Adeline’s
DREAM
LINDA AKSOMITIS
Study Guide
MANY
PEOPLES
FROM
Adeline’s
Dream
LINDA AKSOMITIS
A Novel Study Guide
by Dave Glaze
© Coteau Books, 2005.
Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make copies of this
guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
ISBN: 978-1-55050-330-2
Cover images: “Vintage Steam Locomotive,” by Blasius Erlinger/Gerry Images and,
“The Keary Girls” (detail), London Stereoscopic Company/Getty Images.
Cover montage and design by Duncan Campbell.
Study Guide design by Karen Steadman.
Printed and bound in Canada.
2517 Victoria Ave.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada S4P 0T2
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial support of its publishing program
by: the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government
of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (bpidp), the
City of Regina Arts Commission, the Saskatchewan Cultural Industries Development
Fund, Saskatchewan Culture Youth and Recreation, SaskCulture Inc., Saskatchewan
Centennial 2005, Saskatchewan Lotteries, and the Lavonne Black memorial Fund.
Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Before You Read the Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Chapter One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Chapter Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Chapter Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Chapter Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Chapter Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Chapter Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Chapter Eight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Chapter Nine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Chapter Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter Eleven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter Twelve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Chapter Thirteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Concluding Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
About the Author
Linda Aksomitis is the author of Snowmobile Adventures, part of the Amazing Stories series from
Altitude Publishing, and a young adult novel, Snowmobile Challenge, which was a finalist for a
2003 Saskatchewan Book Award. A professional writer, she has published over 500 articles in
travel magazines, outdoor sports publications and others, as well as doing technical writing, textbooks, courses, and material for radio. She also worked for ten years as a children’s librarian.
Born in Regina, Linda Aksomitis has lived in Qu’Appelle for most of her life. She is completing a Master of Vocational/Technical Education degree, and is an avid snowmobiler and
outdoor sportsman. You can visit Linda online at www.aksomitis.com or email her at
[email protected].
Introduction
Plot Summary
Twelve-year-old Adeline Mueller has to fight to make a place for herself when her family comes
to Canada from Germany in 1910 to join her father in their new land. Adeline hasn’t seen her
father for four years, but his letters promised a splendid new life and a house of their own.When
they step off the train in Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, the reality is very different. Home is a sod
house in a squatter settlement on cpr land. Even her name changes. People in Canada call her
Linna, her father’s nickname for her when she was much younger. For a long time Adeline can’t
forgive her father for bringing her here. She despairs that her dream of becoming an opera singer
will never come true.
Life in her new home is definitely dramatic. Linna experiences a tornado, a devastating fire,
and relentless prejudice from Sarah, a girl in her class. But, she also makes friends. Minna, a girl
in the squatter settlement, shows her how to pick wild berries, and Henry, a boy with a physical
disability, helps her get library books to practice her new language.
By Christmas, Linna has begun to like Canada, forgiven her father, won respect from Sarah,
and reclaimed her name. Adeline’s dream may yet be fulfilled!
A Message From the Author
Linda Aksomitis
I’ve lived near or in the town of Qu’Appelle for all but the very first year of my life. When
Qu’Appelle Footprints to Progress, our history book, was published I was intrigued by many of
the events that had happened here—particularly by the description of the German community.
Like Adeline in this story, I spent my childhood on the “edge” of the community. I started “town
school” in grade six after our one-room country school closed, and found it very tough, as
Adeline did, to fit into the close-knit community.
Although Adeline’s story happens in 1910, I experienced many other things that Adeline does
in this story. My first farm home had no power, no running water, no modern conveniences at
all—these first hand experiences made me realize that I should write historical fiction to let
today’s readers know a little more about what life was like without them.While I never lived in
a soddie, I do remember the root cellar or earthen hole beneath the kitchen floor, so could readily imagine Adeline’s responses.
Finally, it was wonderful to explore Adeline’s ancestry. I visited Germany in 1989 with my
mother-in-law, setting Adeline’s home just a few miles from my favourite place there, the historical village of Rothenburg. Exploring the history behind our family’s German traditions was
important to me.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
1
Organization
Within this guide you will find a variety of activities intended to help readers appreciate and
understand the novel,Adeline’s Dream. Literary qualities are considered, comprehension is examined, and connections to the curricula and to readers’ real lives are pursued. Each teacher using
this guide will be able to choose those exercises that best suit the needs of her or his students.We
encourage you to add other activities as well.
