The Hundred Dresses

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

Why do many people come to the United States from other countries? What are some examples of places where people come from?

Teaching Suggestion: This question allows students to consider the historical context of the novel’s theme of The Damaging Effect of Bullying and Discrimination. Although Estes does not specify a year in her setting, the novel’s publication in 1944 alludes to a town in Connecticut in the mid-20th century. Additionally, Maddie and Peggy’s preoccupation with Wanda’s last name Petronski indicates that Wanda is Eastern European and, quite possibly, experiences discrimination due to her background. Furthermore, Estes references the challenges that many individuals from Poland experienced after immigrating to the US, first in her description of Wanda’s living arrangements and second in terms of access to education when Estes references both Wanda’s difficulty in reading out loud, as well as the poor grammar of her father’s letter. This question connects with the first full essay assignment.

• The Population Reference Bureau provides an overview of immigration waves throughout US history. (Teacher-appropriate, not student-facing)
• The Library of Congress discusses the history of Polish immigration to the US. (Teacher-appropriate, not student-facing)

Short Activity

In a small group, discuss the term “bullying.” What does bullying mean to you? What are some different types of bullying? What are some of the effects of bullying on people? Working with your group, create a poster where you share different facts, statistics, and observations on bullying. After creating your poster, share your findings with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity supports students’ understanding of The Damaging Effect of Bullying and Discrimination in society. Students should be encouraged to consider the variety of types of bullying and how they are detrimental to a person’s growth. Students can use this activity to discuss and connect on a topic in a group setting. Share appropriate resources for students who may have experienced bullying, including local hotlines and any on-site support groups at the school.

• This informative site shares the definition and basic statistics on bullying in schools.
• This resource from the Early Childhood Development organization shares various activities to engage students with the topic of bullying in the classroom. (Teacher-appropriate, not student-facing)

Differentiation Suggestion: For more advanced classes, different scenarios might be shared with each group to determine if the situation constitutes bullying and, if so, which type (for examples, please see the above teacher-facing resource). Invite students to share their feedback on the differences between criticism and bullying.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novella.

What is an “act of kindness”? Think of an act of kindness that you did for someone or that someone did for you. How did it make you feel? How do you think acts of kindness impact givers and receivers generally?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt invites students to consider the positive effects of kindness on individuals. Students should understand that The Importance of Respect and Kindness can also have a lasting impact on the receiver and develop relationships over time. This prompt also works well as a segue from the Short Activity, where students will first have the opportunity to reflect in a group on the negatives of bullying and then can make the connection to the importance of positive, kind actions in a personal reflection. Invite students to share their responses with the class.