Which detail in letters from rifka helps you predict that guards will come to the railroad station. Letters from rifka is a short childrens novel narrated by a 12 year old jewish girl fleeing russia in 1919. In amigo brothers, what does the description of the fight suggest about antonio and felix. 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. The main character, rifka, is a young girl growing up in russia with her. What are some character traits about the book letters from rifka. 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. The family contracts typhus during their journey to the port where they hope to board a boat to america. She carries with her a lone beloved volume of poems by pushkin. Bald from the ringworm, poor and needy, she proves shes no greenhorn. He is older than his sister but they get along well and in the united states, he takes a job at a bakery. One thing i didnt really like was the lack of love between rifka and saul. Saul saul is the big brother in the story that helped out rifka with the sickness.
I write this letter to you with my good school pencil in the blank pages at the front of your pushkin. Immediately download the letters from rifka summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching letters from rifka. Letters from rifka download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Twenty years ago i was in third grade reading my first karen hesse book, letters from rifka.
Rifka, her parents, and her brothers, nathan and saul who was abusive towards her in the past but changed throughout the course of the novel. This summary of letters from rifka includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. Letters from rifka provides an unforgettable picture of the immigrants perseverance, courage, and ingenuity. I liked how the main character expressed her feelings. A nun gave rifka the treatment, and rifka made friends there. Letters from rifka character descriptions for teachers.
Pj our way offers free, monthly jewish chapter books to kids 911 years of age. Letters from rifka by karen hesse study guide by brilliance. This book is an indepth look at a 12 year old girls struggle to get to america from russia. How to be productive at home from a remote work veteran. Click download or read online button to get letters from rifka book now. In letters from rifka, what character trait does nathan display by deserting. However, rifkas brothers, nathan and saul, desert the army and refuse to go.
Both boys want to win, and they know that only one of them can win. Imagine yourself being tortured letters from rifka summary by your own country just because you had different beliefs, or. Letters from rifka book study guide docstoc documents. She saved money that her father sent to her from america. Jan 06, 2009 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. Letters from rifka timeline created by lizmfischer. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The time peroid for the story was during the 1920s, the setting occured in various places. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 112 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other. Letters from rifka morphed from being simply a memorial to my grandparents to a tribute to my great aunts extraordinary courage and humor. Character traits are qualities that a char acter has. Its based on ww1 its a historical fiction its really what happened to jews and anyone going to america. Letters from rifka karen hesse summary rifka is a young girl who lives in russia.
As you read letters from rifka, use a problem and solution chart to show how rifka s family solves their problem. Because she has no spare paper, she uses the blank spaces of the book to write letters to a. Alyce alyce previously known as brat and, later, beetle is the 12 or yearold she doesnt know how old she is protagonist, or main character, of the nov. I dont remember which school i was going to at the time of reading or why i even picked up this story, but i vividly remember the impact it had on me. Character rifka s star of david fell out of her book and broke. Because she has no spare paper, she uses the blank spaces of the book to write letters to a cousin who remains in the motherland. She married randy hesse before she started college. The story is told in a series of letters from rifka to her cousin tovah who is still in russia. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. She is shy and she feels she is not very smart, even though everyone tell her other wise. Rifkas ringworm was cured, but her hair wasnt growing back. Rifka is the youngest member of the immigrant family.
Rifka helped the doctors and nurses on ellis island by helping patients and translating. They made this decision because they are jews and if they stay in russia the nazis will kill them. Letters from rifka is a historical fiction novel about a family who is leaving russia and trying to get to america. What can you tell about rifka s char acter from what she writes about her grandmother and uncle avrum. Her family decided to leave russia and take a train to poland where they got sick with typhus and were stuck there for weeks.
She did not like your teaching me pushkin in berdichev. If it had not been for your father, though, i think my family would all be dead now. However, if nathan returned, he would have been killed. Ms hesse is also the author of wish on a unicorn, lesters dog and lavender.
To ask other readers questions about letters from rifka, please sign up. To tell her i wanted only to find a quiet corner, where i could open our pushkin. She wanted to save her food for him because he worked to support. She wants to stay in berdichev, ukraine with her uncle avrum, her cousin tovah. It features a jewish familys emigration from russia in 1919, to belgium and ultimately to the u. This book is a fantastic resource if you are teaching your class about immigration. This memorable reading experience offers a sense of the losses, hardships, and apprehensions faced along the way. Although rifka is a madeup character, her experiences are based on. This is a quiz to see how well you know the book letters from rifka. Rifka made it to ellis island, but was detained because her hair wasnt growing back, and they were afraid theyd have to take care of her because no one would marry her. Its important to lay some background knowledge early by posing these prereading questions. Rifka made a new friend named peter, who kissed her, but died in a storm they encountered. Rifka s mother nathan rifka s father saul rifka rifka is brave,smart,and loving.
Twelveyearold rifka endures the worstshe has ringworm and is not allowed to go to america. Explain to the students that they will be reading the book letters from rifka. Hesse won the 1998 newbery medal for out of the d ust, a story about a young girl living in the oklahoma dust bowl in the 1930s. Her family had to flee russia so her brothers would not be killed because they fled their regiment in the russian armed services. She has written many children books, including letters from rifka. Rifka and her family belongs in america, but at first she wants to stay in berdichev, ukraine because rifka said she does not want to be the new girl. A comprehensive database of letters from rifka quizzes online, test your knowledge with letters from rifka quiz questions. Boarding the train on september 2, 1919, rifka s family had to leave russia on a train.
