“Remember That” by Leslea Newman

Publisher: Clarion Books

Brief Synopsis

Remember That is about the relationship between the writer and her grandmother Bubbe through her growing up years. She loves spending Shabbos with Bubbe, from when Bubbe lived alone to when Bubbe moved in with her and until Bubbe had to be taken to the nursing home. Bubbe passes on her to important Jewish customs and life lessons like “Everyone who wants to eat has to help out a little” and “There’s always someone who has less than you”.

Main Focus

Family

Year Levels

Year 5-6

Teaching Points

1. Importance of knowing your culture and customs

In the story, Bubbe imparts knowledge about life and Jewish customs to the author.  Does she remember them as she grows older? Why is it important? Has your parents or grandparents ever shared with you about your culture and customs? If so, what are some of them? Get students to share with the class.

2. Intergenerational Relationship

The author shares a close relationship with her grandmother that grows stronger over the years. How did she maintain the relationship and what did they share together? Are you close to your grandparents? What are some things that you do together?

Conclusion

This is a heartwarming story with a poignant life lesson- as her grandmother gets on in age, the author continues to love and appreciate her, and their relationship grows stronger. A wonderful story to share with children, as they reflect on their relationships with their family members.

Activities

1. Creative Writing

Get the class to think about the relationship they share with a family member. It can be a write-up on the life of the person, or it can be detailing growing up with the person. This can be done in the form of a story or essay, and they can share what they have written with the class.

If their grandparents are available, the teacher can even have a “Bring Your Grandparents To School” day and get each of them to give a talk to the students.

2. The Jewish Way Of Life

The book is full of Jewish customs and sayings. Have the class study them and discuss if they find any of them interesting and why. This can be translated into a unit of work centered around the Jewish way of life, encouraging students to delve deeper into a culture that is different from theirs. They can also branch out to focus on other world religions like Christianity, Buddhism and Islam.

3. Where I Come From

Have the students do up a poster presentation on their customs and background. This will allow them to gain a better understanding and appreciation of where they come from, and also for a class with students from different backgrounds to integrate better.