If you’re looking for a short text to encourage your middle school readers to consider a new perspective, teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers is rewarding and worthwhile. This short story provides students with an opportunity to explore a number of different themes, including the value of family.

Set during the interwar years (1918-1939), “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” begins with a rough day for Greg Ridley, a teenage boy whose father won’t allow him to try out for the basketball team if he can’t bring up his math grades. Frustrated, Greg goes for a walk in the rain and takes refuge in an abandoned building, where he meets Lemon Brown. As he learns more about the former up-and-coming blues singer, Greg grows to understand what real “treasure” is all about.

So, where to begin when teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers? Not to worry – I’m here to help! Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for bringing this short story to life in middle or high school ELA.

Build Background Information

When teaching any short story, including “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers, I think the best way to start is by providing some background information about the author, as well as some historical context. Walter Dean Myers is best known for his writing for children and young adults, although he wrote for adults as well. His stories often focused on the challenges and successes of young people who face disadvantages or barriers, often due to factors like race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Myers’ writing, including “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” frequently drew inspiration from his Harlem upbringing and military service.

Once students have a solid grasp on Myers himself, I also like to share some information about the Harlem Renaissance, which gave rise to jazz, blues, and a thriving artistic community that celebrated African-American literature, art, and music. Because the story was originally published in 1983, I also like to share a bit of information about the lasting cultural impact of the Vietnam War and its influence on Myers.

Pre-Reading Discussion

Before students dive right into their reading, I find it useful to facilitate a brief class discussion to get students thinking. To begin, I like to get students to activate their prior knowledge and preview some of the themes and ideas in the story.

When teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” I like to prompt students with questions like:

• What would you consider a “valuable” possession? Why is it important to you?
• Have you ever learned an important lesson from someone much older than you?
• Do you think society places too much value on wealth? Why or why not?

Depending on the amount of time you have and the nature of your group, you can approach this discussion in a few different ways. One of my favorite strategies is a think-pair-share approach, where students have the chance to reflect on each question alone, before discussing with a partner and then sharing out to the class. I find that allowing some time for students to gather their own thoughts on each question can create a more nuanced and dynamic discussion.

Alternatively, pre-reading questions can always be set up as centres, provided as small-group discussion cards, or presented to the whole class. Whichever way you choose to carry out your discussion, this activity helps ensure that students approach their reading with focus and purpose. 

Reading the Story

From here, it’s time to read the story! Because “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” is short but packed with significant details, I actually like to have students experience the story twice. The first time through, I like to read the story aloud to the whole class. Here, I prompt them to pay specific attention to the plot of the story and to Walter Dean Myers’ rich and vivid vocabulary. 

Next, I like to prompt students to go back and re-read the story independently, highlighting or annotating more complex literary elements, including symbolism. I also prompt students to note any vocabulary terms that are unfamiliar to them. As they complete the second reading of “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” I like to quietly play some instrumental blues music in the background, contributing to the overall mood and tone of the short story.

Vocabulary Matching

Teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” provides a useful opportunity for students to extend their understanding of vocabulary and practice determining the meaning of unfamiliar words through context clues. For this hands-on activity, I like students to work with a partner (but they can easily complete it on their own, too). 

Each pair of students receives a page containing various sentences from the story (with vocabulary words emphasized in bold), as well as corresponding definitions for each word. First, students cut out all the sentences and definitions. From here, they must use the context clues from the story to determine the meaning of each vocabulary term. Once they have matched all the vocabulary terms to the correct definition, a “mystery word” is revealed!

Reading Questions

Once students have a solid grip on the vocabulary and general plot of the story, it’s time to dive a little bit deeper. Teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” offers the perfect opportunity for students to analyze and make connections to the text. 

Working independently, students respond to a series of questions that encourage them to clarify their understanding and consider more complex literary elements that are present in the story. These include the symbolism of Lemon Brown’s “treasure” and the internal and external conflicts that Greg experiences in the story, as well as imagery, mood, and tone. Each question requires students to re-read passages of “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” in search of specific evidence that supports their response.

Once students have completed this comprehension task, I like to share some additional information about the literary devices of pathetic fallacy, personification, and situational irony. “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” also provides a useful opportunity for students to discuss Myers’ use of dialect and analyze how he creates a suspenseful atmosphere. If time permits, students can also build on their analysis of Greg as an example of a dynamic character.

Additional Comprehension Activities

Depending on your particular focus or how this short story fits into your wider unit of study, there are several other ways students can apply their reading comprehension skills to this short story. Here are some additional ways to make the most of teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown.”

THEMATIC STATEMENT:

Thematic statements convey the central message of a story, offering insights about life, human nature, or society. If your students are learning how to transform a topic into a universal statement (such as “Family provides strength during difficult times”), they can use “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” to practice this skill. In this task, students develop two thematic statements for the story and support each of them with text evidence.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:

For students who need additional practice identifying and applying their understanding of literary devices, including metaphor, onomatopoeia, idiom, personification, alliteration, and simile, this is the perfect activity! In this task, students examine a selection of quotes from “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” and identify the type of figurative language used in each passage.

PLOT DIAGRAM:

If you plan on teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” over multiple days, it can be useful for students to have a quick and comprehensive summary of the story’s plot. Using this clearly labeled graphic organizer, students can track the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution on a single page for easy reference.

Creative Assignment: Treasure Box

For a unique and creative way to wrap up teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” consider incorporating a thoughtful activity that helps students connect the story to their own interests. Inspired by Lemon Brown’s “treasures,” which represent his love and legacy, students can create their own treasure box, containing three items that hold personal significance. For each item, I like to invite them to describe its literal and symbolic significance. As a fun extension to this activity, students can decorate their treasure boxes and share the contents with their classmates in small groups!

There you go! I hope these ideas have inspired you to give teaching “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” a try in your middle school ELA classroom.

Looking for more ideas for texts to explore with your middle school students? Check out my post on 5 Awesome Books for Your Next Middle School Novel Study. 

You might also be interested in my post on 3 Ways to Engage Reluctant Readers in Middle School ELA!