Untitled Document

The Great Brain

by John D. Fitzgerald, Dell Publishing Co.

Lesson by Mary Suiter

Economics: economic incentives

Language Arts: research skills, essay writing

Synopsis: This is a story about Tom D. Fitzgerald, the Great Brain, as told by his brother John. The three Fitzgerald boys grew up in the small town of Adenville, Utah in 1896. John relates the many adventures of the Great Brain including teaching Basil, an immigrant Greek child, how to be a "real American kid."

Materials: poster board, newspapers, news magazines

Procedure:

1. Read the book, The Great Brain.

2. Ask students to recall chapter 5, "Greek Immigrant." Discuss:

a. What are immigrants? (People who leave the country of their birth and move to another country.)

b. Who were the Greek immigrants? (Mr. and Mrs. George Kokovinis and their son Vassillios.)

c. How did they come to live in Adenville? (Mr. Kokovinis came to the United States five years earlier, leaving his wife and son behind in Greece. During those five years, Mr. Kokovinis worked in the coal mines at Castle Rock and saved his money. Then he moved to Adenville, opened the Palace Cafe, and sent for his wife and son.)

d. What was Vassillios' name in English? (Basil)

e. Why did Sammy Leeds hate Basil so much? (Sammy's father was always complaining about immigrants coming to the United States and taking jobs away from Americans.)

f. Why do some people today have feelings similar to Sammy's father about immigrants coming to the United States? (These people believe immigrants take jobs away from Americans.)

3. Explain the number of immigrants coming to the United States has risen and fallen depending on the level of economic activity in the United States.

4. Explain when the economy was growing, enthusiastic letters home from immigrants urged relatives to come to America. In bad times, letters home would warn relatives not to come.

5. Explain some of the letters described economic incentives for the immigrants. Economic incentives are things which encourage people to behave in particular ways. For example, if a product we want to buy is on sale at a certain store, the lower price is an economic incentive for people to shop at that store. The economic incentives in the letters encouraged relatives to emigrate.

6. Discuss:

a. What were the economic incentives that encouraged the Kokovinis family to move to the United States? (a job, the possibility of opening their own restaurant, the chance to own land, education for Basil)

b. What were incentives other immigrants had in 1896 for moving to the United States? (rich soil for growing crops or raising animals, freedom of religion, democratic government, opportunity to earn higher incomes, etc.)

7. For a week, students should collect newspaper articles and news-magazine articles about current immigration to the United States. As students share their articles orally, the rest of the class should listen for information about the economic incentives for immigration.

8. List the incentives on poster board, adding to the list as new ideas are presented. At the end of the week, instruct students to write a brief essay comparing and contrasting the economic incentives of the Kokovinis family with those of current immigrants to the United States.

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This lesson is one of 45 lessons presented in Economics and Children's Literature. This unit contains lessons for 23 children's books for students in grades 1-3 and 22 children's books for students in grades 4-6. For more information on how you may purchase this unit, contact:

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