other words for home essay

Jasmine Warga

Available now wherever books are sold, *purchase links:, - indiebound, - barnes & noble, * add on goodreads.

Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind her, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her home town start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the U.S. –and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home, and most importantly, finding yourself.

“ Poetic and powerful …There are so many reasons to read this novel. It's a book about kindness , for one; it sings , for another…And that's Jude. I wanted nothing more than to be her friend and listen to whatever she had to say about life. She deserves to shine in the spotlight , and so does  Other Words for Home .” (NPR)

“Warga portrays with extraordinary talent the transformation of a family’s life before and after the war began in Syria.… Her free-verse narration cuts straight to the bone ... [and] confront[s] the difficult realities of being Muslim and Arab in the U.S. Poetic, immersive, hopeful .” (Kirkus Reviews, *starred review * )

“From start to finish, Warga's middle-grade debut puts its hands around your heart and holds it…Other Words for Home should find its way into every middle-grade reader’s hands.” ( Booklist, * starred review *)

[In] this timely book ... rhythmic lines distill Jude’s deepest emotions …. Warga effectively shows, as she writes in an author’s note, that “children who are fleeing from a war zone... want the same things all of us do—love, understanding, safety, a chance at happiness.” (Publishers Weekly, * starred review *)

“Told in verse and divided into five sections chronicling Jude’s flight from Syria and adjustment to America, this powerful middle grade novel explores the complicated concepts of war and corruption, home, family, belonging, and how, in Jude’s own words, “It is strange to feel lucky/for something that is making my heart feel so sad.” ( School Library Journal, * starred review *)

“Offers offers a realistic portrait of the strength it takes to move to a new country, as well as of the complicated dynamics between first- and second-generation immigrants.” (The Horn Book, *starred review*)

“ Other Words For Home is a salve for the world we live in today. It’s a hope-filled story that doesn’t pander, but instead peels back layers of culture and identity, fear and prejudice, exile and belonging, all wrapped around a young Syrian girl—Jude. Chocked with equal parts fear and moxie, Jude is a heart trying to figure out how to beat outside the body. I ached for, but simultaneously, found that though our stories are different, I am her. This is a necessary story. We’re lucky to have it in the world. ”- (Jason Reynolds, award-winning, bestselling author of Ghost and Long Way Down )

“Through Jude’s eyes readers see firsthand what it is to leave behind one’s beloved home and family as many refugees do every single day. Young readers will laugh with Jude, cry with her, and root for her every step of the way. A beautiful, powerful, and necessary book .” ( Aisha Saeed,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Amal Unbound )

“ An emotional, gorgeous book that takes you into the fraught interior life of Jude, a dreamer, actress, daughter and little sister--who is also a Syrian refugee. Told in verse, Jude's story is one that is rarely shared, which makes its relatability that much more powerful. An absolute must-read book. ” ( Sabaa Tahir, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Ember in the Ashes series )

“ Other Words for Home  is a gorgeously written middle grade novel with words that soar off the page. Told in stunning verse and featuring an effortlessly lovable narrator, this book will be a staple of middle grade shelves for years to come .” (Rachel Strolle, Teen Librarian, Glenside Public Library ) "Jasmine Warga's exceptional middle grade debut is a moving story about family, belonging, and the difficulty of straddling two cultures . Told in sure, thoughtful verse, Warga skillfully draws parallels between the political and social climates of both Syria and the U.S. through the eyes of an insightful and relatable main character, Jude.” ( Sara Grochowski, Children's Specialist, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI )

“Other Words for Home is like a family recipe. At the beginning you know that this is cared for, curated, and passed down. There is an heirloom quality to this story and yet it is fresh and modern. Jude’s immigrant story is rich and light and full of personality . At the end, Jude has developed her own sense of of home; she is at home with herself. This is not just an immigrant story—it’s a LIFE story.” ( Amanda Connor, Kids Team Leader, Joseph-Beth Booksellers .)

“ Other Words for Home  is such an important book and should be required reading for every student at a middle-grade reading level. The character of Jude teaches us empathy as we read what it’s like to be a young teenager from Syria trying to fit in in America. She tries to learn the English language while tackling discrimination and classmates unwilling to understand and accept her, including her cousin of the same age. Jasmine Warga has created a story that is both powerful and gentle , big but full of small moments, a happy but sad story that will live in your heart. ” ( Marilyn Robbins, BookBar, Denver, CO )

media coverage:

Naperville author wins newbery honor, cincinnati native wins newbery honor, excerpt on shondaland, q&a with publishers weekly, guest post on tlt, the horn book spring preview, austin statesman summer reading recommendations, forbes best kids’ books 2019, feature in cincinnati magazine, international publishers:, china: beijing yutian , czech republic: argo.

