Show the cover of the book. Ask students: What kind of book do you think this is? What do you think it is going to be about?

Explain that:

• This is a biography of a woman named Melba Liston who became a famous trombone player, despite many factors against her.
  • Melba was born in 1926. This was before the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s so things were very different for African American in the United States. Let’s review what changed in the 1960s.
  • This discussion will differ depending on what your students already know. In my classroom, we will have read about Harriet Tubman and Ruby Bridges. I will want to situate this book in between those two movements. Slavery was illegal, African Americans could vote, women had just got the right to vote, but there were many inequalities which were considered legal. African Americans often had to go to separate schools, stores, and doctors, and they had to live in separate neighborhoods.
• The music that was popular back then was also very different from the popular music we listen to today. Before we read this book, we will watch two videos of the real Melba Liston performing. (Video links are in the Contextualizing the Picture Book section). After watching/listening to those two videos, ask students to think about and share what is different and what is similar to music they listen to today.
• We will be reading this book three times, each time with a different focus. Today we will focus on the language Kathryn Russell-Brown uses.

Read the book. Focus on any pieces of language you think will interest or challenge your students.

• There are many examples of onomatopoeia to show the sounds that the instruments make. Notice how the font has been changed on those words.
• You can also point out words that tell the reader this book takes place in the 1920s and 30s. On the first page we see the words nifty, dandy, spread the word, folks, and gig. If you choose to focus on words that orient us to the 20s and 30s, you could also ask students to determine what words we would use to describe these events if we were using language from today.

As you can see, there are many avenues to take with the language in this book. Before reading this with students, go through and find the words and phrases that you’d like to focus on. I have chosen which ones I think will be best for my students. I have listed my stopping points below, noting the pages by the first few words on the page. When reading with students, I will keep a chart of all of the words and phrases that we stop at:

• (From as far back as her memory…) Focus on the onomatopoeia used to describe the sounds of the instruments. Ask: how does the author show us that she wants us to focus on these sound words? (Different font and color). The way the words are written also gives us clues on how to say them (for example, the letters in hummm start small and get bigger, letting the reader know that the sound would start small and get bigger).
• (Melba loved to hum…) What does the word kinfolk mean? Focus on using context clues to determine meaning. Ask: is this a word we would use today? What word might we use instead if the story were written about today?
• (That night on the porch…) The words streeeeetch, hoooonk, and haaaahnnnnk, like in the earlier page we read, use onomatopoeia. Let’s also look at how the words are written. Why would the author choose to do that?
• (Even with her keen ear…) This paragraph has a lot of words to look at! Let’s use context clues to figure out the meanings of keen and swell. Again, what are words we might use if the story were written about today? There is also a phrase here that is an example of figurative language, because it means something other than what it actually says—what does a piece of cake mean?
• (Hard times hit…) The phrase smart as a whip is another example of figurative language (simile).
• (Traveling with the band…) Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word mesmerized.
• (But Melba’s fans…) Use context clues to determine the meaning of the word divine.
• The author ends the book with the line, “Spread the word!” Where else did we hear this line? (First line of the book.) Why do you think the author chose to do this?
  • I chose to focus on this because I love when stories do this. It reminds me of The Outsiders, one of my favorite books growing up. While I won’t necessarily talk to my students about that book, I will mention to them that this is one of my favorite ways to make the reader feel closure at the end of the book. Having an ending that lets the reader feel closure is something we have focused on in writing, and so will be a meaningful connection for my students.

For independent work students will be able to choose from one of the words or phrases on our list. They will make a vocabulary four-square (attached separately) for that word. This four square asks students to give the definition, an example, draw a picture, and write a sentence.

Multimodal Families and Communities Connections:

To continue our study of new words and phrases, students will choose another word to make a four square of, with the expectation that they work with someone at home on it. The list of words we went over will be typed up so students can look through the list with a family member, and choose one they are both interested in.

Additional Multimodal Opportunities:

This learning experience includes watching videos of musical performances, and a vocabulary activity that utilizes multiple ways of understanding a word.

Creating Multimodal Interdisciplinary Opportunities:

Focus on the music: today we focused on the sound of the words used in the book. Let’s take a look at jazz music through the years. Jazz is not only the music that Melba played, but the inspiration for the words and flow of the book.

There are many videos on YouTube to choose from. I would recommend that the teacher research and choose the ones they want and that they feel will be best enjoyed by their students.

I would hand out a three column chart for my students. The first column would list decades (1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s). The second column would be for what the student notices about the music. The third column would be for the student’s opinion of the music.

If your school does have a music program, you should talk to your music teacher about ways they can incorporate what your students are learning about into music class.