Three categories of responses are offered for each chapter, Preparing to Read, After the
Reading, and Extending the Reading.
Preparing to Read
This section in the study of each chapter has activities that require class discussion and personal
reflection. It is intended to help the students anticipate the coming chapter.
After the Reading
This section provides discussion questions that target important events and themes in the book.
Add other questions of your own. Encourage your students to develop questions about the reading that their classmates could answer.
Extending the Reading
These activities are intended to involve the students in what they’ve read and to help them relate
the story to their own world. Oral, written, and illustrated responses are suggested.
Connections to the Saskatchewan Curriculum Guides
The Language Arts curriculum (Language Arts: A Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level,
2002) skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing,Viewing, and Representing are developed
in this study.The approach fits a Social, Cultural, and Historical Context with topics such as relationships with others, interactions with others, community and cultural customs, events and
issues, and our place in history.
This novel study could be integrated into the teaching of Social Studies (Social Studies: A
Curriculum Guide for the Elementary Level, 1995) in the Grade Four Heritage Unit (Immigrants
and Settlers) or the Grade Five Heritage Unit (Building a Nation: Immigration, Confederation,
the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Treaties, and the Wars).
From Many Peoples
Adeline’s Dream is part of the From Many Peoples series published by Coteau Books. Originally
developed as a celebration of Saskatchewan’s Centennial in 2005, the stories in this series illuminate life in the province from the viewpoints of young people from different cultural groups.
Study guides for the From Many Peoples novels can be downloaded free of charge from the Coteau
Books web site: www.coteaubooks.com. For more information about this book, and the other
books in the From Many Peoples series, please check out our dedicated web site at
www.coteaubooks.com/frommanypeoples.html.
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© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Before You Read the Novel
The following activities will help the students anticipate the novel’s themes and prepare them for
the initial scenes.
Emigration
The story begins as Adeline (Linna), her younger brother Konrad, and their mother arrive on the
train at their new home, Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. It is the year 1910.They have travelled from
Germany to join the children’s father who came to Canada four years earlier.They have brought
their belongings in a trunk.
Tell your students to imagine that their family is going to move to another country.
Anything they take with them must fit into a trunk, a wooden and steel box that measures about
one metre long, 50 cm wide, and 55 cm high. It weighs about 25 kilograms empty. They are to
create a list of everything they think their family will take. Help them to brainstorm as a class
what categories of things they will consider including (for example, electronics, books, clothes,
family photographs, etc.) After discussing the assignment at home, each student completes his or
her list. As a class they can discuss their choices.What did you take? What did you leave behind?
How did you make your choices? Did everyone in your family agree on the choices? What would
you do with everything that had to be left behind? How did you feel about your choices?
Language
Tell your students to imagine that the people in the country they are going to do not speak
English or any other language that they know. How will you learn the new language? Have you
ever been in a situation where you did not understand the language being spoken around you?
Describe how you felt.
What other ways of communicating do we have besides speaking? Would it be possible for
you to carry on a conversation without speaking out loud?
Dreams
Ask your students about the different meanings of the word dream.Tell your students that in the
story they are about to read, Adeline’s dream is not an experience she has while sleeping. It is a
hope or ambition she has for the future. Discuss this type of dream with your students. Do you
have a strong dream for your future? Is there something that you really want to do or accomplish? Is it something that you want to happen soon, or when you are an adult? Is the dream
something you want to do yourself or with others? What will you have to do to help your dream
come true? Are you doing anything now to help your dream come true?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
3
Saskatchewan in 1910
This story takes place in a small Saskatchewan town in the year 1910.Ask your students what they
think life was like in western Canada at that time.You could use categories to aid your discussion, for example, new technology, clothing, sports and recreation, food, farms, school, weather,
etc. Be sure to correct any misconceptions the students may have.
You could continue this activity while you are reading the novel. Ask the students to verify
their predictions with evidence they find in the story.
An alternate approach is to read a selection of picture books that are set on the Canadian
prairies in this time period. Some possibilities are:
Belle’s Journey by Marilynn Reynolds. Illustrated by Stephen McCallum. Orca Book
Publishers, 1993.
