Lesson Plans Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America

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How would this book or one section or even one scene be different if Ehrenreich were a woman of color? If she were lesbian? Frequently in her Introduction, and occasionally throughout the rest of the book, Ehrenreich calls our attention to the many ways in which her experiences differ from those of "real" minimum wage workers--for instance, when she says "I was only visiting a world that others inhabit full-time, often for most of their lives" 6 , and when she points out in some detail the "reassuring limits to whatever tribulations [she] might have to endure" How would Ehrenreich's experience be different if she had been a Briton living and working in London?

What if she had been a Frenchwoman living in Paris? Or an Israeli in Haifa or Tel Aviv?

How did reading this book change you or your opinions? What else do you still need to know? What other information would help you shape an informed opinion about minimum wage working conditions in the United States?

Teaching Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America

This book is both wonderful and flawed. Consider for instance the references to "WalMartians" and to obesity. Anthropology Although Ehrenreich is a journalist, she uses techniques familiar to anthropologists such as ethnography and participant-observation. Select one section of the book and critique her approach given what you know about anthropology's approach to field work.

Biology Ehrenreich has a PhD in biology. How does this fact contribute to the success of her book? The Corporation Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America? The High Cost of Low Price Available from Oviatt Library. Economics Are we better off with Wal-Mart or worse off? If he had prevailed, would his actions have helped the poor? Why do so many people apply to work at Wal-Mart? Gender and Women's Studies Though Ehrenreich doesn't specifically mention "the feminization of poverty" in Nickel and Dimed , the book offers compelling evidence that women are more likely than men to be poor in America.

Agree or disagree with this claim, using evidence from her book. Journalism This link to a Sundial review of the Theatre CSUN production of Nickel and Dimed includes details about costuming, setting, and music that differ from Ehrenreich's book.

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How would you account for these differences? Ehrenreich began Nickel and Dimed as an assignment for a magazine. What features of the finished book exemplify good journalism? Where does the book fall short? Mathematics In Developmental Math as well as in Math , students might be asked to solve word problems based on data and situations drawn from the book. Topics Ehrenreich raises include wages, rent, food costs, gas costs, rent as a percentage of income, statistics about the poverty level, percentages by ethnicity of employees who are "private household cleaners and servants" p.

Their own income and expenses might even be incorporated into a homework assignment. Photography Offer themed assignments targeting the world of minimum wage work, workers, and workplaces. University Nickel and Dimed describes several scenes in which Barbara undergoes an orientation. What's involved in orientation? How does her experience compare with your own experience getting acclimated at CSUN?

Moving to a new place can be exciting, but it's also often stressful. How does Barbara manage her many moves in the book?

Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America

What lessons could you learn from her--either positive or negative--about making a successful move? If you are living on campus, are there any parallels between Barbara's experiences and your own? See for one example her overview of moving, on p. Is Nickel and Dimed a true story? The book has many footnotes. Pick one or two and examine their relevance to the stories she is telling. Now that you're a college student, you should take some time to learn about your own health insurance coverage.

What does this coverage cost? How much does it cost to live in Los Angeles? How much would you need to make in order to survive food, clothing, shelter? What would you need beyond these basics? What is the minimum wage right now in Los Angeles? In your opinion, is this minimum adequate? If not, what would be an adequate minimum wage and why do you think so? What should it cover? They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of important characters. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read.

Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America for either a student or teacher. Character and Object Descriptions provide descriptions of the significant characters as well as objects and places in Nickel and Dimed: These can be printed out and used as an individual study guide for students, a "key" for leading a class discussion, a summary review prior to exams, or a refresher for an educator.

Full Lesson Plan Overview

The character and object descriptions are also used in some of the quizzes and tests in this lesson plan. The longest descriptions run about words.

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They become shorter as the importance of the character or object declines. This section of the lesson plan contains 30 Daily Lessons. Daily Lessons each have a specific objective and offer at least three often more ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America in a classroom setting.

You can combine daily lessons or use the ideas within them to create your own unique curriculum. They vary greatly from day to day and offer an array of creative ideas that provide many options for an educator. Fun Classroom Activities differ from Daily Lessons because they make "fun" a priority. The 20 enjoyable, interactive classroom activities that are included will help students understand Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America in fun and entertaining ways.

Fun Classroom Activities include group projects, games, critical thinking activities, brainstorming sessions, writing poems, drawing or sketching, and countless other creative exercises. Many of the activities encourage students to interact with each other, be creative and think "outside of the box," and ultimately grasp key concepts from the text by "doing" rather than simply studying.

Fun activities are a great way to keep students interested and engaged while still providing a deeper understanding of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America and its themes. Students should have a full understanding of the unit material in order to answer these questions.

They often include multiple parts of the work and ask for a thorough analysis of the overall text. They nearly always require a substantial response. Essay responses are typically expected to be one or more page s and consist of multiple paragraphs, although it is possible to write answers more briefly. These essays are designed to challenge a student's understanding of the broad points in a work, interactions among the characters, and main points and themes of the text.

But, they also cover many of the other issues specific to the work and to the world today. The 60 Short Essay Questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America by describing what they've read, rather than just recalling it. The short essay questions evaluate not only whether students have read the material, but also how well they understand and can apply it. They require more thought than multiple choice questions, but are shorter than the essay questions.

The Multiple Choice Questions in this lesson plan will test a student's recall and understanding of Nickel and Dimed: Use these questions for quizzes, homework assignments or tests.

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The questions are broken out into sections, so they focus on specific chapters within Nickel and Dimed: This allows you to test and review the book as you proceed through the unit. Typically, there are questions per chapter, act or section. Use the Oral Reading Evaluation Form when students are reading aloud in class. Pass the forms out before you assign reading, so students will know what to expect. You can use the forms to provide general feedback on audibility, pronunciation, articulation, expression and rate of speech. You can use this form to grade students, or simply comment on their progress.

Use the Writing Evaluation Form when you're grading student essays.

Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America Lesson Plans for Teachers

This will help you establish uniform criteria for grading essays even though students may be writing about different aspects of the material. By following this form you will be able to evaluate the thesis, organization, supporting arguments, paragraph transitions, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. They pull questions from the multiple choice and short essay sections, the character and object descriptions, and the chapter abstracts to create worksheets that can be used for pop quizzes, in-class assignments and homework. Periodic homework assignments and quizzes are a great way to encourage students to stay on top of their assigned reading.

They can also help you determine which concepts and ideas your class grasps and which they need more guidance on. By pulling from the different sections of the lesson plan, quizzes and homework assignments offer a comprehensive review of Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting by in America in manageable increments that are less substantial than a full blown test. Use the Test Summary page to determine which pre-made test is most relevant to your students' learning styles.

This lesson plan provides both full unit tests and mid-unit tests.

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