5 3 4 roots of the blues TG

5.3.4

Roots of the Blues
SUMMARY

This book traces the evolution of
blues music from its West African origins to
current-day rap music.

LESSON VOCABULARY

appreciate
choir
religious
teenager

barber
released
slavery

INTRODUCE THE BOOK
INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR

Discuss with
students the title and the author of Roots of
the Blues. Make sure students understand
that here the word roots means origins. Have
students identify the instrument the man
on the cover is playing. Then, based on the
title, ask: What do you think the book will be
about? How might it relate to a social studies

topic?

BUILD BACKGROUND

If possible, play a selection
of blues music. Then invite students to share
any knowledge of blues music, gospel music,
and West African music. Also, ask students
to discuss what they know about the history
of slavery in the United States and the fact
that enslaved people introduced new forms of
music to American culture.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

Have students
look through the book. Draw their attention
to the time line on pages 10–11. Point out
that there are a couple of dates in some of
the boxes. Also note that the book has many
illustrations with captions that give important
information about the history of the blues.

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MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

READ THE BOOK
SET PURPOSE

Have students set a purpose
for reading Roots of the Blues. Students’ own
interests should guide this purpose. Have
students tell what they hope to learn from the
book. If they need prompts, ask: Do you want
to know how the blues got started or what
famous musicians sang the blues?

STRATEGY SUPPORT: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

Discuss how different types of graphic
organizers present information. Focus on
the kinds of organizers with which you know
students are familiar. Point out that the time
line on pages 10–11 is one kind of graphic
organizer that shows the order in which
something happened. Then, point out the
graphic organizer on page 21. Tell students
that they will be filling this in after they read
the book.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
PAGES 6–7

What is the main idea of this
section? (Enslaved West Africans brought their
musical culture to America.)

PAGE 11

According to the time line, when did
different types of blues music begin to appear
in different areas? (1930s)

PAGES 16–17

What information is the author
giving on these pages? (information on some
famous blues musicians)

PAGE 19

How is rap music like the blues?
(Possible response: It tells stories.)

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REVISIT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE

1. Possible response: Main idea: Blues
music has its roots in African music, and
it has had much influence on American
popular music. Details may include: West
African musical traditions, griots, plantation

call-and-response and field hollers, spirituals,
regional blues, jazz, rock and roll, rap.
2. Call and response: Leader called to
listeners, who then responded. Field hollers:
Workers called across fields to each other.
Spirituals: Singers sang about feelings,
hopes, and religion.
3. Possible response: freedom, captured
4. Responses will vary.
EXTEND UNDERSTANDING

This book is full
of photos and illustrations. Have students
discuss which images they found the most
interesting and why. Ask students how seeing
pictures of West Africans, enslaved people,
and blues musicians helped them better
understand and relate to what they were
reading.

RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING

Allow students to listen to blues
music at listening centers, online, or at the
library. Then have them each write a
paragraph describing the music, their
opinion of it, and how it made them feel.

MUSIC CONNECTION

Invite students to find out more about the
people who make the music talked about in
Roots of the Blues. Students can do research
on rap, jazz, gospel, or blues musicians.

Skill Work
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY
Create word cards. Then have students
sort words by parts of speech and use
each word in a sentence.
Help students understand that the
word released can have more than one
meaning. In this book, it means “set free.”
The other meaning is “published or sold.”

TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS

Remind students
that the main idea is the most important
idea about a topic. Supporting details are
small pieces of information that tell more
about the main idea. Read the section on
page 3 together and ask what the topic is.
(West African music) Then have students
give the main idea. (Music is important to
the cultures of West Africa.) Ask students to
give the details that support that idea.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS Review that people
use graphic organizers to help organize,

understand, and remember information.
Show students a Main Idea Chart (see TG
page 143). Tell students that as they read
each section of Roots of the Blues, they
should record the main idea and supporting
details of that section in the chart. Point
out that supporting details will be found not
only in the text but also in the illustrations,
captions, and time line.

ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION
AUTHOR’S PURPOSE

Review that the term
author’s purpose means the reason or
reasons an author has for writing. There
are four common purposes—to persuade,
to inform, to entertain, and to express a
feeling or emotion. Ask: What do you think
the author’s purpose is? As they read,
suggest that students think about how
the illustrations in the book help serve the
author’s purpose. For example, why did the
author choose to include many pictures of
people performing?

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Roots of the Blues

Name

Main Idea and Details
• The main idea is the most important idea about a paragraph, passage, or article.
• Supporting details are small pieces of information that tell more about the main idea.

Directions Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by telling the main idea of the
passage. Then list supporting details that tell more about the main idea.

T

he earliest blues singers played
handmade musical instruments that
made interesting and unusual sounds.
Among these early instruments were
the banjo and the washboard and stick.

Later on, blues musicians would play
guitars, pianos, and harmonicas. Blues
musicians gained a reputation early on for
experimenting with different sounds on
their instruments.

Main Idea

© Pearson Education 5

Supporting Details

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Roots of the Blues

Name

Vocabulary
Directions The base word of dancer is dance. Write the base word for the words below.

Check the Words You Know
appreciate
religious

barber
slavery

choir
teenager

released

1. released
2. slavery
Directions In each of the following sentences, the vocabulary words are in dark type.
Put an X in front of the sentences that incorrectly use the vocabulary words.
3.

Her help baking the cake was really appreciate.

4.

The barber gave terrific haircuts to all the kids in the neighborhood.

5.

The choir practiced singing every day from three to five o’clock.

6.

The group was made up of people from all different religious.

7.

The teenager boy loved listening to loud music.

Directions Use three of the vocabulary words in one sentence.

© Pearson Education 5

8.

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