Josepha, a prairie boy’s story by Jim McGugan. Illustrated by Murray Kimber. Red Deer
College Press, 1994.
The Prairie Fire by Marilynn Reynolds. Illustrated by Don Kilby. Orca Book Publishers,
1999.
Prairie Willow by Maxine Trottier. Illustrated by Laura Fernandez and Rick Jacobson.
Stoddart Kids, 1998.
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© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter One
(Pages 1–19)
Summary
On a hot, dry day in June, Adeline Mueller, her brother Konrad, and their mother arrive by train
in Qu’Appelle, a small Saskatchewan town.Adeline is twelve and Konrad five years old.The children are anxious to see their father who had left their home in Germany to come to Canada four
years earlier. Although he worked in a bank in Germany now their father is employed at a flour
mill.When they first see each other, Adeline’s father calls her Linna, his nickname for her when
she was younger. Soon, Konrad and their mother use that name, too. Mr. Mueller takes them to
the edge of town to a soddie, a small house made from the prairie sod. When she goes inside
Linna thinks the single room is better suited for animals. Before they left Germany her father had
written and described a nice house that they would live in when they arrived.
Preparing to Read
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Remind the students to keep in mind their discussions about the themes. As we
read this chapter, we learn how Adeline feels about leaving Germany and coming
to western Canada.
Read this first chapter out loud, either entirely by the teacher or by the teacher and
students. Stop for clarification as needed.
After Reading
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Discuss
• Linna says that her father has changed since he came to Canada.
How does she remember him? How is he now? What do you
think has caused the change?
• What are Linna’s first impressions of western Canada?
• When she left Germany, Linna couldn’t speak English. How has she
started to learn some words? On the station platform Linna hears a
girl say something toward her. She doesn’t understand all the words
but she guesses they aren’t friendly. How would she be able to figure that out?
• Adeline seems surprised when her father and then the rest of her
family call her Linna.Which name do you think she prefers? Why?
• What is Linna’s dream for her future? Do you think she’ll be able to
achieve her dream in western Canada?
• Describe Linna’s new house, inside and out. How do we know how
Linna feels about it?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
5
Extending the Reading
The following activities can be started after reading Chapter One and continued through the
study.
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Begin to develop Character Charts
• A Character Chart helps students visualize the characters in a story.
Possible formats for these charts can be found on the following
pages. Have the students work alone or in pairs to insert the names
of characters introduced in the first chapter: Linna, Konrad, Mama,
Papa, Anke. For each character, jot down an important characteristic
and the evidence to suggest it.
• As new characters enter the story, add their names, characteristics,
and evidence. If further reading suggests someone in the story is
different than originally thought, add the new characteristic and
evidence. Draw a line through anything you no longer agree with,
but do not erase anything you have written. In this way you can see
how your opinions of characters change as you read the novel.
Start a journal
• Have the students begin a journal in which they will write their
responses to the events in the story. Encourage the students to think
about how the story is changing as events occur. Discourage them
from merely describing the action.
• For each journal entry, the students should be thinking about questions like:
• How would I be feeling if I was one of the characters? How would
I have done things differently? What would I say to the other characters?
• Did the events in this chapter seem realistic? What do I think
would have happened differently?
• What is the author trying to accomplish in this chapter?
The opera
• Linna’s dream is to sing in the opera. She uses her native language,
German, when she thinks about the opera. Start a list of all the
German language opera terms you see in the story. As you add
words, try to find the meaning in English of each one.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Character Development
Fill in the chart with information the author has given you about Nettie. Choose six more characters from the story.
Character
Adeline’s
DREAM
Character Trait
Clues that Prove this Trait
Page
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
7
Character Development
Choose a character from the story and write his/her name in the centre oval.Write four character traits in the joining smaller ovals, and then following the arrows, write evidence for each trait
in the large ovals. Remember to use page numbers for reference.
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© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Two
(Pages 20–40)
Summary
Linna wakes up feeling miserable after her first night in the soddie. She is homesick and sad and
she misses her cousin back in Germany. Soon she meets Kat, a girl her age who has been in
Qu’Appelle for three years, who lives in another soddie, and whose father also works at the mill.
Linna and Kat go to the horse races that are a part of the July 1 celebrations to mark Canada’s
birthday. They meet Sarah Booker, a snobbish girl from a wealthy family, and Henry Spencer.
