Seedfolks is a book that focuses on perspectives views. A huge, 72 page literature unit for the book, seedfolks, by paul fleischman. Adapted from the book by paul fleischman produced by childrens theatre company, minneapolis, mn directed by peter. So one day, this little vietnamese girl named kim plants. Especially to a neighborhood of strangers where no one seems to care.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Does the community in seedfolks include different types of people. Perhaps it was one of their birthdays, or perhaps no reason was needed for the party. It made me think of a family who hosts an annual neighborhood party in their backyard. This set of lesson plans consists of approximately 116 pages of tests, essay questions, lessons, and other teaching materials. Get an answer for what is the theme of paul fleischmans book seedfolks.
I think the main theme is community because everything in the book is based off community. And as some of the gardeners in seedfolks find out, they have the power to grow plants and to destroy them. Ala best book for young adults school library journal best book. The connecting element for the novel is that all of these peopleeach distinctly diverse in culture and native languagelive in the same innercity neighborhood. Well, were thinking smiles are a pretty important mode of communication in seedfolks. Sae young, too, uses the garden to enhance her existence, as does nora, and other.
Get an answer for can you match themes in seedfolks to character. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Using this worksheet with answer key, students will learn several themes of the short storieschapters within the novel, seedfolks, by paul fleischman. I thought it was a boring book but when i read it,it was way better than i thought. To ask other readers questions about seedfolks, please sign up. Students are asked to match each theme to a character in the novel and explain. A young writers road to page one, gives new background into seedfolks sources, from the house i grew up in to my mothers tutoring of immigrants to the musical influences that led me to write multivoice symphonic novels. Paul fleischman booklist paul fleischman message board. Living there again years later, i attended the right party at the right time, during which a. Urban neighbors splintered by race, economy, ethnicity, and age join hands in an empty lot to make a garden. But even though they speak the same language, the smile they share seems to be what really has them communicating. Write a detailed paragraph 58 sentences about what you learned. Discuss the emotions and changes that have taken place throughout the study of this book. Several times in the novel, the characters mention that the community garden gives them hope.
Day five and six all students participate in a four corners activity centered on the role an individual plays in a community. Here you will find a chapterbychapter standardsbased notes packet that goes along with the novel for students to complete as they read and analyze the character stories throughout the book. Introduce of book seedfolks by paul fleischman lesson. Write about such things as plants and food grown there, culture, location, size, etc. The author, paul fleischman is from santa monica and now lives in aroma. Teachers guide to seedfolks by paul fleischman printable. Themes found in seedfolks did this in class this week. The overriding theme of seedfolks is the power of the individual to effect good in a society. Allow time for several students to share their stories.
My students loved the ending when they could see how the characters were coming together to create this community garden. On the worksheet, several themes are listed in the first column. Help me give my students a classroom set of books for a book club study. On the anniversary of her fathers death she felt sad. From seed to seedfolks on the articles page describes how seedfolks came to be written. This woman is curious as a cat and has the binoculars to prove it. The garden is a space where newbie planters can try their hand at sprouting seeds or experienced gardeners can grow plants to their hearts desire. Our students come from a large urban area in connecticut, and are an extremely diverse population of students, with families from countries around the globe. Seedfolks is a wonderful exploration of character development and will empower your students to want to do more to positively affect the environment. Another reason why i think seedfolks is a good book because i think the book once you read it. Weve got a question for you, shmoopers, and this ones a doozy.
Throughout the book, several cleveland citizens from. Seedfolks joanna colter books by paul fleischman paperback. Related themes include the challenge of community and the healing aspect of working with the land. Curtis from my perspective curtis is patient becasue he waited for years to get lateesha back. To test your memory on seedfolks by paul fleischman, please take this quiz. I think that something unique about seedfolks is that each chapter switches from different characters points of view. Families for my own 79th birthday, in remembrance of our shared forebears, and in. The books short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless onebook reads in schools and in cities across the country. Examine the themes and characters in newbery medalist paul fleischmans seedfolks, a series of firstperson vignettes about an urban garden that brings hope and community to a diverse neighborhood, with this reading guide for educators. It made me think of a family who hosts an annual neighborhood party in their. Seedfolks novel unit 30 pages chapter notes, essays, quiz, themes. When sam mentions paradise to another woman watching the garden, both of them speak english. She took some lima beans she had saved from a school project and planted them in the vacant lot next to her building. A little vietnamese girls actions effect an entire racially segregated neighborhood in cleveland, ohio, prompting them to put aside their differences and get along.
