Lesson Plan Title : Letters from Rifka

Age Range: Grade 3 through Grade 5 (Elementary Level)

Overview and Purpose : Students work on writing and information gathering skills.

Objective: The student will be able to read Letters from Rifka and write a response as Tovah to three of Rifka's letters.

Resources:

One copy per student of Letters from Rifka

Writing journals

Activities:

As you are reading the story, Letters from Rifka, as a class, have students pretend they are Tovah and write responses to Rifka's letters. Have them include enough information in their responses that you can tell which letter they are responding to. Choose one letter from the beginning, middle, and end of Rifka's journey. Allow the students to have time to share their responses in class and talk about the tone of the letters and how it changes.

Closure:

You could also allow students to choose the three letters they want to respond to. If possible, show a short video about Ellis Island and the process the immigrants had to go through. (There are several on YouTube.)