Linna thinks she would be braver if she wasn’t a squatter, if she had some money, or if she could
speak better English.
Preparing to Read
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In Chapter One a girl calls Linna’s family “squatters.”What do you think that term
means? The date is July 1, 1910.What event will the townspeople celebrate? What
activities do you think they will hold to mark this day?
After Reading
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Discuss
• Linna meets Kat.What description do we have of Kat? As well as
her appearance, what else do we find out about her? How do we
learn this? What do you think Kat and Linna have in common?
• The horse races are the big event at the celebration of Canada’s
birthday. Describe what is going on at the races and around them.
What does Linna find exciting?
• In the first chapter we read about a girl at the station calling Linna’s
family squatters.What more do we learn about this girl in Chapter
Two?
• Kat tells Linna to not let Sarah boss her around.Why does Linna
think she can’t follow that advice?
• We meet Henry.What is your first impression of this boy? What
evidence do you have to form that impression?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
9
Extending the Reading
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Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Three
(Pages 41–59)
Summary
Linna’s mother has covered the inside dirt walls of the soddie with newspapers. The family has
displayed the precious things they brought with them from Germany. Kat takes Linna out on the
prairie to pick wild strawberries, saskatoons, and other fruit. Linna confides that she loves singing
most of all. Kat also shows Linna some wild plants that people use for food: pigweed, dandelions,
and mint. Kat says that later they will be able to pick wild berries and sell them.The weather suddenly worsens and a cyclone touches down nearby.
Preparing to Read
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Reading for detail
• Direct the students to remember the activity they did prior to reading the novel when they predicted what they and their family
would pack in their trunk.Tell them to watch for details while they
are reading about what Linna and her family have unpacked from
their trunk.The students can also watch for things that people did
for recreation and sports in 1910. And, they can look for the names
of wild plants people used for food. In the Extending the Reading
section of this chapter it is suggested that students begin to make
lists for the latter two of these topics.
After Reading
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Discuss
• Besides working in the mill, what else does Linna’s father do to
earn money? What is Linna’s reaction to his other job?
• Linna would like to tell Kat that she really wants to sing in the
opera.Why doesn’t she tell her new friend?
• Linna experiences a number of different feelings when she and Kat
are on the prairie.What were some of these emotions and what
caused them?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
11
Extending the Reading
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Lists of Details
• Direct students to start lists of all the recreation and sports events
and all the wild plants that are mentioned in the story. If you
choose, tell the students that when the book is finished they will be
able to do some research to find out more about one of these
activities.
Illustrations
• Have the students create an illustration for one of the scenes in this
chapter.Tell them to compose the illustration so that it helps to tell
the story.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Four
(Pages 60–73)
Summary
When the family goes to church on Sunday, Linna enjoys singing. After mass the family visit a
lantern slide show in the Parish Hall. Linna sees Henry briefly. Although Linna’s father speaks to
Mrs. Booker, the woman rudely ignores Linna’s mother. Linna is angry and frustrated at how
badly things are going in her new community and between herself and her father.When the family receives a letter from Linna’s aunt Karoline and cousin Elli, Linna feels very homesick.
Preparing to Read
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Tell the students to watch for details to add to their lists of recreational activities.
Ask the students who they think is enjoying the family’s new home and who is
unhappy in Qu’Appelle. Direct them to watch for signs in this chapter to tell them
how each family member is feeling.
After Reading
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Discuss
• Linna, her mother, and her father each have an encounter with
Mrs. Booker, Sarah’s mother.What happens in each case? What are
some words you would use to describe Mrs. Booker?
• Linna is still having trouble talking to her father. She thinks that
nothing seems to go right when she tries.Why is that? What could
she do differently? If you could talk to her father, what would you
suggest that he do differently? What can Linna do that might make
her father happy?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
13
Extending the Reading
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Writing a letter
• Linna is excited when her family receives a letter from her aunt and
cousin.When she reads the letter she feels sad.Tell the students to
pretend they are Linna and write a letter back to her cousin.
Describe to Elli your life in Canada. Be honest with your cousin
about how you feel about your new home.Tell her how you feel
about your dream to sing in the opera.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Five
(Pages 74–87)
Summary
In August there is a two-day rainfall. Muddy water leaks through the roof of the soddie. Linna
has given up any idea of returning to Germany but she still really wants to be an opera singer.
