Read the Reader’s Resource and Reader’s Toolbox on page 209, as well as the author information on page 218. Discuss your knowledge of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. If possible, view a map that identifies some of the disputed areas in the region. Before reading, turn to page 218 and review the footnotes to decrease the interruptions in your reading. Then, draw two cluster charts: one for Mervet and one for Galit. As you read, you will fill in information about each girl.
1. With two other students, decide who will read aloud the italicized information, Galit’s letters, and Mervet’s letters. Then, read aloud the first page of the selection in your group. When you finish reading, fill in the pertinent information in Mervet’s cluster chart.
2. Continue with the remainder of the text, reading aloud your designated parts. Stop after each letter and fill in your cluster chart with important information about each person. When you have completed your cluster charts, draw a Venn diagram with one circle as Mervet’s, one as Galit’s, and the overlap as their similarities. Review the information from your cluster charts, and note the things the girls have in common in the overlap. Record in their respective circles the ways the girls are different.
If you are having difficulty recording the main ideas in the letters, read and record one paragraph at a time instead of reading an entire letter before stopping to record information. By stopping more frequently, you can recall more quickly the main ideas.
Share your Venn diagram with your group members. Discuss how these girls’ lives are similar and different. How would you feel in either of their situations?