Book Title / Author/Illustrator / Main Character / Setting:
Time and Place / How do the characters/
setting/plot relate to A Year Down Yonder?
My Great-Aunt
Arizona
Because of Winn-Dixie
Maniac Magee
Cleopatra

Concepts

Students will begin to build understanding of the following concepts:

1. How does Richard Peck reveal the

main characters, Mary Alice and

Grandma Dowdel, through their

feelings, changes, or actions? What

do readers learn about the other

characters in the book and the

relationships among and between

them?

2. How does Mary Alice adapt to her

new situation in a small town?

Activities

Students will build understanding by completing the following activities:

·  Characterization Charts - students give character traits for the selected characters.

·  Unconditional Love – finding the examples of love that Grandma “gave” to others.

·  My First Day – a journal entry from Mary Alice’s perspective.

·  Poem for Two Voices – getting to know the characters or situations better by choosing opposite point of views.

·  “I” Poem – students take on the character or object’s persona and becomes introspective of the events that surround them.

·  What Does Mary Alice and Simba Have in Common? – discovering that both characters had to go live elsewhere for a time, so they had to adapt to their new environments.

·  “I” Poem – if Mary Alice is chosen as a character to write about, it can show the changes in Mary Alice thus far.

·  Changes, Lessons, and Memories a final essay tracking Mary Alice’s changes from the

3. What were the important historical

events during the early 20th century?

* How and when did World War

I begin?

* What were the battlefield

methods and their effects?

* What were the contributing

factors toward The Great

Depression?

* How did the country recover,

economically?

4. How does Peck effectively use

language to create simple yet

powerful images?

beginning to the end of the novel.

·  Depression Notes – students take notes on what they learn through in-class activities.

·  The ABC’s of WWI and The Great Depression – students research a given topic to better understand these historical events.

·  Author’s Craft – students examine the use of similes and metaphors.

·  Vocabulary and Vocabulary Circles – students begin building a more extensive vocabulary knowledge.

·  Animal Comparisons – choosing activities to create a simile which compares the student to an animal and its natural activities during a season.

5. How does Peck help to

demonstrate the importance

of family memories?

·  Memory Quilt – students recognizing that their family memories can be as powerful as Mary Alice’s.

·  Changes, Lessons, and Memories students realize that Grandma Dowdel’s influence has an effect on Mary Alice for the rest of her life.

Additional Activities

Section 2:

1.  Read the legend of the jack o’lantern aloud to the students. Then give them an outline of a pumpkin to create a scary (cute is forbidden) face. They are to cut out the eyes, mouth, etc. and then glue a bright yellow piece of paper behind the holes so that the jack o’lantern looks as if it’s glowing.

2.  Depending on the season, have the students organize a fall carnival for the class.

Section 3:

1. Conduct a Reader’s Theatre in class so that the students will have an

example to use as they’re choosing and writing their own.

2.  Reader’s Theatre – pair students together who chose the same or similar scenes. Then have them work together to rewrite the scene in the correct format. Finally have the students or class act out the prepared scenes.

3.  Have students go to the Daughters of the American Revolution or Sons of the American Revolution web sites to discover the requirements for admission into these societies. (www.dar.org; www.sar.org).

4.  Have the class participate in a DAR tea to honor George Washington.

5.  Create homemade valentines complete with sentiments.

Section 4:

1.  Go to http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/tornado/. There are wonderful resources and activities about tornadoes such as:

·  kid friendly explanations

·  videos of tornadoes

·  how to prepare for a tornado

·  teacher guide for a lesson and activities

Another good resource is www.fema.gov/hazards/tornadoes. Both of these sites would be useful to create a tornado awareness and safety brochure.

After Reading:

1.  This activity came from http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/teachingwithbooks/producthome.

During the story, Mary Alice mentions that while she wrote back and forth to her mother and father, she “didn’t tell them everything about life with Grandma” (p. 116). Write a letter from Mary Alice telling about a significant event or memorable moment from her “year down yonder.” Remind students to write from Mary Alice’s perspective. Include her thoughts and feelings at the time. Would she tell her mother the whole truth or would she omit certain details? Be creative!


