Orphan Train

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. How does the foster care system function in this country?

Teaching Suggestion: If anyone in class has been a part of the foster care system, this subject could be a difficult one. The resources here can be a way to include voices from some people affected by this system and a way for the class to build some common understandings before reading the novel, where the foster care system features prominently. The NPR resource focuses on experiences of Indigenous people, connecting to Molly’s perspective.

• In “How Foster Care Works in the United States,” Teen Vogue examines the foster care system, which well over 400,000 young people currently experience in the United States.
• “Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families” is an NPR series examining the effects of foster care on Indigenous people; it includes multiple articles and options to listen to the audio.

2. What do you imagine an “orphan train” is? What was this experience like for children?

Teaching Suggestion: This aspect of history might not be known to students. Bringing in prior knowledge of orphanages or the foster care system could help bridge to the new information. Starting with Prompt 1 and then exploring this prompt might be helpful. One way to approach this discussion would be journaling and talking about the first question in this prompt, then studying the resources, and finally returning to the second question here.

• “‘Orphan Trains’ Brought Homeless NYC Children to Work on Farms out West” from the History Channel includes an article, images, and a 5-minute video giving background about the time period of the orphan trains.
• This 1-minute video from PBS provides some visuals and facts about the orphan trains.

Short Activity

Work in your group to research more about the orphan trains. View the video assigned, take notes, and prepare to present at least four important facts.

Teaching Suggestion: Because the history is central to the novel, having additional time to research could be beneficial. This resource includes the introductory video from Prompt 2 in this guide and additional videos. The class could view the entire 20-minute documentary together first or skip right to researching their individual sections. The resource breaks the larger video into 9 smaller videos. Each group could be assigned one video to research and present about, building additional knowledge that will help students access the novel.

• “Experiences of Orphan Train Riders” from PBS offers written background and numerous short videos about what those on the orphan trains went through.

Differentiation Suggestion: Diverse learners might watch the entire video or one of the shorter videos together and list key facts learned, which could be posted and returned to during the reading of the novel. The first short video provides an overview and specific details about one orphan train. The last video provides a map and some key facts about the lasting legacy of the time.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

What does grief mean to you?

Teaching Suggestion: Both Vivian and Molly face enormous grief. It could be important to give students time to reflect on this topic and share as they want, with the understanding that grief can come in a variety of forms and be deeply personal.

• With the article “5 Ways to Cope When a Loved One Dies (for Teens),” Nemours TeensHealth offers both written and audio versions of their resource about facing grief.
• This resource from the Cleveland Clinic explores different types, causes, stages, and symptoms of grief and strategies to help face it.