A 2020 John Newbery Honor Book

A 2020 walter awards honor book, a 2020 lee bennet hopkins poetry prize honor, a 2020 charlotte huck award honor book, an alsc 2020 notable book, a new york times bestseller, a 2019 junior library guild selection, recipient of 5 starred reviews (kirkus, publishers weekly, booklist, horn book, and school library journal), a top 10 indie next list pick, an npr favorite book of 2019, a publishers weekly best book of 2019, a school library best book of 2019, a kirkus reviews best book of 2019, a booklist best book of 2019, a parent magazine best kids’ book of 2019, a center for the study of multicultural children’s literature best book of 2019, a forbes best kids’ book of 2019, a chicago public library best book of 2019, a new york public library best book of 2019, a news and observer best book of 2019, an audiofile best book of 2019, a king county library best book of 2019, a mightygirl best book of 2019, 2019-2020 project lit book club selection.

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2019

New York Times Bestseller

OTHER WORDS FOR HOME

by Jasmine Warga ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 28, 2019

Poetic, immersive, hopeful.

A story about war and displacement, resilience and adjustment.

Warga portrays with extraordinary talent the transformation of a family’s life before and after the war began in Syria. Living in a tourist town on the Syrian coastline, Jude experiences the inequalities in her society firsthand. With the unfolding of the Arab Spring, her older brother, Issa, wants to join protests against the Syrian regime. The parents are in favor of staying out of it, but with news of a new baby and nearby towns turning into battlegrounds, Jude and her mother travel to join her uncle, a medical doctor, and his family in the American Midwest. Her free-verse narration cuts straight to the bone: “Back home, / food was / rice / lamb / fish / hummus / pita bread / olives / feta cheese / za’atar with olive oil. / Here, / that food is / Middle Eastern Food. / Baguettes are French food. / Spaghetti is Italian food. / Pizza is both American and Italian, / depending on which restaurant you go to.” Jude, who has always loved American movies, shares her observations—often with humor—as she soaks everything in and learns this new culture. Only when she starts feeling comfortable with having two homes, one in Syria and one in the U.S., does a terrible incident make her confront the difficult realities of being Muslim and Arab in the U.S.

Pub Date: May 28, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-06-274780-8

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 2, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2019

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Jasmine Warga ; illustrated by Matt Rockefeller

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PERSPECTIVES

THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL

From the school for good and evil series , vol. 1.

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2013

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic.

Chainani works an elaborate sea change akin to Gregory Maguire’s Wicked (1995), though he leaves the waters muddied.

Every four years, two children, one regarded as particularly nice and the other particularly nasty, are snatched from the village of Gavaldon by the shadowy School Master to attend the divided titular school. Those who survive to graduate become major or minor characters in fairy tales. When it happens to sweet, Disney princess–like Sophie and  her friend Agatha, plain of features, sour of disposition and low of self-esteem, they are both horrified to discover that they’ve been dropped not where they expect but at Evil and at Good respectively. Gradually—too gradually, as the author strings out hundreds of pages of Hogwarts-style pranks, classroom mishaps and competitions both academic and romantic—it becomes clear that the placement wasn’t a mistake at all. Growing into their true natures amid revelations and marked physical changes, the two spark escalating rivalry between the wings of the school. This leads up to a vicious climactic fight that sees Good and Evil repeatedly switching sides. At this point, readers are likely to feel suddenly left behind, as, thanks to summary deus ex machina resolutions, everything turns out swell(ish).

Pub Date: May 14, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-06-210489-2

Page Count: 496

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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BOOK TO SCREEN

LOUDER THAN HUNGER

by John Schu ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 19, 2024

A sensitive, true-to-life narrative that is respectfully and indelibly portrayed.

This coming-of-age novel in verse depicts one boy’s harrowing experiences with his eating disorder in the late 1990s.

