She has received honors including the scott odell historical fiction award, the christopher award, and the macarthur fellowship genius award, making her only the second childrens book author to receive this prestigious grant. Rifka cannot go back to berdichev, russia because on page 49 and 50 it said, rifka, the russians are angry at our family in berdichev. Scholastic teachablesworksheets, lesson plans, learning games, and more. Immigration in this unit, students will learn to read. This gives rifka a way to express her fears and loneliness as the family journeys across russia. Rifka s journey we put a map because thats where rifka started. On the way many obstacles occur, but the main conflict is rifka s disease not allowing her to live in america with her family. About the author karen hesse is the author of many books for young people, including out of the dust, winner of the newbery medal, letters from rifka, brooklyn bridge, phoenix rising, sable and. Students will be actively engaged throughout the novel study letters from rifka by karen hesse. As an adult, reading this book to my children was one of the most nostalgic experiences i think i have ever had. In letters from rifka, rifka and her family travel to many countries before arriving in the united states. They have a dangerous escape, and meet some unpleasant people along the way. For each country rifka visits, have students label that country on the map.
Are you aware of the effects of world war i on the russian. In the middle of letters from rwca, rifka writes, i would have liked to fly away, to race back up the road, stopping at every door to say goodbye, to say that we were going to america. Stories in the literature book questions will be submitted for a minor grade week of. For the final performance task students will write a literary analysis of letters from rifka by karen hesse. Rifka s family quickly packed up their things and left. Letters from rifka character descriptions for teachers. But she dreams she will at last be safe from the russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the jews in the new country. Elementary summer reading list first presbyterian day school. Hand out graphic organizer for locating the theme and work on it as a class.
This novel study divides letters from rifka into six sections for study. Have students use a blank world map to trace the journey of rifka and her family. Karen hesse wanted to preserve her familys history and interviewed her great aunt lucy avrutin, who provided a treasure trove of stories for her to use in her writing. How neuroscience principles can lead to better learning. We offer discounted pricing, free shipping and unparalleled expertise and customer service. Beginning in russia in 1919, this epistolary novel, based on experiences of the. Fill this sheet in while you read to help plan out your book talk. The letters, each prefaced by a few telling lines of pushkin, tell of the fear, indignities, privation, and disease endured as they traveled through poland and into. During the lesson provide time for students to turn and talk and share their thinking with a partner. Throughout her journey, rifka carries with her a cherished volume of poetry by alexander pushkin. This book is an indepth look at a 12 year old girls struggle to get to america from russia. Mind resources, a proudly canadian company, provides resources for teachers, librarians, counsellors, speechlanguage pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and.
Stronghearted and determined, rifka must endure a great deal. Conflictclimax letters from rifkabook project by anna. Jan 01, 1992 one of my kids won letters from rifka as a prize from the library summer reading program a few years ago and it has been sitting on my book shelf begging to be read. Also, when rifka was on the train, the woman she was doing her hair, had an illness. Hardships this book is based on the reallife experiences of. Letters from rifka character descriptions karen hesse this set of lesson plans consists of approximately 112 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials.
What illness do rifka and her family members catch at the polish border. Rifka takes a poetry book with her and starts writing letters to tovah using rippedout pages from the book. Twelveyearold rifka tells her story through a series of letters written to her cousin tovah. Letters from rifka, her second book, won a christopher medal and was chosen by the american library association as a best book. Letters from rifka comprehension questions worksheets. Letters from rifka graphic organizer for 7th grade. There are a couple parts that i did have to skip they talk about undressing in front of the soldiers, pretty descriptive. One of my kids won letters from rifka as a prize from the library summer reading program a few years ago and it has been sitting on my book shelf begging to be read. Then have students briefly research each country and provide relevant. Christopher awards winner, ala best books for young adults, national jewish book award finalist, ira childrens and young adults book award, sydney taylor award, horn book magazine fanfare list.
Experiencing the letters rifka wrote to her cousin, tovah, allowed me to experience a sense of kinship. What especially raises it above docu novel is the emerging sense of rifkas personality. This is a novel study for letters from rifka by karen hesse. I got the book off this site for school and i just couldnt help. It is 1919 and rifka s brother nathan has deserted the russian army. Praise for letters from rifka hesses vivacious tale colorfully and convincingly refreshes the immigrant experience.
This comprehensive lesson plan includes 30 daily lessons, 180 multiple choice questions, 20 essay questions, 20 fun activities, and more everything you need to teach letters from rifka. Karen hesse is the author of many books for young people, including. They chose rifka because she could speak russian and she had light hair and blue eyes. Learners can organize their progress through the book and answer thoughtprovoking questions. Rifka s brothers are wanted by the german army, and they are coming to get them. Letters from rifka lesson plan for 6th 8th grade lesson.
Have students add to their problem and solution charts after they. The site is such a good place to find any book you want. Letters from rifka is a childrens historical novel by karen hesse, published by holt in 1992. Her letters to her cousin tell of rifka s bravery and loy alty to her family. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to her. Review of thursday and fridays activities no homework, tests, or quizzes. Rifka and her jewish family have fled russia for america in 1919. This puts the family at great risk, so to protect themselves, twelveyearold rifka and her family flee russia for america in the hope of a better life. Based on a true story from the authors family, letters from rifka presents a. Rifka writes to tovah, your gift to me, the book of pushkin, i did not pack. Beginning in russia in 1919, this epistolary novel, based on experiences of the authors greataunt, tells how 12yearold rifka nebrot and her family fled the antisemitism of postrevolutionary russia and emigrated to the us. Booksource is the premier trade book distributor to k12 school classrooms across the country. This letters from rifka graphic organizer is suitable for 7th grade.
