Nory Ryan's Song

Written by Patricia Reilly Giff

Copyright 2000

Published by Scholastic

Reading level: grades 3-5, ages 8-11, Lexile measure 600L, DRA 50

Suggested delivery: independent read

Genre: Historical fiction

Incredible ~ Engaging ~ Hopeful ~ Survival ~ Unforgettable 

Summary:

Newbery Honor winning Patricia Reilly Giff tells an unforgettable story about a young girl who finds strength, and courage to help her family survive through the potato famine in 1845 Ireland. Nory and her family have lived in Ireland for generations. Each day Nory finds herself dreaming of food, coin (money), and a new place to live in Brooklyn, NY. But one year, when the horrible disease hits their field, Nory's dreams and her family's are quickly destroyed. With strength and determination, Nory will find a way to help save herself and her family through this tough time, and hopefully make their way over to the United States.

Vocabulary to Know:

Glint: a tiny, quick flash of light
Mottled: spotted or blotched in coloring
Grudgingly: resentful
Grim: forebiding or uninviting 
Wailed: high pitch cry of pain
Tubers: the underground stem of the potato

Suggested Lesson Ideas:

+Before Reading Activity: Text Impressions can be a smart way to get students thinking about what they will be reading. Text Impressions is when students form an oral or a written impression of the text/topic to be discussed, and they become eager to discover how closely their impression matches the actual content. With "Nory Ryan's Song" you can ask your students to read the title of the book, look at the cover and its illustrations, as well as the words in the glossary that come before chapter one. Have the students think about the book and what it could be about. What types of impressions do they get from looking at the cover, title and the words in the glossary? Students could write their text impressions in their notebooks/journals and refer back to them once they have started reading to see how accurate they were in the beginning.
+During Reading Activity: When talking about the different conflicts that come up in "Nory Ryan's Song", have students keep track of those in their notebooks/journals. Use a chart that will help them to stay organized. (See example below) This is a form of a concept map, where students can stay organized and see their examples from the text in a neat way.

Type of Conflict                                Example
person us. person/society                   (put examples from text here)
person us. nature
person us. self (inner struggle)

+After Reading Activity: Exit slips could be a good wrap up for a book like this one. Provide students with a well developed exit slip that involves a bit more than them just answering questions. Begin with a few questions, such as "Return to the conflict chart that was made earlier. How were some of those conflicts resolved? Are there any conflicts that were not resolved at the end of the book?" Also include a ranking scale so that students can rank the book on how well they did or did not enjoy the book. Students' opinions can be very useful in the future. At the end of the book, the author includes a personal letter to her readers. Have the students read that letter carefully and have them answer the following question: "Why do you think Patricia Reilly Giff included a letter at the end of the book? Why do you think that Patricia's relatives would not discuss Ireland? Why do you think Giff felt compelled to write "Nory Ryan's Song?"  
+Writing Activity: Nory faces many different challenges and conflicts in this book. What challenges/conflicts have you faced recently that have made you have to make a big decision? Describe the situation and what you did when faced with the decision. Have students answer this question in their writing journals after reading or during the book. This gets students thinking about Nory, and the decisions that she had to make, and it gets them thinking about themselves and making connections. Another option for a good writing activity would be after the students have read the book. Have them examine the photo (show below) on the SMART board. Give them a few minutes to look over the photo without telling them what it means. While they look, have them write about their initial reaction of the photo and what they think it means/represents. Once they have had some time to look it over and gather some thoughts about it, tell them what it means and who the statues are, where they are, and what they represent. Once you have done that and talked about it, have the students write a reflection about the memorial in Ireland and why it is important that Ireland has this memorial for the public to see.

These are statues in Ireland that commemorate the Potato Famine 

For Further Knowledge and Exploration...

More information on the Irish Potato Famine
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/294137/Irish-Potato-Famine

This video discusses the Irish Potato Famine