Find the Central Idea
Remember to TIE it together. Identify the topic, think about the information provided, and explain this in one sentence.
The missionary questions the Italian family, and little Carmelita, thirteen years old, tells her story in some such way as follows:
"Our home was in Naples in the South of Italy. It is so beautiful there! And the sun shines all day long and every day, and we often sing our dear song, "La bella Napoli." We loved our dear sunny Italy so much! But we were very poor, and father heard there is good times in America and plenty money; so one day he say good-by to us all and come over here. He not find plenty money, and sometimes he very poor, and it was long to wait, but by and by he find a good work and being to save money to bring us over.
"Every week my mother gotta letter, and every time it tell how much money my father saved. Father can't write himself, but he know a boy that can; and mother, she get a lady that she work for to read it to her. We not have so many schools in Italy, and when the father and mother were little they not have much chance; but my Italy now is like other countries and make more schools, and many children can go, but not all. I learn a little, and the American lady that mother wash for, she teacha me the English. Father, he write that, when we come to America, we all shall go to the school; so we all want to make hurry to come to this land.
"At last, in a letter came money to buy the ticket for all of us, mother and grandmother and all the children. Mother think it much work to get us all ready, but we all helped; and, after all, there was not much to get ready, for we not own many things; and so at last we all were packed up, and every one had something to carry except baby. Even Theresa carried the birdcage, though she is only two.