Seedfolks by paul fleischman, judy pedersen, paperback barnes. One of the main themes throughout seedfolks by paul fleischman is the importance of community. My father called them our seedfolks, because they were the first of our family there. Get ready for a veggiefilled journey across one single year.
But you get a thousand pictures from someones voice. Feed takes place in a dystopian version of the united states of america in which the majority of the population uses a feed a surgicallyimplanted device that enables the user to communicate electronically with others, look up any information, access limitless hours of free entertainment, and exposes them to endless advertisements for products. Seedfolks study help allusion sarcasm metaphor and similes. Both community and garden grow in seedfolks an innercity cleveland community is drawn closer together as it works to transform a dirty vacant lot into a lush communal garden in seedfolks. The novel consists of chapters, ranging from three to six pages, and each chapter is named for a different character in the book. Comprehension by chapter, vocabulary challenges, creative reading response activities and projects, tests, and much more. If youre looking for the town snoop, youve found her in ana. Which is how my grandfather and my father and my sisters and i all came to be born there, the first black family in the whole country.
The unit contains comprehension questions, short answer test, 6 project challenges which sell separately, as well as tons of mapping, figurative language, writing. Seedfolks has been drawn upon to teach tolerance, read in esl classes, promoted by urban gardeners, and performed in schools and on stages from south africa to. Free seedfolks study unit worksheets for teachers to print. Arraying different voices like threads on a loom, fleischman bull run weaves a seamless tale of the advent of a garden in urban cleveland and how it unites a.
It talks about this community garden in a city where different people of color, ages and occupations come together to maintain the beautiful garden between buildings. To curtis, who believes he can win back lateeshas heart with a harvest of tomatoes. Feed summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. Its about a group of people in a small community who dont really interact, until a girl plants a bean. A vacant lot, ratinfested and filled with garbage, looked like no place for a garden.
So one day, this little vietnamese girl named kim plants some lima beans in a vacant lot on gibb street. Wendell, in particular, notes that he cant change his life, but he can use the garden to change his circumstances. It has tons to offer each of its gardeners who want to have a positive impact on nature. Her father was a farmer and on the anniversary of his death, kim wants to make him proud so she sneaks out and goes to a vacant lot to. Character traits for seedfolks lets share some opinion statements example because kim planted the beans without asking for help or permission, i feel she is independent. Students will enjoy reading the novel, seedfolks, by paul fleischman. The account of kim, which opens this powerful short story, is one that sets the tone for the rest of the text. This printable packet includes reading skills and strategies to use with pupils, questions for group discussion, a variety of crosscurricular activities, and a. There are 69 pages in seedfolks book that is written by paul fleischman. Seedfolks character web blake bordelove and ari felhandler kim is a nine year old vietnamese girl whose father passed away before she was born. Start studying seedfolks study help allusion sarcasm metaphor and similes. What is the theme of paul fleischmans book seedfolks.
Seedfolks final discussion when the student stories have been compiled into book form, pass them out to each student so that they have their own copy. Paul fleischmans writing style makes the reader begin to really care about each character and his or her life. Shes an older romanian woman, and theres just one thing she likes more than anything else. Seedfolks 5 leona by paul fleischman leona mama believed in doctors, but not granny. Seedfolks march 26, 2012 seedfolks follows the interconnected stories of people whose lives are changed. The theme that stands out from her story of wanting to plant the seeds in memory of her father who died ten years ago in vietnam after being a farmer all of his life, and never knew his daughter. He has a history of gardening and there are some good gardening facts in the book. What is the theme of the book whirligig by paul fleischman. Seedfolks by paul fleischman, judy pedersen, paperback. Those of us who had come to work felt the party s spirit enter us. Replanted in the united states university of kansas. She reflected on her fathers life, and since he was a farmer, she decided to show him that she could become a wonderful farmer too.
When a young vietnamese girl plants beans in a vacant lot to connect with the memory of her father, the diverse group of locals who take notice find a connection of their own in a spirited effort to reimagine their rundown neighborhood. Add a chapter to the book as if you are the author. I think of them when i see any of the people who started the garden on. These people portraits fill in the plot, but its really a characterdriven story. Fall was just beginning and the garden was changing form green to brown. Until one day, a young girl clears a small space and digs into the hardpacked soil to plant her precious bean seeds.