Feathers

Feathers

Jacqueline Woodson

Published by Scholastic, Inc. 

Copyright: 2007

"Hope is the thing with feathers…" ~ Emily Dickinson

 In the early 1970's, Frannie's world is separated by highway that divides where the blacks live and where the whites live. She goes to a school where only black kids go, so when a white student appears in class many feel he has made a wrong turn. Many kids pick on him and he becomes known as "Jesus Boy" because of his long hair. Frannie feels a connection with "Jesus Boy" because she once knew what it felt like to be the new kid in school and how awkward it was for her. She also has a connection with him because, like Frannie, he knows American Sign Language as well. Frannie's brother, Sean, is deaf and struggles with trying to understand and fit into the hearing world. On top of that Frannie and Sean must wait with anticipation for a new addition to the family. Sadly, for their family, and especially for their mother, new additions to the family have come and gone too early and there is worry that another baby will come and go so quickly. 

After hearing an Emily Dickinson poem about hope Frannie uses her imagination understand the words and produce an optimistic outlook for the future. She learns to let take the challenges that may present themselves and let hope float.  

Reading Level: Grade 5-6; Lexile: 760L

Suggested Delivery: Whole Class Read Aloud, Independent Read, Guided Reading Group

Web Resources: 

Author's Site: This is the author's site where you can find information about other texts that Jacqueline Woodson wrote as well as videos, teacher guides to her other texts, and information about the author herself.  

Lesson Planning: This website provides a number of links that will guide the instruction of this novel. There are discussion questions, quizzes, worksheets, descriptions, etc. This could be an excellent source for teachers looking to use Feathers in their classrooms. 

Interview with the author about "Feathers": This is an NPR interview with author Jacqueline Woodson.  

The following links are more examples of helpful teaching guides for this text. These links include discussion questions, activities, vocabulary study, etc. 

Feathers Lesson Example  

Feathers Reading Guide 

Discussion Question Examples 

Key Vocabulary: 

• Jive
• Segregation
• Surreal
• Miscarriage
• Thriving

Suggestion for Activities for Students:
After Reading:
It is apparent that Frannie has been inspired greatly by Emily Dickinson's poem Hope is the Thing with Feathers. After reading Feathers and responding to some discussion questions about the text the teacher could have the students reflect on what they think hope is and what kind of hopes they have. Since Frannie was inspired by a poem, have the students create a poem themselves about Hope. Here is a an example worksheet for the creation of an Acrostic Poem. Have the students think of a word or phrase for each letter of hope and have them write their own poem. This will encourage students to connect to the text and reflect on how Frannie views hope and how they, as individuals, view hope as well. (Worksheet came from ReadWriteThink.org) 

Awards and Acknowledgements: 

Newbery Honor Medal

Publishers Weekly Review:

Starred Review. Looking forward" is the message that runs through Woodson's (The House You Pass on the Way) novel. Narrator Frannie is fascinated with Emily Dickinson's poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers/ that perches in the soul," and grapples with its meaning, especially after a white student joins Frannie's all-black sixth-grade classroom. Trevor, the classroom bully, promptly nicknames him "Jesus Boy," because he is "pale and his hair [is] long." Frannie's best friend, Samantha, a preacher's daughter, starts to believe that the new boy truly could be Jesus ("If there was a world for Jesus to need to walk back into, wouldn't this one be it?"). The Jesus Boy's sense of calm and its effect on her classmates make Frannie wonder if there is some truth to Samantha'a musings, but a climactic faceoff between him and Trevor bring the newcomer's human flaws to light. Frannie's keen perceptions allow readers to observe a ripple of changes. Because she has experienced so much sadness in her life (her brother's deafness, her mother's miscarriages) the heroine is able to see beyond it all—to look forward to a time when the pain subsides and life continues. Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch. Ages 8-up. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review:

Starred Review. Grade 4–7—"Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow," notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971. He is dubbed the Jesus Boy by the class rowdy, and the name seems to suit the newcomer's appearance and calm demeanor. Frannie is confused, not only by declarations that he's NOT white, but that her friend Samantha, daughter of a conservative Baptist minister, also seems to believe that he is Jesus. In light of this and other surprises in her life, Frannie questions her own faith and, most of all, the meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that she is studying in class, "Hope is a thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/…." How does she maintain hope when her newly pregnant mother has lost three babies already? She also worries about her deaf older brother, Sean, who longs to be accepted in the hearing world. She sees the anger in the bully intensify as he targets Jesus Boy. With her usual talent for creating characters who confront, reflect, and grow into their own persons, Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH 

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.