Finding the Theme in the Title and Author's Last Words!

Our fifth grade students are exploring the idea of THEME after reading the story Brown Girl Dreaming by Jaqueline Woodson. Brown Girl Dreaming holds a world of themes waiting to be discovered, and our 5th-grade students have unfolded these hidden gems by focusing on the title and the author's last words.

We started by reexploring the title. Asking ourselves, "What does 'Brown Girl Dreaming' suggest?" Students started to consider the significance of being a "brown girl" during the Civil Rights Movement and how dreams play a role in the narrative. Understanding that it hints at identity, aspirations, and self-discovery... The title sets the tone for a journey of exploration.

Then we took a deeper look at the last two poems in the story and reflected on the message that Jackie is trying to portray to readers. We realized that we cannot just breeze past the ending, but rather we need to study it and ask ourselves what we are learning through the character's actions and reactions. The students had to think deeply about this in order to form their own ideas.

Here are some of the ideas from our 5th grade students: