Rifka makes the difficult journey from the ukraine to america and records the adventure, as well as her solo journey to rejoin her family after being separated from them, in a series of letters. But she dreams she will at last be safe from the russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the jews in the new country. In letters to her cousin, a young jewish girl chronicles her familys flight from russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in belgium for a. Questions to guide reading abc book project raft writing. To ask other readers questions about letters from rifka, please sign up. Persecuted in russia by the soldiers and others who dislike jews, rifkas family makes their way across russia to poland and the u. See which new books our editors chose as this months favorites for kids of all ages. Letters from rifka by karen hesse in letters to her cousin, a. Karen hesse in letters to her cousin, a young jewish girl chronicles her familys flight from russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in belgium for a while when the others immigrate to.
This book is a fantastic resource if you are teaching your class about immigration. Throughout her journey, rifka carries with her a cherished volume of poetry by alexander pushkin. From newbery media winner karen hesse comes an unforgettable story of. She carries with her a lone beloved volume of poems by pushkin. She has written many children books, including letters from rifka. Ms hesse is also the author of wish on a unicorn and the forthcoming lesters dog and lavender. Along the way she faces many obstacles and the only way she feels comfort is when she writes in a book called pushkin, that her cousin gave her. Twelveyearold rifkas journey from a jewish community in the ukraine to ellis island is anything but smooth sailing. Based on a true story from the authors family, letters from rifka presents a reallife heroine with an uncommon courage and unsinkable spirit. Plot summary letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Because she has no spare paper, she uses the blank spaces of the book to write letters to a. At the end, rifka is finally able to send the letters to her cousin.
This is a 50 page student workbook to guide students as they read independently, in small groups, or as a whole class. 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. Wallpaper wallpattern wallpaperalphabet wallpapercool wallpapers. Read letters from rifka by karen hesse available from rakuten kobo. Letters from rifka is a childrens historical novel by karen hesse, published by holt in 1992. The power of pushkins poetry in karen hesses letters. Letters from rifka is a short childrens novel narrated by a 12 year old jewish girl fleeing russia in 1919. I guess one can say in this case that the book has found me. Twenty years ago i was in third grade reading my first karen hesse book, letters from rifka. Sections date we will finish reading date we will discuss 1. They chose rifka because she could speak russian and she had light hair and blue eyes. Start studying letters from rifka vocabulary, pages 51145.
The book is super unique in that it is written as series of journal entries or letters. I will consider their assignments under the following categories. After college, she and her husband moved to brattleborrow vermont. The soldiers came to the boxcars to search for nathan, and rifka distracted them.
Indeed it is within the pages of this beloved volume that rifka writes letters to tovah, letters describing her experiences and her feelings. She studied poetry at college, but she also got her undergraduates degree from the university of maryland. Told in a series of letters from rifka to her cousin, this is an endearing, realistic, and ultimately, hopeful book. I chanced upon letters from rifka written by newbery medalist karen hesse in the community library by accident. Letters from rifka novel study teaching reading, teaching ideas, student work, fall. Letters from rifka plot summary letters from rifka is a story about a jewish girl that escapes to america because her brothers are wanted by the german army. 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. This book tackles the issues of antisemitism and a totalitarian government, which are the underlying causes of rifkas familys need to flee russia. Rifkas family hid in the trains boxcars, and rifka had to distract the soldiers. Pj our way offers free, monthly jewish chapter books to kids 911 years of age.
Persecuted in russia by the soldiers and others who dislike jews, rifkas family makes their way across russia to poland and the. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to her. This book waas very interesting and flowed easly as letters. A multiaward winning book, letters from rifka inspires readers to be brave and resourceful and to never give up. Karen hesse is the author of many books for young people, including out of the dust, winner of. In 1919, rifka, age 12, and her family escape from russia. I chose this book because world war two era is very fascinating tome. Her family had to flee russia so her brothers would not be killed because they fled their regiment in the russian armed services. This gives rifka a way to express her fears and loneliness as the family journeys across russia.
They start when in 1919, to avoid persecution, rifka and her parents and two older brothers have to suddenly leave russia in the middle of the night with. On their departure, rifka is given a book of pushkin poems by her cousin tovah. The letters are written on the pages of a volume of pushkins poetry. The story letters from rifka is about a jewish family who has decided to leave russia to go to america. Letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton letters. Hesse takes the reader with rifka from russia to america, through hardship and hope. Explore our editors picks for the best kids books of the month.
Read the book form the group that will read letters from rifka. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Letters from rifka through the looking glass childrens. Rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in 1919. A page for a social studies interactive notebook about each level of the government.
This book is an indepth look at a 12 year old girls struggle to get to america from russia. Letters from rifka student workbook common core aligned. Letters from rifka 9780312535612 by hesse, karen and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Thus, the words of the author have been left where they belongin their pure form in the pages of the novel.
Letters from rifka ebook by karen hesse 97814668025. Bartoletti has taken one episode from her newbery honor book, hitler youth, and fleshed it out into a full novel. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Letters from rifka by karen hesse in chm, epub, fb2 download ebook.
One of rifkas cousins, tovah, remains in russia and wants to keep in touch with rifka. And i am glad that i did since it is one of the perfect books to be featured for our message in a bottle special this januaryfebruary 2011. Always, to help her, she has the book of pushkin poems that her beloved cousin tovah gave her. Read with a group group members read an agreedupon number of pages, complete the corresponding student journal pages, and meet to discuss.
We plan to read letters from rifka and meet on these dates. Letters from rifka vocabulary, pages 51145 flashcards. Karen hesse lives in williamsville, vermont, with her husband, randy, and her daughters, kate and rachel. Rifka takes a risky journey all the way to america. Free letters from rifka study unit worksheets for teachers to print. The book consists of a series of letters written by 12 year old rifka to her cousin in russia. 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. Letters from rifka is the story of a young russianjewish girl and her family who leave their homeland in 1919 to travel to america. Modeled on the authors greataunt, rifka surmounts one obstacle after another in. She married randy hesse before she started college. Knowing she will not likely see her cousin again, rifka begins to write a series of letters to her cousin on the blank pages of the pushkin book and eventually on the end papers and margins. Cultural vocabulary connecting to vocabulary figurative language theme compare and contrast analyzing setting mapping activity character analysis text evidence inferencing journal pages with twitter summary and wow words theme conflict problemsolution point of view.
Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. A youth in nazi germany tells the truth about hitler. Free letters from rifka worksheets and literature unit for. Just when rifkas troubles should be over she finds herself facing new hardships. Rifka takes a poetry book with her and starts writing letters to tovah using rippedout pages from the book.
Jewish content and values a realistic and engaging depiction of one familys emigration from eastern europe to america, complete with yiddish phrases and precious shabbat candlesticks. Letters from rifka by karen hesse 9780312535612 dymocks. 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. Karen hesse calls letters from rifka a gift to my grandparents and to my heritage, and to people like rifka who have made the passage between two worlds. Ya books, books to read, newbery award, book letters, writing letters, school fun, middle. Also my grandparents were apart of this period in history and lived through many of the hardships described in this book. Letters from rifka by karen hesse, 9780312535612, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Rifkas family quickly packed up their things and left. See more ideas about lettering, teaching and novels. When garnet finds a silver thimble in the sand by the river, she is sure its magical.
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