Henry invites Linna and Kat to an afternoon dress rehearsal of a concert performed in the town
hall. Linna has to convince her mother to give her permission to go to the performance. She is
excited and happy listening to the concert. Sarah’s mother is one of the solo singers.
Preparing to Read
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This chapter begins with a two-day rainfall. If you were living in a sod hut on the
edge of a town, what might be an unpleasant result of this much rain? What might
be a good consequence?
After Reading
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Discuss
• When Linna wants to go to the concert with Kat, she must ask permission. Her mother first says that she can’t give the permission.
Why is that? Why does her mother change her mind?
• How does Linna feel while she is listening to the dress rehearsal?
What evidence did you read to make you think that?
• Did you learn anything new in this chapter about these characters?
Linna, Kat, Linna’s mother, Henry, Sarah’s mother?
Extending the Reading
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Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the
story. Direct them to create questions about the story that their
classmates can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
15
Chapter Six
(Pages 88–100)
Summary
Henry invites Linna to come to the town library with him one evening. She convinces her father
to let her go by telling him she wants to learn more English before school starts. She asks Henry
about his badly formed foot which prevents him from participating in many sports. Henry invites
her to his place for lemonade and cookies. Linna has to hurry home before the town curfew.
When her father gets upset with her for being later than she said she was going to be, Linna
angrily says she is trying to learn English so that other children won’t hate her for being a squatter.
Preparing to Read
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In this chapter Linna learns that there is a curfew in the town. Ask the students if
they know the meaning of curfew. Who do curfews usually apply to? Does your
family have curfews? How would a curfew for a town be different than one for a
family?
Linna knows that Henry has a disability with his foot. What do you think is the
best way to find out about someone’s disability? How do you think Linna will find
out about Henry’s foot?
After Reading
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Discuss
• Linna enjoys her visit to the library.What are some things about the
library that she likes?
• Henry and his mother explain the curfew to Linna. How does the
curfew work in Qu’Appelle?
• Linna’s father is angry when she arrives home. She doesn’t get
caught being out after the curfew, so what do you think makes him
upset? Tell about a time when your parents were upset with you for
being late.
• Read together the last paragraph in Chapter Six. Linna is very
angry.What are some things that are bothering her to cause her
anger? Explain why you think she is taking out her anger on her
father?
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Extending the Reading
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Writing an advice column
• Linna blames a lot of her problems in her new community on not
being able to speak English.Tell the students to pretend that Linna
has written the following letter to an advice column.
Dear
I have lived in Qu’Appelle for almost two months. I am being
teased and bullied because I cannot speak English very well.
What can I do to learn my new language better and faster?
And, what can I do to make more friends?
• Pretend that you are the person giving advice. Give yourself a
name.Write a letter back to Linna telling her what she can do.
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Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the
story. Direct them to create questions about the story that their
classmates can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
17
Chapter Seven
(Pages 101–113)
Summary
The next day, the people in the soddies suddenly realize that the town’s mill is on fire. Linna’s first
thought is that her father may be in danger. She feels sorry that she was angry with him the night
before. Townspeople rush to the mill to throw pails of water on the walls. They use the town’s
new fire engine to pump water from large tanks. No one is hurt in the fire but Linna worries
about where her father and other men will work now.
Preparing to Read
l
In this chapter, an important building in town catches on fire.What do you think
the townspeople will use to put out the fire? What sort of fire truck do you think
a small town would have?
After Reading
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Discuss
• When Linna hears that there is a fire in town her first reaction is to
feel bad about arguing with her father the night before.Why do
you think she responded this way?
• In what ways did the townspeople fight the fire? What made it difficult for them to be effective?
• When she learns that the mill has been wrecked by the fire, what is
Linna’s reaction? Why did she think that “a new wooden house
didn’t seem nearly as important as other things?”
Extending the Reading
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18
Write a news report
• Assign the students the task of writing a news report about the mill
fire.Tell them to pretend that they are a reporter who works for a
newspaper.Write a report in a news story format. Include quotations from interviews that were conducted with the owner of the
mill, someone who worked in the mill, and one of the firefighters.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Eight
(Pages 114–126)
Summary
The mill is not going to be rebuilt, so many men will lose their jobs. Kat’s family decides to travel to
another part of Saskatchewan to start a homestead. Kat cries when she tells Linna the news and
Linna sings for her.The girls meet Henry at the annual fair. Kat and Linna each enter races. Henry
wins a contest to see who can throw a cricket ball the furthest. Sarah is criticized by her mother for placing second in a race instead of first.
