Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi: A PDF/EASEL Literature Guide

This is a ready-to-use, custom-made packet designed for use with students in grades 5-9 as they read Year of Impossible Goodbyes, by Sook Nyul Choi. It consists of 23 student pages and an answer key. The student pages may be printed and used as a workbook or given as individual assignments. Alternatively, it may be exported to Easel and assigned and collected as a digital product with students adding text boxes as they go.

The student pages divide the text into eight reading assignments with questions and tasks to go with each one and can be used independently by the student. The questions and tasks in this booklet reinforce skills that good readers need. These include comprehension, vocabulary (including a Korean-English dictionary), visualizing, summarizing, connecting to the text, and identifying character traits. In addition, students are provided with opportunities to explain their thinking and to demonstrate their understanding. Since the booklet is designed for independent work, students will be able to work on this in class while the teacher is meeting with another group or it could be assigned as homework.

Year of Impossible Goodbyes in a Nutshell:

This powerful autobiography is a great choice for bringing Korean history in 1945 to life as well as emphasizing the strength of the human spirit in the midst of horrible times. The story is told by ten-year-old Sookan and portrays what the author's family endured during Japanese military occupation and the eventual defeat of the Japanese in Korea. It also allows the reader to understand the euphoria and ultimate disillusionment brought by the new Communist regime. Readers learn about the division between North and South Korea and gain an understanding of the wartime traumas endured by many families as well as their underlying hope and resiliency in spite of it all.

Appropriate for students in grades 5-9. Reading level is approximately 6th grade.