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Summary and Objective
Students will read "The Bars Fight" by Lucy Terry, a poem written in 1746 recounting the last Indian attack on Deerfield. They will also read an account of the battle of Fort Griswold which took place during the American Revolution, as told in the historical fiction book, "War Comes to Willy Freeman". Students will understand that literature can be used to compare and contrast historical events and to develop a sense of the emotions felt by those who experienced them, whether fictional characters (Willy Freeman) or living people (Lucy Terry). Students will then write a poem using Willy's voice.
Students should understand that although the events at Fort Griswold are historic, Willy Freeman is a fictional character. Students should also understand that Lucy Terry and the events in Deerfield were real.
NOTE: Teachers should be aware that the 'n' word is used in "War Comes to Willy Freeman" and time should be allowed to discuss its use in the text. The authors address this topic in the notes at the end of the book: "This term is offensive to modern readers, and we certainly do not intend to be insulting. But it was commonly used...and it would have been a distortion of history to avoid its use entirely."
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Pre-activity: Students will read through Chapter 3 of "War Comes to Willy Freeman" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier.
Step 2.
Students will discuss the events that took place at Fort Griswold, Connecticut during the massacre by the British in 1781, as recounted in "War Comes to Willy Freeman". Students will also discuss the possible thoughts/emotions/fears felt by the book's title character.
Step 3.
Students will read the poem, "The Bars Fight" by Lucy Terry, found in the Digital Collection of the PVMA American Centuries web site.
Step 4.
Students will discuss the events that took place during the last Indian attack on Deerfield in 1746, as recounted in Lucy Terry's poem. Students will also discuss the possible thoughts/emotions/fears felt by Lucy Terry during that time in Deerfield.
Step 5.
Students will then discuss the similarities and differences in these two events.
Step 6.
Students will compose a poem written in the voice of Willy Freeman, the fictional character in the book.
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