Introduction:

Have you ever moved from one place to another? What about from one state to a different state? Imagine how Shirley felt when she traveled from China to New York. How strange everything must have looked!  What do you think she would tell Fourth Cousin in Chungking about her new home?

Answer in Complete sentences!
 

Activity #1  Writing a Friendly Letter

What you need to do first: Search and Sort

§         Explore an interactive map of New York City to locate places mentioned in the story.

§         Learn how stickball is played on a New York City street.

§         Look for some pictures of what New York would have looked like back in the 1940's.

§         Take the information gathered from these web sites and write a friendly letter as Shirley Temple Wong to her friend, Fourth Cousin.

The Process: Creating the Product

1. Go to the Stickball Web site: http://www.streetplay.com/stickball/introduction.shtml

§         Read about the game of stickball.

§         Look at the photos.

§         How is stickball like baseball? How is it different? Why would it be a good game for city kids?

3. Click on the Stickball in New York Photo site to see a famous photograph of a stickball game.

4. Click on View from Brooklyn Bridge Photo 

§         Imagine how Shirley must have felt when she first rode in a taxi across this famous bridge.

5. Now, you need to write a friendly letter as Shirley Temple Wong to her best friend in Chungking, Fourth Cousin. Make certain the letter meets these requirements:

§         The return address is No.4 Willow Place, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

§         It includes all five parts of a friendly letter.

§         The body of the letter is at least three paragraphs long, describing Shirley's new life, her new neighborhood, her friends and the games they play. Remember that your relative is in China and everything foreign must be carefully described so that Fourth Cousin can get a picture of what you are telling her.

§         You have edited, made corrections in spelling and grammar, and rewritten your letter neatly before you turn it in to me.

How You Will Be Graded

§         Your grade will be based on a possible 10 points total. Points will be deducted for work that does not meet the standards listed below.

§         You will receive a maximum of 5 points for:

§         Using the correct letterform.

§         Writing neatly.

§         Using correct spelling, grammar and writing conventions.

§         You will receive a maximum of 5 points for the quality of your writing in the body of the letter. Your writing should be:

§         Clear

§         Descriptive

§         At least three paragraphs long.

§         Note: Any letter receiving less than 5 points total will have to be rewritten.