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A Year Down Yonder Richard Peck Medal - 2001   Grade: 3-7 Topics: Chicago, Depression, grandparents, Illinois, train Summary: A followup to the Newbery Honor book, A Long Way from Chicago, Mary Alice takes the train from Chicago to spend a year with her Grandma Dowdel. Set in 1937, 15-year-old Mary Alice and her Grandmother experience funny and exciting adventures in a small town in central Illinois. Classroom Connections: Is your class reading this book? We'll add your email or web page link here.

Author and Book Connections

 

Author Connection. Richard Peck has written over twenty books including: Strays Like Us, The Great Interactive Dream Machine, Lost in Cyberspace, Father Figure, The Ghost Belonged to Me , Ghost I Have Been, Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death, The Last Safe Place on Earth, A Long Way from Chicago, and Voices After Midnight.

• Random House
• Scholastic
• Edupaperback
• Penguin
• More Info

Book Connections

• A Year Down Yonder Activities
• Scholastic Activities
• Reading Group Guides

 

Cool Classroom Connections

 

Railroad. Mary Alice went to the train station in Chicago and took the train to central Illinois. Imagine the train station and the train, then check out the images below. Learn more about railroads yesterday and today. What's the future of railroads?

• Dearborn Station
• Wabash Train

 

CCC. Mary Alice's brother, Joey joined the Civilian Conservation Corps. Learn more about this organization as well as other Depression era projects. Find out if any of your area buildings or parks were created by the CCC.

• Student Reports on Depression Era Programs
• Student Project on CCC

 

Radio Days. At night, Mary Alice enjoyed listening to the radio. As you read the book, look for the names of the programs and people Mary Alice enjoyed on the radio. Learn more about these such as Kate Smith.

 

Cities vs Small Towns. Compare and contrast life in the city and country. Where do you live? Would you rather live in Chicago or a small town in Illinois. Why?

 

Grandma. The children spend summers with their grandmother. Read about Grandmothers. Write your own parent or grandparent poem. Read about Grandma Annie O'Neill. Write a story about an older person who is doing great work.

• Grandma Poem
• Grandma Volunteer in School

 

Depression. The first few stories took place during the depression. How did the depression effect the small town?

• Main Causes of the Great Depression
• Newspaper articles about the Stock Market Crash
• Timeline of Great Depression
• A Class Project on Depression Years
• Photos
• 42explore: Depression

 

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All Rights Reserved. This website is intended for teachers and their students who may copy and use the materials for classroom use. Duplication of site materials for redistribution or commerical use is prohibited without permission. For a complete set of materials, contact Vision to Action for information about the book Newberys and the Net: Thematic Technology Connections by Annette Lamb and Nancy Smith (Available Dec 1999).