If You Could Fly

In the song “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,” Nina Simone sings:

I wish I could be
Like a bird in the sky.
How sweet it would be
If I found I could fly.

If you could fly, where would you go? Draw a line on the map below. Draw the line

from where you are now to where you want to go. Then complete the sentence
under the map. Finally, share your map and your writing in a small group.

I wish I could fly to _____________________________________ because

_______________________________________________________________.

“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” was written by Billy Taylor in 1963. It has been covered frequently since by many
artists, most famously, Nina Simone.

To this day, "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" is one of the most symbolic anthems of the Civil Rights Movement and
the plight of African-American people. Freedom in the song is seen from both a literal and metaphysical standpoint in the African-
American experience.

Copyright © 2016 Sandra Heyer. All rights reserved. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Map: Copyright © Joanna Waksmundzka | Dreamstime. Reprinted with permission.