Jake Stacey loves rollerblading, Emily Dickinson, Broadway shows, and his grandmother, but he’s not well. Jake has been starving himself since seventh grade—and concerned adults in his life have caught on. They admit Jake against his will to an inpatient program, where he’s treated for anorexia nervosa, depression, and OCD. Jake’s striking first-person voice and the ups and downs of his emotional journey toward healing are centered through a variety of poetic forms and styles, as well as journal entries and confessions Jake makes to an angel statue at a park. Jake experiences grief, gets a feeding tube, confronts horrifying memories of bullying, learns to talk back to “the Voice” of his disorder, befriends another patient, and embraces known and emerging parts of himself without over-explanation or exoticization. The emphasis on internal contradictions and the carefully rendered ending, hinting at hope without promising certainty of recovery, are especially honest and notable. Secondary characters are less well developed, and the middle of the book drags at times. A note from the author, who is white, reveals that Jake’s story is inspired by his own. While Jake, who turns 14 while in treatment, reflects on his emotionally intense tween experiences, his goal setting is relevant to older teens and includes milestones like getting a driver’s license and attending college.

Pub Date: March 19, 2024

ISBN: 9781536229097

Page Count: 528

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S POETRY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT NOVELS IN VERSE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Other Words for Home is an award winning novel by Jasmine Warga. It tells the story of 12-year-old Jude, who lives with her family in a seaside, tourist town in Syria. The increasingly violent Syrian Civil War forces her parents to make the difficult decision for Jude and her pregnant mother to flee to the United States to live with their uncle's family. The story is told in moving free verse that beautifully describes Jude's perspective on being separated from her homeland, family, and friends; the struggle to learn English and feel accepted at school; facing anti-Muslim bigotry; and on the confusing and conflicting feelings she has of dearly missing her home while finding peace and happiness in a new one.

Student Activities for Other Words for Home

Essential Questions for Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

• Who are the main characters in Other Words for Home and what challenges do they face?
• What are some of the symbols and motifs present in the novel? How does the symbolism help you better understand the characters and their motivations?
• What are some of the themes present in the novel and what lessons does the author try to impart to the reader?
• What are some examples of islamophobia and bigotry that the characters experience in the novel?
• What are some examples of kindness and compassion shown in the novel?

Other Words for Home Summary

Jude loves living by the sea in Syria. Her pretty coastal town is a popular tourist destination. She and her best friend Fatima love to act out songs and scenes from their favorite American movies and Jude dreams of becoming an actor one day. Jude's father owns a shop where she visits daily and sneaks chips knowing that he adores having her visit. Jude's older brother Issa has always been there for her as a playmate, singing pop songs together, and also as a role model with strong convictions. Jude's family is overjoyed to learn that their mother is pregnant! However, everything changes when the Syrian Civil War brings violence and unrest. Jude's brother Issa is staunchly on the side of the rebels dreaming of a democracy instead of the repressive regime under Assad. Because of fears for their safety, the family makes the difficult decision to have Jude and her mother flee to America to live with Jude's mother's brother, Uncle Mazin. Their father stays behind to maintain the store and Issa stays to help in the war.

Jude and her mother go to live in a historic section of Cincinnati called Clifton with their Uncle Mazin, his American wife Michelle, and their daughter Sarah. Aunt Michelle is very loving and welcoming. She does her best to make Jude and her mother feel at home. Jude's cousin Sarah, however, is aloof and unfriendly. While she watches TV with Jude at home, Sarah makes little effort elsewhere. Jude is devastated when she overhears Sarah asking her mother when Jude and her mother will leave. The house in Clifton is very different from what Jude is used to in Syria, but soon enough the creaks and smells begin to feel like a new home.

Jude attends school with Sarah but is saddened that Sarah mostly ignores her in favor of her other friends. Jude has to navigate a new home, school, and culture all while learning English, which is very challenging. She makes friends in her ENL class, where her kind teacher Mrs. Ravenswood helps everyone to feel welcome and accepted. Jude also finds true friendship with a boy named Miles who loves outer space and is interested in hearing Jude's thoughts on the world. Jude also befriends Laya, a girl a year older than her, when she meets her in her parents Lebanese restaurant Ali Baba one day. The foods, smells, and Muslim traditions that Layla and her parents enjoy are so comforting to Jude and feel like home.

To keep in touch with her family, Jude and her mother video chat with her father regularly but her big brother Issa has been harder to contact as he is in the midst of the war. Jude constantly worries for his safety. She has also been unable to contact her best friend Fatima, as they had to flee as well. Jude goes with her mother to her appointments for the baby growing and cries happy tears when they find out that it is a girl. They share the news with their father but are heartbroken that they have still been unable to contact Issa.

