| Lesson Plan for A Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting |
Teacher Led Discussion Questions:
1. What would it feel like to be the last one chosen?
2. What does the feather symbolize or mean? (Answer: Transferred the symbol of mother from her real mother to
her new foster mother)
3. What did the couple have for the last child? (Answer: locomotive)
4. How do you know they wanted a boy and not a girl? (Answer: Because they brought a train, which is generally a
toy for a boy).
5. What may be the reasons why couples came to meet the train to get a child? (Brainstorm answers: child died,
lonely, need workers in house or fields of farm, childless, children grew up and already left home, wanted to
help the homeless, etc).
6. Tell about their clothing. (Brainstorm answers: one new outfit for appearing in front of prospective parents, all
their clothes looked the same, etc).
7. Where children separated from brothers and sisters? (Answer: Not always, but most families only wanted one
child, so many siblings were separated).
8. Most orphans came from what state? (Answer: New York, because this is where the immigrants came in, and the
largest numbers of children were on the streets).
1. What would it feel like to be the last one chosen?
2. What does the feather symbolize or mean? (Answer: Transferred the symbol of mother from her real mother to
her new foster mother)
3. What did the couple have for the last child? (Answer: locomotive)
4. How do you know they wanted a boy and not a girl? (Answer: Because they brought a train, which is generally a
toy for a boy).
5. What may be the reasons why couples came to meet the train to get a child? (Brainstorm answers: child died,
lonely, need workers in house or fields of farm, childless, children grew up and already left home, wanted to
help the homeless, etc).
6. Tell about their clothing. (Brainstorm answers: one new outfit for appearing in front of prospective parents, all
their clothes looked the same, etc).
7. Where children separated from brothers and sisters? (Answer: Not always, but most families only wanted one
child, so many siblings were separated).
8. Most orphans came from what state? (Answer: New York, because this is where the immigrants came in, and the
largest numbers of children were on the streets).
Click on the links below for extra material:
Train to Somewhere Crossword Puzzle (word document)
Train to Somewhere Word Find (word document)
Train to Somewhere Crossword Puzzle (word document)
Train to Somewhere Word Find (word document)
Vocabulary and/or Spelling Words:
- Larkspur
- Placing-out
- Conductor
- Tenement
- Warehouse
- Atlas
- Scrawny
- Muff
- Sassy
- Handkerchief
- Pouting
- Whining
- Gingersnaps