Mr. Smith says, “Why don’t we help them when they are
alive?” What do you think?
Passport to Russia, pages 20–28
Before reading
7 Discuss: Talk about passports and travel.
Have students work in groups to talk about their
passports. Ask the following questions:
Do you have a passport?
Which countries can you go to with your passport?
Which countries do you want to go to? Why?
Do you want to go to Russia? Why/why not?
After reading
8 Write: Write about a coincidence.
Alfred Parrish is saved by a coincidence—the secretary
of the consulate lived in Alfred’s family home before
he did. Pre-teach the word ‘coincidence’ to the class
and ask them to work in pairs to talk about a strange
coincidence in their own lives. Then have them work
individually to write about it. This can be done in
class or as a homework assignment. Finally, ask some
students to read their stories to the rest of the class.
A True Story, pages 29–33
Before reading
9 Artwork: Make a poster and talk about slavery in the
United States.
After finishing the book activity 12 (page 58), divide
the students into groups. Have each group make a
poster display on the facts that they found out about
slavery in the United States. When each group is
ready, have a poster session where each group makes a
presentation, and then give students time for
questions and answers later on.
After reading
10 Role play: Perform in groups.
Have students work in small groups. They should
imagine that they are different members of Aunt
Rachel’s family (including Rachel and her husband)
and they have been reunited after the war. They
should ask and answer questions about their different
experiences since they were separated. Encourage
students to use their imagination to make a different
story for each family member.
Murder in Connecticut, pages 34–40
Before reading
11 Guess: Predict the story.
Have students read the first paragraph on page 34.
Then have them guess what the story is about. What
will happen to Aunt Mary? What will happen to the
story-teller?