Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Free Discussion Questions

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt

by Deborah Hopkinson

paintings by James Ransome

A Reading Rainbow Book

This post has a short review of Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt with free discussion questions on letter sized teaching posters. In this story, a slave girl patiently, quietly, and unobtrusively sews her way to freedom over the course of several years. This story may be over the heads of children upon first reading, and is a good text to use for the reading comprehension skill of inferring. It is historical fiction and deals with the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad. It is also a story good enough to be included in the Reading Rainbow book list. Teachers and parents only have to discuss the issues in the books as far as children are able to understand. The best way to do this is to read the book and then let the children question you! Adults do not need to over explain, knowing that in future years more understanding will be possible.

I didn’t make a worksheet for this book, but made a set of 7 discussion posters with pictures for group discussion. The questions could be used with the Think-Pair-Share format, or the whole group.

Instant download here:

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Discussion Posters, Free, PDF

To help in quickly forming partnerships for think-pair-share activities, this Power Point can help. Animation only works in view slide show mode, not in normal mode. Grapics are copyrighted.

Free instant download here:

free-PPt-think-pair-share-slides-to-help-organize-students