The Other Side
Common Core
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.1
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.3
Virginia Standards of Learning
3.5
4.5
5.5
Grade Level
Time Frame
45-60 minutes
Overarching Themes
Lesson Goals
1. Identify feelings and motivations of characters
2. Determine the fairness of school busing practices
Summary
This story is about two girls, one Black and one White, who live on different sides of a fence. In the beginning, they don’t play together, but watch each other from their respective yards. Annie, the White girl, tries to play with Clover, the Black girl, but Clover’s friends rebuff her advances. When Clover is by herself, she and Annie begin to talk to each other and play together while sitting on the fence. Eventually Clover’s friends join Annie in playing, and they hop off the fence and jump rope together. And the end of the story, they discuss how they all hope the fence will come down.