Preparing to Read
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Now that the mill is destroyed, the men who worked there will need to find new
jobs. Some of them decide to leave Qu’Appelle to find work some other place.
Which of the families in the story do you think will move away?
It is time for the annual Fair in Qu’Appelle.What events do you think will be held
at the Fair?
After Reading
l
Discuss
• Kat tells Linna that she and her family are moving away.What kinds
of feelings do you think Linna experienced after she heard the
news? What feelings might she have had about her own future?
• How does Linna comfort her friend?
• How is the annual Qu’Appelle Fair different from the fair held in
your community each year? What things are the same? Your students could use a Venn diagram for this comparison. A template for
a Venn diagram is included on the next page.
• In their race, Sarah placed second and Linna was one of the last
girls to finish.What were the different reactions to their results?
What more have you learned about these two girls?
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
19
Extending the Reading
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Lists
• Add to the recreation and sports list from what you have learned in
the last few chapters.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Venn Diagram
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
21
Chapter Nine
(Pages 127–137)
Summary
The girls are very sad the day that Kat and her family leave. Linna goes to the store to buy some
things for her mother who doesn’t know enough English yet to talk to shopkeepers. Linna meets
Henry who invites her to attend a meeting of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Henry
explains that many people do not want liquor sold in the town. Linna knows that her father and
other men from the soddies like to have a drink of lager after work.There is going to be a vote
and if the men from the soddies don’t support the ban on alcohol they may be forced to leave
their sod huts.
Preparing to Read
l
This is the day that Kat and her family leave Qu’Appelle. What do you think the
scene will look like as the family prepares to leave?
After Reading
l
Discuss
• Linna, Konrad, and their mother arrived in Qu’Appelle not knowing many words in English.Who is having the most difficulty
learning the English language? Why do you suppose that is? What is
Linna doing to learn English faster than her mother?
• Prohibition. After reading this chapter, what do you know about
Prohibition? Why would some people want alcohol to be prohibited? Why are others against it?
• Some people at the meeting think that the squatters living on railway land will not support the vote on Prohibition.What do these
people threaten to do if the squatters don’t vote with them?
• Linna, Henry, and Sarah were at the meeting. From what is said, and
from what you know about these characters, how does each react
to the talk at the meeting?
Extending the Reading
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22
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Chapter Ten
(Pages 138–151)
Summary
Linna uses some of the money she has earned selling berries to pay for material that her mother makes into a dress for school. She wonders if her father could ask Mrs. Booker about singing
lessons when he goes to do Mr. Booker’s accounts on Monday night. On the first day of school,
Henry shows Linna around. One of the other girls compliments Linna on her new dress but
Sarah continues to ridicule her. Linna’s father has a job but it will last only a few days. He doesn’t know what he will do after that.
Preparing to Read
In this chapter Linna goes to her new school for the first time.What do you think her
welcome will be from Henry? From Sarah and other girls? From her new teacher?
After Reading
l
Discuss
• How is Linna able to have a new dress for the first day of school?
In what ways does Linna help with the dress?
• Sarah continues to be unkind toward Linna.What does she do in
this chapter?
• How does Henry help Linna in her first day at that school?
• Linna is worried about her father.What does she say or do so that
we know this?
• Linna’s relationship with her father seems to be changing. How
have her feelings toward him changed since she first arrived in
Canada? How has his attitude toward her changed? In what ways
do you think their relationship will change in the future?
Extending the Reading
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Illustrations
• Have the students create an illustration for one of the scenes in this
chapter.Tell them to compose the illustration so that it helps to tell
the story.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the
story. Direct them to create questions about the story that their
classmates can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
23
Chapter Eleven
(Pages 152–166)
Summary
Linna’s father works for a threshing crew and one Saturday Linna joins the crew, too. She works
very hard with a boy her age helping to set up stooks of grain. Linna knows how difficult it must
be for her father to do this kind of work.The family receives a letter from Linna’s aunt Karoline.
