Overview and Outcomes:

In this three-week Writing Root using The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, the children discover a set of matchboxes containing some mementoes from the story. After writing predictions about what the objects might relate to, the children listen to the story in stages. They make inferences about why the great-grandfather and his family went to America, explore vocabulary and write in role. After exploring prepositions, they create a ship’s log that is in the form of a recount. They then investigate migration and read for research to gather ideas about Ellis Island. Following this, the children plan and then write a non-chronological report about the great-grandfather’s and other who made a similar journey all those years ago.

Synopsis of Text:

"Pick whatever you like most. Then I'll tell you its story."

When a little girl visits her great-grandfather at his curio-filled home, she chooses an unusual object to learn about: an old cigar box. What she finds inside surprises her: a collection of matchboxes making up her great-grandfather's diary, harboring objects she can hold in her hand, each one evoking a memory. Together they tell of his journey from Italy to a new country, before he could read and write -- the olive pit his mother gave him to suck on when there wasn't enough food; a bottle cap he saw on his way to the boat; a ticket still retaining the thrill of his first baseball game. With a narrative entirely in dialogue, Paul Fleischman makes immediate the two characters' foray into the past. With warmth and an uncanny eye for detail, Bagram Ibatoulline gives expressive life to their journey through time -- and toward each other.

Text Rationale:

This is an excellent book to learn about history and migration. A text which encourages children to think about their own heritage and the extraordinary lives of those who came before them. High quality text and beautiful illustrations, present a thought-provoking record of a life and suggestions as to how we could record our own.

Links and themes:

Migration, immigration, memories, life stories, heritage, America

Date written: April 2017

Updated: January 2021