Bessie Coleman: Overcoming Barriers

Which sentence best summarizes passage 1?

• Bessie Coleman read books about African American heroes in the evenings and dreamed that she would "amount to something."

• Bessie Coleman went to France to learn to fly because African American women were not accepted into flying school in the United States at the time.

• Bessie moved to Chicago when she was 23 and became a manicurist. She read news stories about flying aces who fought in World War 1.

• Bessie Coleman worked hard and overcame obstacles to become the first African American female pilot and inspired other African Americans to fly.

In passage 1, what is the purpose of the section "Queen Bess"?

• To tell how Bessie Coleman was determined to become a flying ace during World War 1.

• To tell how Bessie Coleman studied flying in France for 8 months.

• To tell how Bessie Coleman earned money flying in circuses to create a flying school for other Black women.

• To tell how Bessie Coleman came from a royal family and continued to fly the queen's plane.

What is the purpose of the section "A Lasting Inspiration" in passage 1?

• To show how Bessie Coleman was never rich despite her fame.

• To show how Bessie Coleman dreamed that she would one day "amount to something."

• To show how Bessie started her own flying school

• To show how Bessie's dream continued even after her death.

Which detail supports the idea that Bessie's dream continued on after her death in the section "A Lasting Inspiration"?

• In 1929 William Powell founded the first all-Black flying association. He named it the Bessie Coeleman Aero Club.

• Then, in 1926, disaster struck. Bessie was flying as a passenger, planning her parachute jump... She was thrown to her death.

• Some wondered whether her career was over, until she announced from the hospital, "Tell them all that as soon as I can walk, I'm going to fly!"

• When she was 23, Bessie moved to Chicago. Bessie became a manicurist and met many important people in the African American community.

How does the text structure of passage 1 "Bessie Coleman, She Dared to Dream" contribute to the author's purpose?

• Description tells all about African American aviators and the challenges they faced.

• Cause and effect explains how Bessie was poor in spite of her fame.

• Compare and contrast shows how Bessie Coleman was the same and different from other African American aviators.

• Chronology/sequence tells the story of Bessie Coleman's life. and shows how she overcame obstacles to acheive her dream.

Select two details from passage 1 that support the central idea that Bessie Coleman overcame barriers to fulfill her dreams.

• "She liked reading stories about African American heroes." (par 3)

• "During World War I, she read news stories about 'flying aces'- brave and skillful fighter pilots who flew newfangled airplanes in the war in Europe." (par 4)

• "No flying school in the United States would accept an African American woman as a student. She decided that she would go to France to learn to fly." (par 5)

• Bessie believed that there was a great future for aviation in America. She believed that African Americans could be part of it. " (par 7)

• ""I decided to open a flying school and teach other Black women to fly.' To earn money for her dream, Bessie performed in flying circuses." (par 7-8)

In passage 2, what type of figurative language is used in the sentence, "Courage was like a muscle that got stronger as she used it."

• Metaphor

• Simile

• Hyperbole

• Personification

What is the author's perspective when she uses figurative language in paragraphs 11-12? "As she sat in the open cockpit, she was afraid, but she let fear be a companion... Courage was like a muscle that got stronger as she used it."

• Courage is doing something scary even when you're afraid. As practice being brave, you become braver.

• Courage is a companion, like a friend. We should be friends with ourselves.

• Courage is a muscle in your body. You need to exercise your body in order to develop more courage.

• Courage is something that is developed only when you are alone in a cockpit, preparing to fly.

What does the word "raved" mean in paragraph 15 of passage 2? "The next day, newspapers raved about the show."

• to talk wildly as though insane

• to speak or write about someone with great enthusiasm or admiration.

• a lively party involving loud music, costumes, flashing lights and dancing

• electronic dance music of the kind played at a rave.

Drag and drop each option to show whether it was found in passage 1, passage 2 or both.

Groups:

(a) Passage 1: Bessie Coleman She Dared to..

,

(b) Passage 2: Brave Bessie Coleman

,

(c) Both passages

• Bessie died in 1926 when the plane she was planning to jump from flipped

• Bessie Coleman wanted to start a school for pilots so other African Americans could also fly

• Bessie Coleman was born in 1892

• Bessie Coleman performed airborne stunts

• Bessie Coleman inspired William Powell to start the first all-Black flying association.

• Tells about Bessie's childhood

• Uses figurative language to show how Bessie felt

• Describes in detail how Bessie maneuvered her plane to do stunts