Linna thinks now that she has no more connections to her old home in Germany. The family
learns that the land where the soddies sit has been sold by the railway. Families will be asked to
move or pay rent to the new owner. If they have to leave their soddie, Linna doesn’t know where
they will live.
Preparing to Read
l
Linna is worried about her father and his lack of a job. What can she do to help
her father or at least help him feel better? She can’t bring herself to ask her father
to speak to Mrs. Booker to see if Linna can sing for her.Why do you think she isn’t
able to do this? What would you suggest she do?
After Reading
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Discuss
• Linna meets Paul, a boy who helps her stook sheaves for a threshing
crew.What would you say Linna learns from her time stooking?
From what you’ve read in this chapter and what you already know,
why do you think a boy like Paul would like to be a farmer?
• Linna’s family receives another letter from aunt Karoline. On page
162, “Linna realized, sadly, that the home she remembered in
Germany was entirely gone.” Explain what she means by that. How
do you think this will affect how she feels about Canada?
• What is the news about the vote on Prohibition? What will this
mean for the families living in the sod huts? What explanation can
you think of for the different reactions from Henry and Sarah?
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Extending the Reading
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Write a letter
• Linna’s family receives a short letter from her aunt Karoline. Linna
has a number of reactions to the letter. Pretend that you are Linna
and write a letter back to your aunt Karoline and cousin Elli. As
you did in your letter after Chapter Four, tell your relatives about
some of the things that have been happening to you. Be honest
with your cousin Elli about how you are feeling.What have been
some happy times? What has made you sad or worried?
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the
story. Direct them to create questions about the story that their
classmates can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
25
Chapter Twelve
(Pages 167–183)
Summary
Linna’s teacher announces they will begin preparations for the Christmas concert. The teacher
lets Sarah choose and direct the choir. Linna is given a place. When she goes home her parents
prepare a special meal to celebrate. The next day Henry tells Linna that Sarah can be very nice
but that her mother expects her to be the best at everything.That night Linna’s father is very late
coming home. When he arrives he excitedly tells his family that he now has a job with a bank
and that he will be able to borrow enough money to have a house built for them, a house like
the one he promised when Linna was still in Germany.
Preparing to Read
l
In this chapter the teacher announces that there will be a choir for the Christmas
Concert.What will Linna’s response be? What will Sarah’s response be?
After Reading
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26
Discuss
• Linna is determined to be a part of the Christmas Concert choir.
What does she do to make sure she reaches her goal? What does
Sarah do to make Linna’s success more difficult?
• When Linna tells her family that she will sing in the choir, how
does each family member respond? Mother? Father? Konrad? What
do you learn about each person’s attitude toward Linna by his or
her response?
• Henry tells Linna something about Sarah and her family. How does
this change your opinion of Sarah?
• Linna’s father finally brings home some good news. His new job
means that the family will have a house in the main part of town.
How will this make things better for each member of the family?
• Linna imagines what it will be like to sing on a stage in the
Christmas Concert. In this dream she calls herself Adeline, not
Linna.What does this tell you about how she feels about her name?
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Extending the Reading
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Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the
story. Direct them to create questions about the story that their
classmates can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
27
Chapter Thirteen
(Pages 184–196)
Summary
As the choir practices, some of the other girls become friendlier toward Linna and invite her into
their games. Linna and her family think about which parts of their usual Christmas celebrations
they will have in Canada and which ones they cannot manage.The family and Henry go to see
the new house under construction. Sarah shows up and asks Linna to sing a solo for the closing
song of the concert. She says that she thinks Linna has a stronger singing voice than hers.
Preparing to Read
l
Linna is in the class choir. What effect will this have on her relationship to Sarah
and the other girls?
After Reading
l
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In what ways has Linna begun to make friends in the last few chapters? What suggestions would you have for her to continue to develop friendships?
Linna’s opinion of Sarah changes more than once in this chapter. What changes
occurred and what caused them?
In this chapter Linna is asked to sing a solo at the concert and she is invited to meet
Mrs. Booker. Who is responsible for each of these happenings? Has your opinion
changed of any of the people involved?
Henry tells Sarah that she was nice to choose Linna to sing a solo. Sarah says, “I’m
not doing it to be nice. I’m doing it because I think Linna has the strongest voice
and it will carry best in the Hall.” Do you think that there are other reasons why
Sarah made this decision?
