By: Nikki Grimes

Bronx Masquerade

Name: Nikki GrimesBorn on October 20th, 1950 in Harlem, New YorkShe gave her first poetry reading at the Countee

Cullen Library, which was one block away from the Harlem Hospital.

Honors: NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children

2003 Coretta Scott King Author Award

2011 Horace Mann Upstanders Award

About the Author: Nikki Grimes

Her books, Jazmin’s Notebook and Hopscotch Love, Road to Paris and A Dime a Dozen, were inspired by her life.

Her parents separated and reunited many times until they finally split when she was about 5 years old. During this time, she bounced between foster families.

At 5 ½ she was separated from her sister.After being sent to many foster homes, she found

refuge with a family in Ossining, New York.At 10 years old, her mother asked for her to return…

yet, her sister never returned to live with her and her mother.

About the Author: Nikki Grimes

A Short Overview of her works:Planet Middle SchoolAlmost Zero: a Dyamonde Daniel BookA Girl Named MisterThe Road to ParisDark SonsTalkin’ About BessieWild, Wild HairPortrait of MaryMeet Danitra BrownMy Man BlueAt Break of Day

About the Author: Nikki Grimes

We are going to read her novel…

Why are we studying her?!?

According to Nikki Grime’s website, she claims to have “led so many lives, sometimes I feel as though I’ve half a dozen different people, all rolled into one. I’ve lived in Tanzania and Sweden. I’ve made my home in New York, New Jersey, Washington, and California. I’ve worked as an administrative assistant, financial aid officer, documentary photographer, proofreader, translator, literary consultant, and library assistant. I’ve freelanced for newspapers and magazines, edited books, sung backup for a gospel singer, toured Sweden with my own band, and co-produced radio shows here and abroad…”

Bronx Masquerade

Setting: Bronx, New York

Bronx Masquerade

Langston Hughes

Born: 2/1/1902 in Joplin, MissouriDied: 5/22/1967 in New York, New YorkWho was he?

Hughes was poet, social activist , novelist, playwright and columnist.

Langston Hughes -" I, Too, Sing America"

Text to World Connections

Harlem Renaissance

What is it?Location: In the New York neighborhood of

Manhattan, New YorkA time period when the American

black community sparked a movement that nurtured a cultural identity through all art forms

When was it?Throughout the 1920s and 1930s

Text to World Connection Part 2

Grimes’ also states on her website that “Bronx Masquerade is a novel written in 18 voices. It follows a classroom of high school students over the course of a year, exploring who they are behind the masks they wear, and using poetry to do it.”

Turn to the person next to you. Predict the types of CONFLICTS we might see unravel in this book.

Bronx Masquerade

AcceptanceStereotypingQuality of FriendshipGrowing Up

Text to World Connection

Topic Teasers…Do you have a Text to Self Connection?

Part 1 Directions: Brainstorm for two minutes and create a list of times when you felt like you didn’t fit in. After two minutes, circle the one you want to write about.

Part 2 Directions: Write about a time when you felt like you didn’t fit in with everyone else. Be sure to include descriptive details about this experience.

**Do NOT Write your Name on the Paper**

Bring YOUR Minds to the Line

1. Crumble the paper into a ball.2. Then, toss the ball into the middle. Continue picking

up the “snowballs” until your teacher tells you to stop.

3. Once stopped, pick up a “snowball” that is near you. 4. Silently read the journal to yourself.5. After reading the journal entry, crumble the paper

back into a “snowball.”6. Repeat steps 2-5.

**Do NOT throw or aim a “snowball” at a person.**

Snowball Activity Rules

Diego RiveraMexican painter

Created murals and frescos between the years of 1922-1954 that started a movement in Mexico.

ZorroA fictional character

created in 1919 by a man named Johnston McCulley.

The character is a disguised wealthy Spanish man; he lived in California.

He is constantly fighting the wealthy tyrants of the society and defending the common people.

Concrete PoemWhat is it?

The shape of the words and letters convey the overall meaning of the poem.

PostSecretWhat is it?

In January 2004, Frank Warren asked people to “free their secrets and become who they are.”

People then wrote their secrets on a postcards and mailed them to his address.

He has compiled numerous books with the secrets.

Ms. Spartz’s Masquerade will…

Think of a moment. Take off your mask…Now, Post your Secret to the class.

Reminders: This is a safe place, so nothing will leave

this room.Even when people appear to not have

insecurities, feelings of being left out, or have buried negative emotions, they are lying to themselves.

Ms. Spartz’s Masquerade will Post their Secrets