Chapter 15: What Roddy Dawe Told William

In 1905 people like Roddy Dawe could steal a bit of food from crates on the docks. Today's shipping containers are made large and are sealed so no one can steal a crumb. How does a homeless person survive in urban Newfoundland today? Interview one and find out. Interview people from agencies like the Salvation Army and St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Chapter 16: What Kate Put in her Diary

This chapter is adapted from the real 1904 diary of a girl called Kate Vey. The diary was in the Public Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Visit an archive in your area and look at a diary from the past like Kate's. See how someone lived and wrote about themselves 100 years ago.

Chapter 17: A Little Girl's Toy

Old toys can tell us a lot about how people used to live. Interview old people in your area about the toys they had when they were little. Write down what they tell you. Compare notes in class.

Chapter 18: Bridget Gunn's Story

Bridgett Gunn's story is a real story from the newspapers of 1905.

Bridgett Gunn was forced to do something illegal so she could feed her children. In what way do people today feel forced to break laws in order to survive?

Chapter 19: French Violets

At one time people used to make their own soap. They used things like ashes from the stove and bacon grease. Find an old soap recipe, either written down or told to you. Share it with the class.

Chapter 20: Iris's Dress

In 1905 women like Iris Pender knew many ways to stretch the home budget. They grew vegetables, bottled meat, kept chickens and made clothes. We do fewer of these things today. Visit a grocery store and look in people's carts. What are they buying? How have household economies changed in Newfoundland in the past 100 years?

Iris Pender believed "Nobody ever leaves money to girls." Are things the same today? Interview men and women about how possessions are handed down from generation to generation in their families. How do the lists compare?