Lizzie Bright And The Buckminster Boy

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Consider the effects of racism on communities. What are some effective strategies for combating racism?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to reflect on the theme Racism’s Divisive Effect on a Community. Racism is of course harmful and divisive in communities, and Schmidt’s novel demonstrates how its fabricated hierarchies are based on stereotypes and unkindness. Turner’s friendship with Lizzie, a young Black girl, challenges these harmful stereotypes. Only after a series of obstacles and deaths, however, is Turner able to start healing division in the town with love and kindness. Due to the sensitive nature of the prompt, a private individualized response may be most suitable for implementation. Students might optionally discuss their writing with a partner, then compare ideas for combating racism. Students might compose responses in a notebook or reading journal they can easily access throughout the unit so that they can return to these ideas during reading and make additional notes or reflect on ways their ideas apply to the text.

• The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the “Historical Foundations of Race.” (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing without teacher guidance due to length, maturity, sensitivity, and complexity)
• American University shares a collection of teacher-focused resources in “Anti-Racism in the Classroom: Tips and Resources for Teaching About Racism.” (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)

2. Although the Civil War brought a formal end to the institution of enslavement, African Americans have experienced ongoing discrimination throughout the decades since the conflict. What are some examples of this discrimination? What laws legally upheld such discrimination?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question orients students with the historical context of the novel: early 20th-century America. In the postbellum period, formerly enslaved individuals were legally free; however, formerly enslaved people and their families faced prolonged racism, usually perpetuated through local and state laws that sought to oppress, segregate, and disenfranchise these communities. The novel underscores the fact that racism has not been limited to the American South or particular states nor to the Civil War era, as the story is set in a northern state almost 50 years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Historically, racism and discrimination are clearly discernable and perpetuated through local laws that advocate segregation and land encroachment. While these two reading context questions represent connected content, students might review the difference between the terms racism and discrimination before responding.

• National Geographic shares a succinct overview of “The Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws.” (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing without teacher guidance due to sensitivity and complexity)
• Smithsonian Magazine explores discrimination of African Americans in northern states in “How the Myth of a Liberal North Erases a Long History of White Violence.” (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing due to length, mature content, sensitivity, and complexity)

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

Think about an unexpected lesson you learned from a friend or relative. What was surprising about the situation, and what did you learn from that person’s actions, choices, or words? Why do you think the unexpected lessons we learn from others are among the most lasting and important lessons?

Teaching Suggestion: When his father initially requires Turner to spend time with Mrs. Cobb, Turner cannot foresee a positive outcome in the task; later, he realizes the valuable lessons learned from Mrs. Cobb. Students might take some time to journal or brainstorm independently before being introduced to the theme of Impacts of Parent-Child Relationships on Teenage Identity. Students might offer their examples in discussion, or, to maintain privacy, they might offer an example of a literary protagonist who learned unexpected lessons from another character, such as Phillip from Timothy in The Cay or Rivka from Ilya in Letters from Rivka.