond to literary texts. There are five distinct settings in Liberation Summer: Brownsville in Brooklyn, New York; Downtown Brooklyn; the Lower East Side in Manhattan; Manhattan proper; and New Jersey. The first page of each chapter identifies the setting.
Have students do some research on the following aspects of these areas to gain awareness of how the setting influences the plot and characters:
- Socioeconomic culture
- Types of people (race, age, etc.)
- Languages spoken
Note: Brownsville in Brooklyn has the highest concentration of public housing in the nation, while Manhattan has a large number of millionaires.
Character
Have students complete the “Character Growth” worksheet to compare and contrast the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the main character, Jayden, at the beginning of the story with his thoughts, feelings, and actions at the end. What caused him to change? Students can also use this framework to explore how Ms. Young (Jayden’s mom) and Tristan (Jayden’s friend) changed throughout the story.
Plot
The plot is the series of important events in a story. Have students complete the “Elements of Plot” worksheet to examine how Liberation Summer unfolds.
Theme
Theme is the underlying idea of a story that the author wants to convey. Have students complete the “Identifying Theme” worksheet to explore how the details in Liberation Summer fit together to express the theme.
Students should consider the following questions:
- What is the significance of the book and chapter titles?
- How did the main character respond to challenges?
- What emotions do readers experience at the end?
- What messages from Liberation Summer apply to real life?
Theme word bank: courage, perseverance, overcoming challenges, taking a stand, compassion, coming of age
Tell students that a theme isn’t overly specific. Phrases such as “go vegan” or “stop eating animals” convey laudable goals, but they’re too specific to be themes. A theme needs to be broad and have applicability to other texts as well.
Have students create a piece of informational writing about what the theme they chose means to them and how they can apply it to their own lives.
After Completing the Book
Discuss the book as a whole. Pose the following questions to wrap up the reading:
- What was your favorite part of the story? Why?
- Did you learn anything new from this story? If so, please explain.
- Was there anything you didn’t understand in the story? If so, please explain.
- Did anything that happened in the story remind you of something that has occurred in your own life or that you have seen occur in others’ lives?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend? Explain your reasons.
Questions for the Author
Contact us at [email protected] if you would like to schedule a virtual “Meet the Author” event for Liberation Summer at your school with Stewart Mitchell.
If you’re unable to schedule an event at your school, you can e-mail student questions directly to the author at [email protected].
Real-World Connections
Civic engagement involves developing the knowledge, skills, and motivation to participate in activities that address issues of public concern. In Liberation Summer, students read about the journey a young person takes from learning about an issue and becoming motivated to effect change to engaging in activism for something he or she believes in.
Have students brainstorm a list of things they would like to change within the school, community, or world. Then, have them choose the issue they are most passionate about and form a group with other students who share the same passion to brainstorm ways to address the issue.
Students can make posters, create videos, write letters to officials, start petitions, attend town hall meetings, and more to engage in activism. Here are some activism ideas to help animals:
- Organize a supply drive for the local animal shelter.
- Get your school to ban glue traps on campus (just like this student did!).
- Host a cruelty-free fashion show.
- Get your school to introduce vegan options in the cafeteria.
Students can also become members of the PETA Kids “Kind Kid” program. In this program for children ages 12 and under, students will receive an official membership card and monthly e-mails with an activity they can do to help animals (i.e., make cat toys for animals at a shelter).
Additional Resources for Students
- PETAKids.com (for children 12 and under)
- The “Kind Kid” Program
- “A Chicken’s Life” Comic
- Animal Facts
- How to Go Vegan: A Kid’s Guide
- Kayla the Vegan (another book by Stewart Mitchell)