Her family decided to leave russia and take a train to poland where they got sick with typhus and were stuck there for weeks. Ms hesse is also the author of wish on a unicorn, lesters dog and lavender. It features a jewish familys emigration from russia in 1919, to belgium and ultimately to the u. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read letters from rifka. Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats available. Imagine yourself being tortured letters from rifka summary by your own country just because you had different beliefs, or. The time peroid for the story was during the 1920s, the setting occured in various places. Indeed it is within the pages of this beloved volume that rifka writes letters to tovah, letters describing her experiences and her feelings. In 1919, rifka, age 12, and her family escape from russia. Introduction this study guide aims to provide material to help in the preparation of a lesson, unit, or book club discussion about the novel letters from rifka by karen hesse. Bartoletti has taken one episode from her newbery honor book, hitler youth, and fleshed it out into a full novel. On their departure, rifka is given a book of pushkin poems by her cousin tovah. Letters from rifka through the looking glass childrens. Rifka and her family are jews in a time when jews are hated by the russians.
She carries with her a lone beloved volume of poems by pushkin. It is 1919 and rifka s brother nathan has deserted the russian army. Up next 5 biggest makeup mistakes on mature eyes tutorial over 50 fabulous50s duration. Taken from real life experience of the authors aunt lucy, this is a compelling story of despair balanced with hope, of loss and then gain, of tragedy and then light. Letters from rifka comprehension questions worksheets. Read letters from rifka by karen hesse available from rakuten kobo. Also, i liked how she was the little mother of a polish baby when the babys real mom died from typhus. Plot summary letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. I chose this book because world war two era is very fascinating tome. What food does rifka describe as like biting off a little corner of heaven. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to her. Who got the soldiers to leave rifka alone at the train station in berdichev. We plan to read letters from rifka and meet on these dates.
Twelveyearold rifka tells her story through a series of letters written to her cousin tovah. I think this way because of the age of rifka in the book. 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. Pj our way offers free, monthly jewish chapter books to kids 911 years of age. Aug 20, 2010 rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in 1919. Parent guide for letters from rifka by karen hesse. Jewish boys are enlisted into the russian army against their will, forced to do hard menial labor such as. The book is a series of letters of rifka s journey and her dramatic experiences as her family flees senseless hate and bigotry with the hope of a new life in america. 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. Are your students working on the book letters from rifka. This is a novel study for letters from rifka by karen hesse. She is a russian girl who is intelligent, generous and witty but who has a curved spine and so is considered less marriageable than her sister. Best product letters from rifka karen hesse video dailymotion.
When a case of ringworm prevents rifka from joining her russian family as they emigrate. About for books letters from rifka by karen hesse video. 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. In the book letters from rifka by karen hesse, a young jewish girl named rifka, has to go through an experience such as escaping religious belief and running away from. Letters from rifka book study guide docstoc documents. In this book a jewish girl named rifka has to escape from russia with her family. There are a couple parts that i did have to skip they talk about undressing in. Beginning in russia in 1919, this epistolary novel, based on experiences of the. Letters from rifka is a book that tells about a girlwho has to be left behind by her family because she has ringworm. Letters from rifka ebook by karen hesse rakuten kobo.
I think letters from rifka is an excellent book for young adults. In it, she records her observations and experiences in the form of letters to tovah. Library letters from rifka karen hesse video dailymotion. But she dreams she will at last be safe from the russian soldiers and their harsh treatment of the jews in the new country. She is a young girl who is russian and jewish, a fact which has been hard for her family and which has subjected them to much persecution. Youngletters from rifkaby karen hessetcan you envision yourself being in a country alone while the rest of your family travels across countries without you. This lesson will give you discussion and comprehension questions you can use with your students to deepen understanding of the text and. Letters from rifka detail questions flashcards quizlet. Read with a group group members read an agreedupon number of pages, complete the corresponding student journal pages, and meet to discuss. Letters from rifka character descriptions for teachers.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Read book letters from rifka puzzle pack teacher lesson plans, activities, crossword puzzles, falterol. This novel study divides letters from rifka into six sections for study. The russians and other people are treating the jews badly there. It tells of her journey to america and the struggles she has when she reaches ellis island. All questions are taken from our litplan teacher pack for letters from rifka, but you dont need to haveuse the litplan to use this slide presentation. It has comprehension questions broken up into 7 sections as well as a page for analyzing characters and settings. This is a common core aligned packet for high elementary and middle school aged students who are studying letters from rifka by karen hesse. Short answer and multiple choice questions are listed by book section. The relationship between rifka and saul is not very good she is scared of him but she still loves him. Shortly after they leave poland rifka develops a deadly. It is 1919 and rifkas brother nathan has deserted the russian army. Audiobook letters from rifka puzzle pack teacher lesson plans, activities, crossword.
