Old Ways New Ways

Overview

This 80-page easy-to-understand reader is one of 12 historical novels in the Hopes and Dreams series, whose diverse and fascinating characters, regardless of their ethnicity, face prejudice, danger, hardships, and setbacks, but survive with perseverance, a little bit of luck ,and a generous amount of love in their new home in the US. Downloadable audio recordings of all 12 novels and free supplemtary materials for teachers are available (visit ProLinguaLearning.com for more details).

Plot Summary for Old Ways, New Ways: Solomon Gold is a Russian immigrant in New York. He is a gifted and hardworking shoemaker. He and his wife keep to the old ways in everyday life and in their religion. They are proud of their heritage. As the story begins, their son Sidney is 14. He already knows that he doesn’t want to make shoes his whole life. He is an excellent student, and his father is proud of him, but Sol wants Sidney and Emma, his daughter, to follow the old ways.

Reviews

"The Hopes and Dreams series is highly recommended... as an excellent example of controlled vocabulary with a low-Lexile level and a glossary, relevant content about immigration, and engaging storytelling by the author, Tana Reiff." - Helaine W. Marshall, PhD, Professor of Education and Director of Language Education Programs, Long Island University 

Author Biography

Tana Reiff, author of the Hopes and Dreams series, holds a B.S. degree in elementary education and a master’s in secondary English with a concentration in applied linguistics. She has taught adult basic education, ESL, and college-level linguistics, and worked in multimedia communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She is the author of dozens of hi-lo books (high interest, low reading level) for readers of all ages.