The Color of Water Teaching Resources
The Color of Water, by writer/musician James McBride, is an excellent autobiographical account of the author’s struggle to define himself. The book is subtitled “A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother,” and that places it in context pretty well.
Every other chapter is from his mother’s point of view; she was raised an Orthodox Jew in Suffolk, Virginia (not too far from my neck of the woods!), and ended up marrying a black man and moving to New York City. Her Jewish family basically declares her dead to them, and she and her husband start a Christian church. If you haven’t read it, you should. It’s entrancing. Even some students who hate reading can’t put this one down!
I have reading quizzes for the novel; each consists of 20 questions. The first, numbered quizzes are the most current; the final three are what I’ve retained from previous years. Some of the questions are different, although the chapters overlap.
Available Teaching Materials
- Anticipation Guide - Word File
- Quiz #1 - chapters 1-6 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz #2 - chapters 7-11 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz #3 - chapters 12-17 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz #4 - chapters 18-22 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz #5 - chapters 23-Epilogue - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz - chapters 5-8 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz - chapters 9-12 - Word File (not available for download)
- Quiz - chapters 13-17 - Word File (not available for download)
Send me a message if you are a teacher who’d like copies of my quizzes or tests. I want to share, but I have to keep quizzes and tests secure. :) Please include the name of your school and/or district, your school e-mail address, and the title you’re interested in.
Unless otherwise noted, my teaching resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License, which allows you to share and remix the works noncommercially, as long as all alterations or transformations are redistributed under the same or a similar license. Attribution is a part of this license; however, unless otherwise noted, I do not require any attribution for these materials.
Updates
- 4/9/08 :: Sent a few Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in Lee County Schools in Tupelo, Mississippi.
- 4/14/08 :: Sent a few Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in Edina Public Schools in Edina, Minnesota.
- 5/1/08 :: Added two new quizzes that my advanced tenth-graders just took in the last week or so (chapters 1-6 and chapters 7-11).
- 5/2/08 :: Sent new Color of Water quizzes to same teachers in Lee County Schools and Edina Public Schools.
- 5/9/08 :: Added newly made quiz on chapters 12-17.
- 5/20/08 :: Sent available Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in the Amityville Union Free School District in Amityville, New York.
- 5/21/08 :: Added latest Color of Water quiz (chapters 18-22) and sent to same teachers in Lee County Schools, Edina Public Schools, and Amityville Union Free School District.
- 6/10/08 :: Added latest (and final) Color of Water quiz (chapters 23-Epilogue) and sent to same teachers in Lee County Schools, Edina Public Schools, and Amityville Union Free School District.
- 7/5/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Booneville High School in Booneville, Arkansas.
- 9/2/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Grand Mesa Middle School in Grand Junction, Colorado.
- 9/28/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Varina High School in Richmond, Virginia.
- 10/4/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington.
- 10/27/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in the Sevier County Schools in Sevierville, Tennessee.
- 11/29/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Falmouth High School in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
- 11/29/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in the Tornillo Independent School District in Tornillo, Texas.
- 11/29/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in the Thornton Township High School District 205 in South Holland, Illinois.
- 11/29/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher in the Pasco County Schools in Land O’ Lakes, Florida.
- 12/3/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- 12/13/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Pebblebrook High School in Cobb County, Georgia.
- 12/15/08 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 1/9/09 :: Sent Color of Water quizzes to a teacher at Southside Academy High School in Baltimore, Maryland.
- 3/12/09 :: Added a new anticipation guide for the novel.
- New! Anticipation Guide for ‘The Color of Water’ I’m going to be starting James McBride’s The Color of...
- Lord of the Flies Teaching Resources Lord of the Flies, by Englishman William Golding, is an...
- A Separate Peace Teaching Resources A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, was the first novel...
- The Great Gatsby Teaching Resources F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has to be...
- Animal Farm Teaching Resources Animal Farm was written by George Orwell, the pen name...
You may also like:
Posted: May 20th, 2008; 1:39 pm »
I’d appreciate if you sent your quizzes for “The Color of Water”
Thanks..
Posted: May 20th, 2008; 3:11 pm »
Chuck,
Thanks for your message! I’ll e-mail you the quizzes this afternoon.
Posted: May 20th, 2008; 9:19 pm »
Thanks for sharing your terrific resources! I really appreciate it.
Jen Cordes
Edina High School
Edina, MN
Posted: May 20th, 2008; 9:46 pm »
You’re welcome, Jen!
And thank you for sending me tons of your own great materials!! I haven’t had time yet to go through all of them yet–or to make them available to others–but I will once summer gets here (only two more weeks to go).
I always find myself looking to summer as a catch-up time, and then I fill it so full of *stuff* that I’m working the whole time. :P
Jo
Posted: September 28th, 2008; 2:30 pm »
I teach tenth grade English at Varina High School in Henrico County Virginia. I would appreciate it if you were to send me the quizzes from your site. Thanks
B.K. Page
English Department
Varina High School
Posted: September 28th, 2008; 2:34 pm »
Please send quizzes for ” The Color of Water”
Posted: March 5th, 2009; 10:51 am »
Hi Mrs. Hawke,
I would love to use your quizzes for chapters 7-17, if you would send me a copy of them please. My 2 Senior English classes are reading The Color of Water and this is the 2nd semester I have taught it. I designed my own quiz, as a Popcorn Review, for chapters 1-5 and my kids loved the competitive action involved with it. I’m always looking for another perspective in teaching and quizzing, as well as helpful advice and fresh insight for new classroom ideas.
I teach grades 10, 11, 12 and a Regents Prep program at the Young Adult Evening High School, with the Rochester City School District, in Rochester, New York. Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Ericka House
Posted: March 23rd, 2009; 12:28 pm »
Hi,
Your website is great. I teach at South San Francisco High School and would love any multiple choice Color of Water quizzes you have.
Thanks,
Anni Lindenberg
Posted: March 30th, 2009; 12:22 pm »
Could I receive copies of your quizzes for The Color of Water? I’m teaching it for the first time and saw that you had some wonderful materials and were willing to share them.
Posted: April 17th, 2009; 10:35 am »
Any quizzes/teaching ideas and/or materials for THE COLOR OF WATER would be greatly appreciated! Emailed your gmail address as well. Thank you in advance for generously considering my request!
Best,
Margaret Woolf, Teacher of English
Posted: June 12th, 2009; 2:15 pm »
I’d love copies of your materials (particularly for the advanced class) as I’m teaching it for the first time next year. Thanks very much!