Letters from rifka lesson plans teachers pet, writing assignments. As you read letters from rifka, use a problem and solution chart to show how. There are a couple parts that i did have to skip they talk about. Hesse, karen letters from rifka 1992 i picked up this book at a school book fair because it looked quite interesting. This is a brief video introduction to the novel letters from rifka to get students familiar with the history of russia during the russian civil war. Based on a true story from the authors family, letters from rifka presents a reallife. Big deals letters from rifka puzzle pack teacher lesson plans, activities, crossword puzzles, charroy. Jan 01, 1992 letters from rifka by karen hesse can you envision yourself being in a country alone while the rest of your family travels across countries without you. When a case of ringworm prevents rifka from joining her russian family as they emigrate to the united states, she spends nine months living in warsaw, with her care overseen by the hebrew immigrant aid society. We read it in school for our immigration unit and karen hesse came in to talk to us. Throughout her journey, rifka carries with her a cherished volume of poetry by alexander pushkin. Twenty years ago i was in third grade reading my first karen hesse book, letters from rifka. My favorite highlights were when rifka and her family got typhus but survived. I learned more about jewish history from this book.
Ms hesse is also the author of wish on a unicorn and the forthcoming lesters dog and lavender. 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. I think that throughout the book their relationship will change because when someone has a near lifedeath situation you only grow to love them more. The story letters from rifka is about a jewish family. What marine recruits go through in boot camp earning the title making marines on parris island duration.
Character ilya surprised everyone when he started to talk. 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. Read with a group group members read an agreedupon. Also my grandparents were apart of this period in history and lived through many of the hardships described in this book. Letters from rifka and millions of other books are available for instant access. 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. This puts the family at great risk, so to protect themselves, twelveyearold rifka and her family flee russia. Your browser does not currently recognize any of the video formats. Feb 01, 2009 twenty years ago i was in third grade reading my first karen hesse book, letters from rifka. In the book letters from rifka by karen hesse, a young jewish girl named rifka, has to go through an experience such as escaping religious belief and running away from pogroms. Jan 06, 2009 letters from rifka ebook written by karen hesse. If the guards discovered only one of them, perhaps the others might still escape.
Why did rifkas family hide in different places around the train station. 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. Persecuted in russia by the soldiers and others who dislike jews, rifka s family makes their way across russia to poland and the u. For what clothing item did rifka want to save her money. 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. Letters from rifka is a short childrens novel narrated by a 12 year old jewish girl fleeing russia in 1919. 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. Letters from rifka karen hesse summary rifka is a young girl who lives in russia. When garnet finds a silver thimble in the sand by the river, she is sure its magical. What food was rifka talking about when she said if the people of berdichev could taste it, they would give up eating everything else. Rifka knows nothing about america when she flees from russia with her family in 1919.
Letters from rifka 1993 read online free book by karen. Karen hesse lives in williamsville, vermont, with her husband, randy, and her daughters, kate and rachel. Read the book form the group that will read letters from rifka. Letters from rifka, by karen hessei first ordered letters from rifka from a book magazine when i was a kid, and its a book ive held onto for about a decade. Rifka and her jewish family have fled russia for america. Essay and discussion questions are for the whole book. Can you give me a summary on the book letters from rifka by.
Letters from rifka is a childrens historical novel by karen hesse, published by holt in 1992. Setting letters from rifkabook project by anna dayton. Click here to visit our frequently asked questions about html5. Lessons and ideas books and authors top teaching blog teachers tool kit student activities the teacher store book clubs book fairs scholastic education. This is a brief video introduction to the novel letters from rifka to get students. 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. 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.
Rifka and her family have to escape to russia to get a better life. In this book karen hesse beautifully captures the horrors of what it was like to be a jew living in russia and eastern europe during the early part of the twentieth century. Good reads under rifka s family escapes russias persecution of the jews in but rifka is forced to stay behind when her family leaves for america. 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. It not only has a video to show your class ellis island, but it also has activities your.
In a way, rifka and i had met many times more than 60, to be exact, in her columns, which were open and casual enough to feel almost like personal letters. From newbery media winner karen hesse comes an unforgettable story of an immigrant familys journey to america. 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. Letters from rifka is the story of a young russianjewish girl and her family who leave their homeland in 1919 to travel to america. National jewish book award finalist, ala best books for young adults.