Jude begins proudly wearing her hijab after her first period. She is so happy, but not everyone understands this meaningful rite of passage. Her own mother and father comment that "she is a woman now" and they are so proud of her. Layla's mother kisses her and looks at her proudly. However, Aunt Michelle acts skeptical and keeps trying to assure Jude that she doesn't have to wear it if she doesn't want to. Jude tries to explain that wearing her hijab is something she is proud of and not something she feels forced into doing.

Jude is excited to try out for the school play, but both Sarah and Layla warn her that it will be too difficult for her to get a part. They say that because of prejudice against people from the Middle East and her accented English, she won't succeed. Despite their warnings, however, Jude nails the audition and is cast in a prominent role! Sarah also gets a part in the chorus while Layla prefers working on the sets. Unfortunately, anti-Muslim hate is prevalent and after news hits of a bombing by professed Muslims somewhere in the world, Layla's family's restaurant is targeted and vandalized in a hate crime. Jude is also terrified when she is accosted by a stranger while walking home who tells her to "Go back to where she came from".

Despite all the challenges of adjusting to life in America and missing her family and friends dearly back in Syria, Jude perseveres and is delighted when she finally hears from her friend Fatima via postcard. She and her family had fled to Lebanon and were only just allowed to write. The community including Jude, her mom, Aunt Michelle, and Sarah rally together to raise money to help fix Layla's family's restaurant after the hate crime. Uniting in this way and attending the Mosque, Sarah feels a connection to her Syrian heritage for the first time and begins opening up more to Jude.

On the day Jude's baby sister Amal is born, the family rejoices, showing their father and finally Issa their new baby over video chat. Seeing Issa for the first time in months safe and alive is a huge relief. Jude joyfully shares pictures of baby Amal with her friends in Mrs. Ravenswood's ENL class. She also confides to Miles what a great solace it was to see Issa alive and well. The story ends as Jude and Sarah are both getting ready to go on stage for the performance of the school play. Jude has been through so much this year and is ready to proudly step on stage and share her strength, courage, and light with others.

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• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga MAG

“I search every day for a clue about      why I deserve to be here in Aunt Michelle’s kitchen, safe and fed. When so many others just like me are not. Lucky. I am learning how to say it over and over again in English. I am learning how it tastes— sweet with promise and bitter with responsibility.”

Other Words for Home is a fictional novel, published by Balzer+Bray in May 2019. The hardcover version of the book contains 352 pages, and the novel was written by Jasmine Warga, whose books have been translated into more than 25 languages and were even optioned for film. The book follows the journey of a girl called Jude, who was born in Syria. There, she is just a normal girl. She watches American movies with her older brother and her best friend, imagining to be a famous actress herself one day. She goes to the mosque and lives with her parents. Even though Jude is shocked by the war happening in the surrounding cities, her only desire – besides becoming a popular actress – is to have a peaceful family dinner in the evenings. As the environment gets too dangerous, Jude and her pregnant mother leave their family and home behind in order to move to the United States. In the United States, they stay with Jude’s uncle and his family. But Jude’s surrounding isn't the only thing changing. Her simplistic outlook gets replaced by worries and self-doubt. How is she supposed to live in that big country, where everything moves so fast, without her loved ones? How is she going to communicate with others? Will the Americans even welcome her? While Jude feels lucky to be safe, she also witnesses discrimination and faces prejudices. Still, she tries to be brave like she had promised her brother. When her school announces an upcoming play, the young girl makes up her mind to try out for it. She is determined to show the world that even a Muslim, wearing a headscarf and speaking broken English, can achieve anything. I really enjoyed reading the book because it offers a magnificent moral to teens. The story is told from Jude’s perspective, and similar to two other novels by Jasmine Warga, it is written in verses. Even though I was slightly suspicious of this narrative style at first, I believe it suits the story very well. The author uses the verses more to describe actions than to give specific details. As a consequence, the reader is given a lot of room for imagination, which enables one to put themself into Jude’s shoes and still look at things through their own perspective. This makes the story relatable to anyone who reads it. While not giving many detailed descriptions, Warga conveys Jude’s feelings as well as the mood of the story very precisely through the style of her writing. She uses poetical metaphors, inserts pauses at just the right moment, and provides powerful quotes. Other times, these quotes are obvious. Some other times, you have to look for the intention or deep meaning in a seemingly simple sentence. “The one potted plant of mint has grown out      of control. It smells like strong tea and is spilling out of its container, taking over everything around it. No one knows how the mint got there; someone should do something about that. But everyone is waiting for someone else to do it. We are still waiting.” The author lets the characters act in a very realistic way without adding too much drama. Still, the plain actions of the characters say a lot about how they feel and give hints about their thoughts. Other Words for Home provides a somewhat softer view of the refugee story. Instead of living in a war-torn city, Jude’s family lives in a town that is still spared from violence. Different from people in other cities, the people in Jude’s town typically don’t participate in protests. Instead, they obey the government; for they don’t want the war to take over their heritage as well. Also, Jude and her mother have family members that welcome them while the refugees in many other books don’t have a place to go to. Those differences let the focus of Other Words for Home be on a refugee starting her life over in a new country, instead of revolving around the journey from one country to the next. Having the focus be on starting at a new school is more relevant for most teens and also easier to relate to. What sometimes bothered me about the writing style is that the author doesn’t always clarify who speaks, which can slightly confuse the reader. It also prevents the story from flowing. Additionally, while I liked the fact that the book does not give much detail about the war or the characters, but rather has actions speak, it would have been helpful to add a little background information at some point. For example, Jude’s religion is not explored. Even though the author writes that Jude wears a headscarf because she wants to and not because she needs to, she doesn’t give any background information about that decision. In my opinion, adding an explanation of the belief or the intention behind wearing a headscarf would have been beneficial because the reader would learn to understand the religion better. Oftentimes, understanding is the first step toward tolerating something different; it would have been lovely to learn more Syrian culture, such as Jude’s religion. Other Words for Home is one of the most beautifully written, most meaningful and touching stories I've read. It lets you see the world from Jude’s perspective. This extraordinary book doesn’t only make us understand how a refugee, new to the country, might feel, but it also reminds us of our similarities. At the end of the day, we all have similar wishes and hopes. We long for love, respect, and a place to belong. Jude’s powerful story encourages us to be faithful and to be kind to each other. Even if we don’t come from the same country, we still share a universe. Most importantly, the novel states that hoping is sometimes braver and tougher than anything else.