Character in letters from rifka the characters are rifka,saul,nathan, rifka s mother, rifka s father,uncle avrum,iiya, rifka is the main character in the story that is most talking about. She is an unsentimental woman with five children who. I wanted, first and foremost, to honor the memory of my grandparents. The same day that king was arrested, a letter was written and signed by eight clergymen from birmingham and titled a call for unity. Booklist based largely on the memories of the authors greataunt. Rifka is on her way to poland from ukraine on a freight train. We plan to read letters from rifka and meet on these dates. Pushkin september 2, 1919 russia my dear cousin tovah, we made it. The book is super unique in that it is written as series of journal entries or letters. It is 1919 and rifka s brother nathan has deserted the russian army. On their departure, rifka is given a book of pushkin poems by her cousin tovah. She can pick up, and learn new languages very quickly. The story letters from rifka is about a jewish family who has decided to leave russia to go to america.
After college, she and her husband moved to brattleborrow vermont. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of letters from rifka by karen hesse. She is the person thats has the dease that could not go to america. She is the person rifka misseed most of all while she was alone. Letters from rifka reveals that hesse values independence as well as her jewish heritage, phoenix rising portrays hesses love and respect for the land, a time of angels also shows the importance of hesses jewish heritage, the music of dolphins shows that hesse is willing to take chances, and out of the dust portrays hesses love of poetry. Characters letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. He tries to keep the family together, but do the right thing for his family.
On there journey to america they have to overcome many obstacles in their way such as typhus, the way they. She is diagnosed with ringworm and forced to separate from her family until she is healthy. What food was rifka talking about when she said if the people of berdichev could taste it, they would give up eating everything else. The conflict is betwwen one of the gaurd and rifka, the gaurd notice that rifka is hiding something important from them, and rifka have to argue with him and make sure shes family is safe. A character s motives are the emotions or goals that drive hifn or her to act one way or another. Her father does not want her brothers to fight in the russian civil war.
Letters from rifka characters karen hesse this study guide consists of approximately 15 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of letters from rifka. Both rifka and ilya were grated permission to enter america. Ms hesse is also the author of wish on a unicorn and the forthcoming lesters dog and lavender. Anyone who enjoys a kind hearted, courageous character like rifka is bound to love the book letters from rifka. Through a series of letters to her cousin tovah, a young russian jew describes her familys journey to america to escape the hardships imposed upon the jews during the years surrounding world war i. Sections date we will finish reading date we will discuss 1. When it is rifka s turn the doctor tells her and her family that she will not be able to travel to america because she has a skin disease of her head, rifka believes she caught it from the woman on the train. In the book letters from rifka how does rifka describe saul. Rifka was used for a decoy for thwe russain solders at the train station becasuse she was acting like a little silly girl and also the russain solders woudnt suspect a little girl to be hiding from the solders or doing something that they should not be doing and or. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to.
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. Front cover template writing prompt directions included literary elements flipbook characters, theme, conflict, climax, resolution, symbolism, foreshadowing, setting, irony. Once they arrive in poland the family creates a plan to hide in boxcars and find their way to america. Letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton letters. Hesse published letters from rifka, based on stories told to. Students will respond to the events in each of the letters chapters in the book, stating how they would feel and what they would do if they were in rifka s position. I loved this book because it had a lot of feelings and descriptions about what it was like. What are some character traits about the book letters from. Het jaar dat ik 2x moeder werd by aaf brandt corstius not in english common knowledge. The thrilling novel letters from rifka includes content some students may struggle to understand. Jan 01, 1992 letters from rifka is the riveting story of a young girl and her family who make a daring and courageous escape from the progroms of 1919 russia. Rifka was sent to belgium to get treatment for her ringworm, since they had a cure there.
Her letters to her cousin tell of rifkas bravery and loy alty to her family. 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. However, rifka convinced him to read from her book and the officials saw that he was actually very intelligent, and was granted permission. Characters a character is a person or an animal that takes part in the action of a literary work. Rifka was also able to convince the officials that she could succeed in life with or without hair. Problem and solution for each letter character analysis shutter folds. In 1919, rifka, age 12, and her family escape from russia. 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 emigrate to america. She is a young girl who is russian and jewish, a fact which has been hard for her family. She is traveling with her mother, father,and her brothers, nathan and saul. You might want to read the book before you take the quiz.
Mar 17, 2017 i had a book report due and got a group of friendsover 9000 gamer, camera man,tessa constantine rifka, isaac lowe nathon, cameron the beast saul editor. For all age groups, sutori is the perfect partner for social studies and english language and. 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. The students will choose to be one of the main characters in the book and then.
Rifka and her family are so close to getting their ticket to america, but first they ahve to go through an examination by a doctor. Vocabulary, characters, book cover, comic book page, alphabet story, character collage, hope chest, making connections, rifkas journey, timeline, adjective descriptions, character survival kit, response from tovah, thank you rifka, an immigrants journal, using ones senses, body biography, the picture. She is a russian girl who is intelligent, generous and witty but who has a curved spine. Our online letters from rifka trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top letters from rifka quizzes. Karen hesses young adult historical novel, letters from rifka 1992, centers on a. Character in letters from rifka the characters are rifka,saul,nathan, rifkas mother, rifkas father,uncle avrum,iiya, rifka is the main character in the story that is most talking about. Strategies i would use to survive if i were placed in her situation. Setting letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. Add the events you read about in the letters on pages 2159 to your. What does this passage from amigo brothers say about the conflict in the story.