Seeing Through Dorothea's Eyes by Sudipta Bardhan | CommonLit | Paired Texts

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by Sudipta Bardhan 2016

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

The Sign of the Cat

Sandra Havriluk

In Sandra Havriluk's short story "The Sign of the Cat," a boy's grandmother opens their home to people who were left jobless by the Great Depression.

Pair “The Sign of the Cat” with “Seeing Through Dorothea’s Eyes” to provide students with a story from the Great Depression. How do both texts explore how Americans were struggling during the Great Depression? How did Dorothea Lange and Chet help others during the Great Depression?

3rd Grade Short Story 650L

In Bobbi Katz's poem "April," a speaker describes the springtime.

Pair “April” with “Seeing Through Dorothea’s Eyes” and ask students to discuss how the speaker in the poem and Dorothea Lange both appreciate beauty in unexpected things. What aspects of spring does the speaker enjoy that others might not? What does Lange find beautiful about people that others might miss?

Now Don't Move for 8 Hours

Jesse Sullivan

In "Now Don't Move for 8 Hours," Jesse Sullivan explains the history of the camera.

Pair “Seeing the World Through Dorothea’s Eyes” with “Now Don’t Move for 8 Hours” and ask students to discuss the role of cameras in society. How did Dorothea Lange use a camera to make a difference according to “Seeing the World Through Dorothea’s Eyes”? What evidence does the author of “Now Don’t Move for 8 Hours” give to support the idea that cameras are an important part of our lives? How do these two texts together support the idea that cameras were an important invention?

5th Grade Informational Text 730L

Wishing for Christmas

Kirsti Harris

In "Wishing for Christmas," a young girl living during the Great Depression is sad when her family cannot celebrate Christmas.

Pair “Seeing Through Dorothea’s Eyes” with “Wishing for Christmas” and ask students to compare the authors’ perspectives. Why did Sudipta Bardhan most likely write “Seeing Through Dorothea’s Eyes”? Why did Kristi Harris most likely write “Wishing for Christmas”? How do these texts from different genres help readers learn about the Great Depression?

5th Grade Historical Fiction 690L