The Babe and I
by David A. Adler
3rd grade level (below grade)
Section 4: pages 1-29 (pages are not labeled)

Discussion Director:
Your job is to write down 5 questions that your group will talk about:

Point of view
1. From whose point of view is this book written? (Who is telling the story?)

    A poor young boy from New York is telling the story. It is written in narrative form. (Whole book)

Setting
2. When an where does the setting take place? If it took place somewhere else or in a different time, how would it be changed?

    The story takes place in 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression, in Bronx, New York. If this story took place somewhere else the economic situation would be the same, but some things might be different. For instance, there might not be newsie or Babe Ruth involved in the story.  If the story took place in a different time period, it would change the whole book.  During a different time period the Great Depression would not be occurring, and people's economic situation would be different. (p.2)

Prediction
3. What do you predict will happen to the little boy's dad? What do you predict will happen next?

    I predict that the little boy's father will get a job and make some money for the family. I also predict that he will buy his son a bicycle for Christmas. I predict that the Great Depression will end soon, and the economy will become stable.


Passage Picker
Your job is to pick passages from this book that you and your group can talk about. Choose passages that satisfy these four reasons: 1. Surprising
a. p. 24
b. "The next day . . . Babe Ruth had gone"
c. I picked this passage because it surprised me. I didn't expect that Babe Ruth would be the person
    buying the newspaper from the boy.
d. Why did the little boy not recognize Babe Ruth when he saw him?
    A- The boy was used to seeing Babe Ruth in his baseball uniform, he did not recognize him in his
    regular clothes.
e. The author's purpose in this passage is to entertain the reader.

2. Problem
a. p. 2
b. "For my birthday . . . everyone was poor."
c. I picked this passage because it showed a problem the little boy was facing.
d. What was the problem in this passage?
    A- The problem the boy faced was that his family was to poor to get him a bicycle.
e. The author's purpose in this passage was to inform the reader of people's economic situation during
    the Great Depression.


Word Wizard

Your job is to choose four words from the following:

1.
a. Shabby p. 6
b. Her clothes were wrinkled and shabby.
c. Dictionary: threadbare and faded from wear
    My Own: Objects that are old and worn down.
d. adjective
e. The house was old and in need of a paint job, the outside of it looked shabby.

2.
a. Telegraph p.19
b. On Monday the front-page story was about a nineteen year old boy who had robbed a telegraph office because he wanted to be arrested.
c. Dictionary:  an apparatus for communication at a distance by coded signals;
                     especially : an apparatus, system, or process for communication at a
                     distance by electric transmission over wire.
    My own: an object that used to be the main way of communication before telephones.
d. noun
e. The private detective needed to send a coded message to his boss, so he used a telegraph.


Character Sketcher:
 Your job is to find a interesting character from this section you read today. You will find three words that describe the character.  For each word, or character trait, you will give the proof or example (including page # and paragraph).
    The next thing you will do is to tell one of your character's goals, or what the character wants to do in this section.
    Then you will find one of the character's problems in the section and the solution or possible solution to the problem.
    Finally, you get to have fun and illustrate your character!

Character: Little Boy

Character Traits:
a. Helpful- He helped his family raise more money because they were poor, by selling newspapers. p. 10
b. Caring- He didn't tell his mother about his father selling apples, because he knew it would make his father feel ashamed. p. 15
c. Sensible- He borrowed a baby carriage from a lady, so he could carry and sell more newspapers to make more money. p. 18

Character's Goal:
The boy's goal was to sell as many newspapers as he could so he could raise more money for his family. He did not want his family to starve or lose their home. p. 10-25

Character's Problem:
His dad was out of work, and his family needed some extra money. p. 10

Character's Solution:
The little boy decided to get a job and help his family by selling newspapers. P. 10


Investigator:
Your job is to investigate the economic situation during the Great Depression. Answer the following questions:

1. How were the living conditions of people during the Great Depression? (see web site 1,2)

2. What was the unemployment rate in the year 1933? (see web site 1)

3. Look at the pictures from the second web site. Write how the pictures make you fee. Write about what you think the people in the pictures are having to deal with. (see web site 2)

4. Read the third web site. What would you do if you were in their situation? (see web site 3)

1. A Case of Unemployment:  This web site deals with the unemployment issues of the Great Depression.

2. Documenting America 1935-1943: This web site shows pictures of people during the Great Depression.

3. Memories from the Great Depression:This web site has documents that people wrote, about life during the Great Depression.