Extending the Reading
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28
A German Christmas
• Linna’s family is excited to be able to celebrate the Christmas season like they had done in Germany. Create a glossary of German
words found in this chapter that have something to do with the
Christmas celebration.
Student Questions
• Have the students think about what might happen next in the story.
Direct them to create questions about the story that their classmates
can answer.
Character Charts
• Add to your charts and make revisions if needed.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
Epilogue
(Pages 197–200)
Summary
Linna and her family move into their new house on the day of the concert. Sarah brings hair ribbons for each of the girls in the choir. When the time comes for Linna’s solo, she hears Sarah
whispering encouragement. Linna believes that she has reached for her dream just like her father.
Preparing to Read
l
This is the day of the concert. What changes do you think might happen in this
chapter in the relationship between Linna and Sarah? Linna and Henry? Linna and
her parents?
After Reading
l
Discuss
• What has happened to bring Linna closer to her dream?
• Linna refers to herself as Adeline when she is about to sing. Do you
think she will become Adeline to her friends and family, too? Why?
Extending the Story
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Dreams
• What was Adeline’s dream when she arrived in Qu’Appelle? What
events made it seem like she would never see her dream? Is she
closer to her dream at the end of the story? Why?
Predictions
• What do think might happen to Linna and the other characters in
this story in the remainder of the school year? Write down your
predictions and give reasons for them.
Character Charts
• Make any last changes to your character charts.
Journal
• Complete a journal entry.
Adeline’s
DREAM
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
29
Concluding Activities
The following questions could be answered in oral or written format.You can have your students
share their opinions before they answer, or have them respond independently.
Thinking About the Characters
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Look back over the character charts and the changes you made for each character.
Use these jot notes to create a profile of one of the characters. In your profile
describe how your opinion of the character changed as your read more about him
or her.
Have you had experiences similar to a character in this story? Describe your experience and tell how it compares to what happened to the character.
Think about one of these characters: Linna, Kat, Henry, Sarah. How is your personality similar to this character’s? How is it different? Use a Venn diagram to help
make the comparison.
Think about how one of the characters changed.What caused the change?
Think about the minor characters: Kat, the teacher Miss Jackson, Mrs. Booker.
Describe how each one affected and changed Linna.
Thinking About this Story
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What does this book teach you about the role of men and women in western
Canada in 1910?
What does this book teach you about family life and relationships between family
members at that time?
Would you enjoy living during the time of this book? Explain why or why not.
What problems or conflicts did Linna face that you deal with in your life?
How do Linna’s problems differ from yours?
How did Linna’s family and other families living in the sod huts cope with problems such as the scarcity of food and money? How did that change after the fire?
Linna and her family came from Germany. How are German immigrant families
portrayed in this story? Do you think the descriptions are stereotyped? Realistic?
© Coteau Books, 2005. Teachers have permission from the author and publisher to make
copies of this guide for personal classroom use, personal reference, and student use.
Adeline’s
DREAM
CHECK OUT THE OTHER STUDY GUIDES
IN THIS SERIES.
Available from Coteau Books.
The Secret of the
Stone House
Nettie’s Journey
Christmas at Wapos Bay
By Judith Silverthorne
By Adele Dueck
By Jordan Wheeler
& Dennis Jackson
isbn: 978-1-55050-331-9
(Study Guide)
isbn: 978-1-55050-325-8
(Juvenile Novel)
$8.95cn/$7.95us
isbn: 978-1-55050-329-6
(Study Guide)
isbn: 978-1-55050-322-7
(Juvenile Novel)
$8.95cn/$7.95us
isbn: 978-1-55050-328-9
(Study Guide)
isbn: 978-1-55050-324-1
(Juvenile Novel)
$8.95cn/$7.95us
Adeline’s Dream Study Guide
isbn: 978-1-55050-330-2 $9.95cn/$8.95us
To accompany the Coteau Books juvenile fiction title:
Adeline’s Dream
isbn: 1-55050-323-4 $8.95cn/$7.95us
Downloadable study guides in pdf format are available at
www.coteaubooks.com
Amazing stories. Amazing kids.
Adeline’s Dream Study Guide
9 781550 503302
1-55050-330-8