A Year Down Yonder
Written by: Richard Peck
Published: 2000
Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: 4.9
Lexile Measure: 610L
DRA: 50
Suggested Delivery: Individual Reading
Awards: 2001 Newbery Award Winner
Summary: This story follows young 15 year-old Mary Alice during the depression filled year of 1937 as she moves from Chicago to go live with her grandmother in a farming community. This book is the sequel to Newbery Honor book 'A Long Way From Chicago' also by Peck. The story follows Mary Alice as she travels with her cat and prized radio, who soon finds out that her grandma isn't quite how she remembers. Mary Alice clearly doesn't fit in this hick farm town and almost immediately starts getting into trouble with bullies. Still, her grandmother is always there to bail her out of trouble, like when she untied Mildred Burdick's horse while she was pestering Mary Alice. Mary Alice goes through a world of troubles, but eventually starts to enjoy her new life, things get better and she even meets a boy she falls for.
Words to describe 'A Year Down Yonder'
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/year-down-yonder-discussion-guide
This is a good educators page published by scholastic that offers a discussion guide for educators to use with their students. The page offers discussion questions you can give to students during a literature circle; There is a handout/list of questions you can print out as well as suggested answers to the questions. It also offers so good extension activities.
http://newdeal.feri.org/
This is a fantastic website for both students and teachers to use. This website is sponsored by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and has a plethora of items that students can look at revolving around the time period and the Great Depression. The site offers hundreds of primary source newspaper articles, thousands of pictures, and other documents. This is good for the students to explore the time period for background knowledge on the setting, especially if they didn't read the prequel to this book.
https://www.teachervision.com/fiction/curriculum-planning/6686.html
This final website is another teacher helpful site, but this offers lesson ideas and make connections across the curriculum. For example, Mary Alice survives a Tornado in the story so you can have a science lesson about what causes tornadoes. This website is great for finding alternate lessons and if you are teaching this book to the entire class.
Essential Vocabulary
Before Reading Activity
Have the students conduct some research on the Great Depression. The story takes place in the midst of the Depression's second wind so its good to give the students some background knowledge of the time period. Have the students go to the following website, here, published by PBS. The site is an interactive site that kids would enjoy. they can also use the website previously mentioned involved with the Great Depression, here.
During Reading Activity
A good during reading activity is to have frequent student discussions or round tables. Have the students either sit in the circle on the floor or arrange their desks into a big circle. Start with one student and work your way around the circle as students offer insight into their minds. The students can share what intrigues them, confuses them, or what they have a question about. Other students can then either comment or answer questions. This is to get different students' view points of events that take place in the story; which may offer a better understanding for some students.
After Reading Activity
One good activity for after reading this book is questioning the author. They are many different themes and topics that come up in this book that students can come up with questions by just taking five minutes to think. Have the students write mock letters to the author asking him a question related to the story and have them write what they think the authors answer would be. For example, in the beginning of the story Mary Alice's grandmother becomes more like an authoritative figure, so the students can ask why her grandmother would treat her granddaughter this way.
Writing Activity
Have the students put themselves into Mary Alice's shoes and they just found out that they have to move from their nice Chicago neighborhood with lots of people and friends, to a far out of the way farm house with your grandmother. Write a diary entry about how you feel about the news of you having to move against your will. The students should focus on using descriptive words and words that are involved with emotions.
Written by: Richard Peck
Published: 2000
Published by: Dial Books for Young Readers
Reading Level: 4.9
Lexile Measure: 610L
DRA: 50
Suggested Delivery: Individual Reading
Awards: 2001 Newbery Award Winner
Summary: This story follows young 15 year-old Mary Alice during the depression filled year of 1937 as she moves from Chicago to go live with her grandmother in a farming community. This book is the sequel to Newbery Honor book 'A Long Way From Chicago' also by Peck. The story follows Mary Alice as she travels with her cat and prized radio, who soon finds out that her grandma isn't quite how she remembers. Mary Alice clearly doesn't fit in this hick farm town and almost immediately starts getting into trouble with bullies. Still, her grandmother is always there to bail her out of trouble, like when she untied Mildred Burdick's horse while she was pestering Mary Alice. Mary Alice goes through a world of troubles, but eventually starts to enjoy her new life, things get better and she even meets a boy she falls for.
Words to describe 'A Year Down Yonder'
- Superb
- Adventurous
- Imaginative
- Beautiful
- Mesmerizing
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/year-down-yonder-discussion-guide
This is a good educators page published by scholastic that offers a discussion guide for educators to use with their students. The page offers discussion questions you can give to students during a literature circle; There is a handout/list of questions you can print out as well as suggested answers to the questions. It also offers so good extension activities.
http://newdeal.feri.org/
This is a fantastic website for both students and teachers to use. This website is sponsored by Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and has a plethora of items that students can look at revolving around the time period and the Great Depression. The site offers hundreds of primary source newspaper articles, thousands of pictures, and other documents. This is good for the students to explore the time period for background knowledge on the setting, especially if they didn't read the prequel to this book.
https://www.teachervision.com/fiction/curriculum-planning/6686.html
This final website is another teacher helpful site, but this offers lesson ideas and make connections across the curriculum. For example, Mary Alice survives a Tornado in the story so you can have a science lesson about what causes tornadoes. This website is great for finding alternate lessons and if you are teaching this book to the entire class.
Essential Vocabulary
- Bias
- Forage- (second Definition)- to search for food or supplies
- Headlong - without taking time to think about your decisions
- Jaunty
- Kin
- Preened (Definition #2)
Before Reading Activity
Have the students conduct some research on the Great Depression. The story takes place in the midst of the Depression's second wind so its good to give the students some background knowledge of the time period. Have the students go to the following website, here, published by PBS. The site is an interactive site that kids would enjoy. they can also use the website previously mentioned involved with the Great Depression, here.
During Reading Activity
A good during reading activity is to have frequent student discussions or round tables. Have the students either sit in the circle on the floor or arrange their desks into a big circle. Start with one student and work your way around the circle as students offer insight into their minds. The students can share what intrigues them, confuses them, or what they have a question about. Other students can then either comment or answer questions. This is to get different students' view points of events that take place in the story; which may offer a better understanding for some students.
After Reading Activity
One good activity for after reading this book is questioning the author. They are many different themes and topics that come up in this book that students can come up with questions by just taking five minutes to think. Have the students write mock letters to the author asking him a question related to the story and have them write what they think the authors answer would be. For example, in the beginning of the story Mary Alice's grandmother becomes more like an authoritative figure, so the students can ask why her grandmother would treat her granddaughter this way.
Writing Activity
Have the students put themselves into Mary Alice's shoes and they just found out that they have to move from their nice Chicago neighborhood with lots of people and friends, to a far out of the way farm house with your grandmother. Write a diary entry about how you feel about the news of you having to move against your will. The students should focus on using descriptive words and words that are involved with emotions.