This review is about the novel "Other Words for Home" by Jasmine Warga. It is a very touching and magnificent story that will touch anybody, who reads it.

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Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Other Words for Home

Jude is a 12-year-old girl living on the beach in Syria, watching American movies with her friends and hanging out at her dad’s store.  With an older brother and a little sister on the way, life as told from her own perspective is pretty good.  Until it is not.  Until the crimes they only hear about happening in Aleppo and Damascus start to hit closer to home.  Until her brother starts sneaking out to meetings with other youth hoping to change the politics of their country.  Until a raid almost catches Jude and her brother and her parent’s decide it is time for Jude and her mother to journey to America, for a little while, to visit her mom’s brother and deliver the baby.

America is not like it is in the 90’s movies that Jude loves: Pretty Woman , Legally Blond , Miss Congeniality .  Her American aunt and her Uncle that seems to have forgotten his Syrian upbringing, are gracious and welcoming and their daughter, Sarah, who is less than a year older than Jude and waxes and wanes in her approach to her cousin.  Adjusting to school, life without baba and her brother, and all the other adaptations that moving to a new country entail are brought to life through Jude’s eyes and understanding of the world around her.  As she comes of age and decides to wear hijab, as Islamaphobia shakes her sense of justice and her little sister is born, the reader sees her grow and change and mature and find themselves hoping that she will soar.

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the style of the story telling somehow gives life to so much.  With verse some things are highlighted in detail and other things skimmed over and yet at the end, not only do you feel like you understand Jude, but a lot of the side characters as well, which caught me off guard.  Truly the writing is strong and deliberate.  A lot of the politics and war crimes occurring in Syria are not detailed, and I have to assume that is because the point of view is a 12 year-old-girl who is blissfully in her own world.  I imagine this is also why the target audience is listed as 8-12 year olds, because it simplifies a truly horrific situation.  Also because despite moments of raw vulnerability, the book stays pretty optimistic and hopeful. Continue reading .

Publisher's Synopsis: New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book! A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she'd be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives. At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven't quite prepared her for starting school in the US — and her new label of "Middle Eastern," an identity she's never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises — there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is. This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home and, most importantly, finding yourself.

