Students will read Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck as a class or book club selection. This text is based on Steinbeck’s travels throughout the United States in the 1960s during the Civil Rights Movement. While on his trip, he interviews local people in the regions that he visits in an attempt to reconnect with the country that he has written about in the past. Students will participate in discussions of the text through personal interpretation and insights and/or literature discussion questions provided in link. In addition, students will analyze the geographical themes and their influence on the social and cultural differences in the regions of the United States.

This activity may take approximately 2 weeks.

GRADE
9-12

THEME
Four Freedoms

LENGTH
This activity may take approximately 2 weeks.

DISCIPLINE
Social Studies; Language Arts: Reading; Language Arts: Writing

VOCABULARY
Cold War; Civil Rights Movement; Jim Crow Laws

1. The United States is a country made up of several regions.

2. The differing geographical factors affect the political, economical and social aspects of the regions.

3. Social structures and cultural factors differ in the regions of the United States.

4. External forces shape human behaviors and beliefs in the different regions.

• How do the geographical factors affect the regions of the United States?
• What are the causes of the differing social structures and cultural differences in the regions?
• How do these different factors reflect in the Civil Rights Movement?

• Students will read Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck.
• Students will analyze the geographical factors that affect the regions and how they are reflected in historical events of the time.
• Students will discuss the text, looking at elements of literature,  theme and author’s message, etc.

In the 1960s, particularly following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the intensification of American military activity in Vietnam, long-held beliefs and cultural norms shifted dramatically in America. Attitudes about race, sexuality, and gender roles were challenged as diverse social groups united to fight for civil rights and protest the Vietnam War.

After resigning his forty-seven year tenure with The Saturday Evening Post in 1963, Norman Rockwell embraced the challenge of creating imagery that addressed the nation’s pressing concerns in a pared down, reportorial style. The Problem We All Live With for Look magazine is based upon an actual event, when six-year-old Ruby Bridges was escorted by U.S. Marshals to her first day at an all-white school. While the neutral title of the image invites interpretation, Rockwell’s depiction of the vulnerable but dignified girl clearly condemns the actions of those who protest her presence and the issue of desegregation. Letters to the editor were a mix of praise and criticism, but that did not stop Rockwell from pursuing his course.

In September 1960, years after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling stating that separate was not equal in America’s public schools, four African American students were selected to begin the integration process in the public elementary schools of New Orleans, Louisiana. One six year old. Ruby Bridges, was assigned to a first grade class at the William Franz Elementary School. The integration of the schools was not welcome by many white Americans in the south, and parents refused to have Ruby in their child’s class. As a result, she was the only student in the first grade class taught by Boston native, Barbara Henry. For many months, angry parents protested her attendance at the school.

Norman Rockwell’s painting, The Problem We All Live With, shows a young African American girl symbolizing Ruby Bridges being escorted to school by U.S. Marshalls despite the barrage of racial slurs and threats. The young girl who posed is Lynda Gunn, Rockwell’s neighbor in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he lived for his last twenty-five years.

Background for Travels With Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

Following World War II,the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War (1945-1991).  In addition, the Civil Rights Movement had heated up. John Steinbeck, author of several books set in different locations in the United States, felt separated from the country he wrote about. He set out in September 1960 to get back in touch with the country and its people. He was curious about the political thinking in the different regions of the United States. His trip took him from Maine to New Orleans before beginning his return route to his home in New York.

John Steinbeck was one of the witnesses to the events that occurred on a daily basis outside of the William Franz School in New Orleans, Louisiana as a first grader named Ruby Bridges was escorted into school by four U.S. Marshalls.

Steinbeck’s book, Travels With Charley: In Search of America was initially recognized as a travelogue. After his death in 1968, his notes became public and it was realized that there were some discrepancies between the notes and the published text. It is now recognized as a work of fiction. A link to the New York Times article written by Charles McGrath regarding the change is included in the materials section.

• Multiple copies of text: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
• Book club guide included or the original guide from Litlovers website.
• The following site contains photos related to text as well as a map of Steinbeck’s route, Good Reads.
• Optional: A copy of related article for each student
• Five Themes of Geography

Videos in Media Resources

• American Geography Close-up

• Initiating Activity: Jigsaw Activity– Divide students into 5 research groups. Assign each group a region of the United States to research and complete a Geographical Themes sheet. Each group will teach the other groups about the region that they researched. Students may wish to create some sort of visual to assist them with their presentation. (This work may be completed over the first couple of days while they are reading the text.)
• Provide students with a copy of the text. Assign pages to read and set dates for book discussions. The text may be divided into 2 or 3 sections to read and discuss depending on what is best for students.
• Students may use a map (one is provided) to plot Steinbeck’s route and stops. They may jot significant information at each stop. This information may include information about the place, people, Steinbeck’s reflections, or their own thinking in response to the text. Consider this: does the region’s information reflect the views of its people in regard to the Civil Rights Movement?
• In addition, they should use strategies such as post-it noting, text coding, double entry journal entries, etc. to record questions, thoughts and noticing. They should bring these notes to discussions.
• A set of discussion questions adapted from litlovers.com has been included. Students may be given the questions to consider as they are reading or they may be used to guide the discussions if needed.
• Optional: Read and discuss the New York Times article about the book. What are the students’ thoughts about the article after reading the text?

• Did students adequately research and prepare a presentation for Jigsaw activity?
• Are students prepared for and participate in book discussions?
• Are students justifying responses with relevant text support?
• Are students able to differentiate similarities and differences between regions of the United States?
• Are students able to identify individuals who impacted and were impacted in the 1960s?
• Are students able to identify and explain events that were important during the 1960s?
• Are students able to make significant connections to past events and its impact on our lives today?

This curriculum meets the standards listed below. Look for more details on these standards please visit: ELA and Math Standards, Social Studies Standards, Visual Arts Standards.