This nine week unit includes five study guides for the book. Each chapter has evidence based questions correlated to the Common Core, with additional vocabulary, theme questions, and event analysis questions. As the novel progresses the event analysis becomes more of culminating question allowing the students to determine from multiple chapters which event had the most impact on the character and why. All documents are in Word for easy cutting and pasting if needed to transfer to an online question format.
There is an additional theme question for chapters. This is utilized for students to document evidence that they will later use for their final essay. The essay should pertain to a theme that the students select in the beginning, so they can easily document evidence. If you choose not to have students write an essay, you may delete or disregard that section.
Also included is a list of discussion questions for discussion centered teaching.
There are nonfiction articles regarding novel themes and ideas, online research of reading graphs, data, videos, and images with questions.
Also included is an optional Powerpoint directive and rubric. I usually break students up into groups and have them present on a topic pertaining to the novel each week.
Topics: FDR, The New Deal, The Great Depression, The Drought (compare to California’s Drought for more relevancy), Stock Market Crash, children of the Great Depression, etc.