Classroom library

1. Letting Swift River Go by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Barbara Cooney.

Published by Sagebrush Education Resources: 1995.

This is a picture book which describes a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in Massachusetts that created a water supply for the city of Boston; however, in doing so, some towns along the way were destroyed. This gives the students an idea of what the WPA, which is mentioned in A Year Down Yonder, accomplished during the Great Depression.

2. Snowed in with Grandmother Silk by Carol Fenner. Published by Dial

Books: 2003.

Ruddy has to spend a week with his Grandmother Silk while his parents are on vacation. However, unlike most children, he isn’t looking forward to this time because his grandmother isn’t much fun. During the week, a snowstorm traps the two inside the house where they get to know each other better and even have some fun. This is similar to Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel getting to know each other better and beginning to enjoy each other’s company.

3. Great Depression by Nathaniel Harris. Published by Heinemann: 2003.

This book is a volume in the series Witness to History. It provides information about the causes of the Depression along with photographs and eyewitness accounts of life in the era which is the setting for A Year Down Yonder.

4. The Great Depression by R. G. Grant. Published by Barron’s Educational

Series, Inc.: 2003.

This is another book which describes the causes of the Great Depression; however, this one includes descriptions of President Roosevelt’s social programs which helped the country recover from its economic hardships. Several of these social programs were mentioned in A Year Down Yonder.

5. World War I: “The War to End Wars” by Zachary Kent. Published by

Enslow Publishers, Inc.: 1994.

This novel describes the factors which led to the beginning of World War I in 1914, and America’s involvement beginning in 1917. Maps and photographs are also included. World War I is briefly mentioned during the commemoration of Armistice Day in A Year Down Yonder.

6. World War I by Scott Marquette. Published by Rourke Publishing, LLC:

2002.

This nonfiction book mainly describes America’s participation in World War I. It also includes a description of what life was like in the trenches and also on the battlefield. The Abernathy son in A Year Down Yonder was a soldier who was injured while fighting during World War I.

7. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. Published by Puffin Books:

2000.

The prequel to A Year Down Yonder, Mary Alice and her brother Joey go to spend a week every summer with Grandma and Grandpa Dowdel. It’s during these trips when Mary Alice begins to discover just how unique Grandma Dowdel really is. Reading this novel first would help to establish the characters better though it’s not a requirement for understanding.

8. My America: Poetry Atlas of the United States selected by Lee Bennet

Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. Published by

Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers: 2000.

This is a compilation of poems which celebrate the uniqueness of the various regions in the United States. Students will want to pay special attention to “The Great Lakes” and “The Plains States” chapters where A Year Down Yonder is set.

9. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamello. Published by Scholastic, Inc.:

2000.

This novel is about a girl named Opal who has recently moved to a new town in Florida where her father is a pastor in the local church. She has to learn about her new surroundings and make friends just like Mary Alice had to do in A Year Down Yonder.

10. Gardener by Sarah Stewart and illustrated by David Small. Published by

Farrar, Straus, and Giroux: 2000.

This picture book centers around Lydia who has been sent from her family’s farm to live with her uncle in New York City during the Great Depression when her family hit hard times. Mary Alice was also sent to live with family, her grandmother, when her parents hit hard times too. Lydia has to adjust to city life as well as get to know her uncle well enough to make him to smile


Multimedia Resources

* “The Lion King”

In order to have the students think about adaptation to a new environment, I would show the video clip where Simba has to learn how to live in the jungle with Timon and Pumba.

* “The Grapes of Wrath”

The entire video or selected video clips could be used to build background about the Great Depression.

* “The Century: The 1920’s, 1930’s, and the Great Depression”

This is another excellent resource to use in order to build background of the era. It includes interviews, eye-witness accounts, and historical narration about the causes, effects, and recovery efforts of the Depression era.

* http://katesmith.org

This website provides information about the singer who was mentioned in the novel. There are pictures of Mrs. Smith and information about her life. It also connects to other links where one can hear her sing.

* http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/tornado and

www.fema.gov/hazards/tornadoes

These sites provide video clips of the destructive power of tornadoes as well as lesson plans and information.