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Prepared
with assistance from Barbara Murphy, Librarian, Shaler Area Middle School,
Glenshaw, PA
Except for Native
Americans, we have all been immigrants, have all come from someplace else.
Select books on the immigrant experience such as Dragonwings,
Lawrence Yep; Letters from Rifka,
Karen Hesse, Journey to America, Sonia
Levitin; A Boat to Nowhere, Maureen
Crane Wartski; A Real American, Richard
Easton. Include world maps in
your discussions. There’s also a
wealth of material available online about Ellis Island history.
Newcomers
and Oldtimers — All of us are newcomers at one time or another, the new
kid on the team, on the block, in class.
How does that feel? What’s
the worst part? The best part? How long does it take to feel like you belong?
Who or what might help you to become a part of the new place?
Have you been an oldtimer like the Boston Yankees?
What happens in your town or school when new people come?
How do people view strangers? Do
they welcome or exclude them? How? And why?
Differences
— There are big differences between Innie’s family, the Morettis and
the Yankees. What are some of those
differences? Which ones will Innie
and Teresa wish to overcome? What
about Matela’s family? In what
ways are the Rosens different from the Morettis?
From the Yankees? Which
differences might be hard to live with? Which
might you want to hold onto? Why?
Scary
Stuff — In a mystery, characters often have to find the courage to face
something frightening. What’s the
scariest thing you’ve had to face in real life?
How did it turn out? What’s
the scariest real thing you can imagine?
Why is it scary for you? What
would be scary for a child of 3? A
teenager of 16? A man of 75?
Changes
—
Life changed dramatically for the Morettis and Rosens when they left small
villages in Europe for a large, sophisticated American city. In what ways were their new lives different?
Think about food and cooking, transportation, shelter, clothing and other
necessities of life.
Even after the families arrived they continued to change. Innie and her generation will make friends among different
sorts of people while the older generations may not.
How has your parents’ generation changed from your grandparents’?
How will you and your friends be different?
Are these good changes or not? Why?
Language
Arts — Innie and the other immigrant girls read and discuss
books at the settlement house. Why
do you think the ladies thought up such a library club? If you were helping newcomers to America and wanted them to
learn about the country quickly, what books would you suggest to them and why?
What other activities would be helpful?
Social
Studies — Carmella was
very worried about her citizen hearing.
What is a citizen? How does one become a citizen of the United States?
Was is the oath of allegience? What
are the rights and duties of citizenship? How
does school today prepare students to become responsible citizens?
History
¾
Fire:
The Chelsea Fire of 1908 is one of many great fires in the history of American cities.
Research the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and the San Francisco Earthquake
and Fire of 1906. Why did fire
spread so easily in these cities? What modern methods are used to prevent the spread of fires
in cities today? Was there a great
fire in the history of a town or city near your home?
What happened? Archaeology: When people think about historic Boston, they think
about early European settlers or the rebels who fought in the American
Revolution, but history keeps happening; events large and small cause places to
change; people come and go. Be a
historical archaeologist¾dig
into the history of your region. Who
lived there a long time ago? Who
came after? How many layers of
settlement can you unearth? What
markers have various peoples left behind? Smugglers:
Innie and friends find an old smuggler’s tunnel dating back to the
American Revolution. What is a
smuggler? A customs house?
Why did the colonists resent paying taxes on foreign goods?
Geography/Math/Research
— Locate a town in southern Italy or in western Russia.
Plan the route to America. What
means of transportation were available in 1908?
Calculate the distances and the time it would have taken to make such a
trip then. How much would it have
cost? What means of transportation
are available now? How long would
it take now? How much would it
cost?
Fine
Arts —
Study photos of immigrant life, paying particular attention to the clothing and
how people from different cultures dressed.
Do you have any special clothing from a different country?
When and how is it worn? Innie
and her friends learned songs and folk dances at the settlement house.
Pick a country and try to find some songs and dances to share with your
class. If your school has a kiln,
students may follow the exact process used by Miss Brown in making and
hand-decorating pottery.
Family
& Consumer Science — Plan a hot chocolate and sugar cookies celebration
like the one the ladies served at the settlement house.
Invite grandparents, senior citizen friends or relatives and prepare
questions about childhood experiences of these guests.
Review the basic rules of serving etiquette.
Pleasant
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