One of rifka s cousins, tovah, remains in russia and wants to keep in touch with rifka. Letters from rifka literary plan sample pdf prestwick house. Rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in. Karen hesses young adult historical novel, letters from rifka 1992, centers on a young jewish girl and her journey from russia to belgium in 1919. But she dreams that in the new country she will at last be safe from the russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the jews. Conflictclimax letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. After participating in this webquest, students will have the necessary background on the story letters from rifka, by karen hesse. A free book talk template for more engaged readers. Her family had to flee russia so her brothers would not be killed because they fled their regiment in the russian armed services. Letters from rifka graphic organizer for 7th grade lesson.
You are about to begin reading the novel letters from rifka by karen hesse, but are you prepared to take the journey with rifka out of russia. This fine, page instructional activity culminates with each group getting together to meet for an exchange of ideas about rifka, and what she experienced on her trip. Use the graphic organizer below to record details from each section of bear boy or rikk. Just when rifka s troubles should be over she finds herself facing new hardships. Jul 31, 2014 rifka explains her escape to her cousin, in the form of a letter. Mind resources, a proudly canadian company, provides resources for teachers, librarians, counsellors, speechlanguage pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and other education associated professionals. See more ideas about read aloud, picture book, books. Rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her. The time peroid for the story was during the 1920s, the setting occured in various places. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions. Jan 06, 2009 in it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to tovah, the beloved cousin she has left behind. The book received much critical acclaim upon its publication and received both the 1992 sydney taylor award book award for older children and the 1993 national jewish book award for childrens literature. Letters from rifka book project by carra bell prezi.
She probably had the same thing as rifka, ringworm. Rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in 1919. Her family decided to leave russia and take a train to poland where. Book advertisement in this lesson, students create a movie trailertype ad to. Rifka s family hid in the trains boxcars, and rifka had to distract the soldiers. I asked him what he loved about it and he ended up reciting a full summary of the story. This letters from rifka lesson plan is suitable for 6th 8th grade. In addition to the newbery, she has received honors including the scott odell historical fiction award, the macarthur fellowship genius award and the. The introductory lesson introduces students to letters from rifka. Karen hesse is the author of many books for young people, including out of the dust, winner of the newbery medal, brooklyn bridge, phoenix rising, sable and lavender. Paraphrase, problemsolution, causeeffect, symbolism, context clues, figurative language, summarize key words.
In order to support my students with creating their own book talks, i created graphic organizers based on dr. Aug 20, 2010 rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in 1919. Rifka was also able to convince the officials that she could succeed in life with or without hair. Setting letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. Her family decided to leave russia and take a train to poland where they got sick with typhus and were stuck there for weeks. Letters from rifka through the looking glass childrens. Both rifka and ilya were grated permission to enter america. Listen free to letters from rifka by karen hesse with a free. In addition to the newbery, she has received honors including the scott odell historical fiction award, the macarthur fellowship genius award and the christopher award, and was nominated for a national jewish. If you are looking for a way to lead students in a discussion as they read the book letters from rifka by karen hesse, you will find this resource invaluable. Dec 23, 2015 these are great inspirations for learning about the postal system or writing letters. What key features of rifka s character are revealed in this passage. Sections date we will finish reading date we will discuss 1.
Based on a true story from the authors family, letters from rifka presents a reallife heroine with an uncommon courage and unsinkable spirit. Letters from rifka karen hesse summary rifka is a young girl who lives in russia. Small groups read assigned chapters from the book, letters to rifka, then work together to fill out comprehension worksheets associated with their chapters. Always, to help her, she has the book of pushkin poems that her beloved cousin tovah gave her. Letters from rifka prereading prompt and worksheet, practice with predictions graphic organizer, pacing guide for reading. I think rifka got the ringworm from the girl on the train, because rifka. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Her father does not want her brothers to fight in the russian civil war. The letters from rifka lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. It features a jewish familys emigration from russia in 1919, to belgium and ultimately to the u. Students will also explore the themes in this book by paying careful attention to how characters respond to challenges. Formerly known as scholastic printables, we offer printable activities for any subject. The soldiers came to the boxcars to search for nathan, and rifka distracted them.
We plan to read letters from rifka and meet on these dates. This puts the family at great risk, so to protect themselves, twelveyearold rifka and her family flee russia. For example, rifka was conned by a man with a basket of oranges. Karen hesse is the author of many books for young people, including out of the dust, winner of the newbery medal, letters from rifka, brooklyn bridge, phoenix rising, sable and lavender. She knew what it was like to miss her home and all she knew, just like i was. When a case of ringworm prevents rifka from joining her russian family as they emigrate. They will learn how to understand characters by paying attention to their actions and how they respond to challenges. See more ideas about holocaust books, letters, holocaust stories. Explain that as they read letters from rifka, they can complete the problem and solution chart to show how rifka solves her problems and gets to america. Rifkas father decides its time to leave russia and go to america so they can avoid the german army. Letters from rifka, her second book, won a christopher medal and was chosen by the american library association as a best book for young adults. After a lot of talking, she believed her and her papers were approved.
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