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Other Words For Home Lesson Plans for Teachers

Teaching Other Words For Home

The Other Words For Home lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. Inside you'll find 30 Daily Lessons, 20 Fun Activities, 180 Multiple Choice Questions, 60 Short Essay Questions, 20 Essay Questions, Quizzes/Homework Assignments, Tests, and more. The lessons and activities will help students gain an intimate understanding of the text, while the tests and quizzes will help you evaluate how well the students have grasped the material. View a free sample

Target Grade: 7th-12th (Middle School and High School)

Length of Lesson Plan: Approximately 137 pages. Page count is estimated at 300 words per page. Length will vary depending on format viewed.

Browse The Other Words For Home Lesson Plan:

Full Lesson Plan Overview

Completely customizable.

The Other Words For Home lesson plan is downloadable in PDF and Word. The Word file is viewable with any PC or Mac and can be further adjusted if you want to mix questions around and/or add your own headers for things like "Name," "Period," and "Date." The Word file offers unlimited customizing options so that you can teach in the most efficient manner possible. Once you download the file, it is yours to keep and print for your classroom. View a FREE sample

Lesson Plan Calendars

The Lesson Plan Calendars provide daily suggestions about what to teach. They include detailed descriptions of when to assign reading, homework, in-class work, fun activities, quizzes, tests and more. Use the entire Other Words For Home calendar, or supplement it with your own curriculum ideas. Calendars cover one, two, four, and eight week units. Determine how long your Other Words For Home unit will be, then use one of the calendars provided to plan out your entire lesson.

Chapter Abstracts

Chapter abstracts are short descriptions of events that occur in each chapter of Other Words For Home . They highlight major plot events and detail the important relationships and characteristics of important characters. The Chapter Abstracts can be used to review what the students have read, or to prepare the students for what they will read. Hand the abstracts out in class as a study guide, or use them as a "key" for a class discussion. They are relatively brief, but can serve to be an excellent refresher of Other Words For Home for either a student or teacher.

Character and Object Descriptions

Character and Object Descriptions provide descriptions of the significant characters as well as objects and places in Other Words For Home . These can be printed out and used as an individual study guide for students, a "key" for leading a class discussion, a summary review prior to exams, or a refresher for an educator. The character and object descriptions are also used in some of the quizzes and tests in this lesson plan. The longest descriptions run about 200 words. They become shorter as the importance of the character or object declines.

Daily Lessons

This section of the lesson plan contains 30 Daily Lessons. Daily Lessons each have a specific objective and offer at least three (often more) ways to teach that objective. Lessons include classroom discussions, group and partner activities, in-class handouts, individual writing assignments, at least one homework assignment, class participation exercises and other ways to teach students about Other Words For Home in a classroom setting. You can combine daily lessons or use the ideas within them to create your own unique curriculum. They vary greatly from day to day and offer an array of creative ideas that provide many options for an educator.

Fun Classroom Activities

Fun Classroom Activities differ from Daily Lessons because they make "fun" a priority. The 20 enjoyable, interactive classroom activities that are included will help students understand Other Words For Home in fun and entertaining ways. Fun Classroom Activities include group projects, games, critical thinking activities, brainstorming sessions, writing poems, drawing or sketching, and countless other creative exercises. Many of the activities encourage students to interact with each other, be creative and think "outside of the box," and ultimately grasp key concepts from the text by "doing" rather than simply studying. Fun activities are a great way to keep students interested and engaged while still providing a deeper understanding of Other Words For Home and its themes.

Essay Questions/Writing Assignments

These 20 Essay Questions/Writing Assignments can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment on Other Words For Home . Students should have a full understanding of the unit material in order to answer these questions. They often include multiple parts of the work and ask for a thorough analysis of the overall text. They nearly always require a substantial response. Essay responses are typically expected to be one (or more) page(s) and consist of multiple paragraphs, although it is possible to write answers more briefly. These essays are designed to challenge a student's understanding of the broad points in a work, interactions among the characters, and main points and themes of the text. But, they also cover many of the other issues specific to the work and to the world today.

Short Essay Questions

The 60 Short Essay Questions listed in this section require a one to two sentence answer. They ask students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of Other Words For Home by describing what they've read, rather than just recalling it. The short essay questions evaluate not only whether students have read the material, but also how well they understand and can apply it. They require more thought than multiple choice questions, but are shorter than the essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

The 180 Multiple Choice Questions in this lesson plan will test a student's recall and understanding of Other Words For Home . Use these questions for quizzes, homework assignments or tests. The questions are broken out into sections, so they focus on specific chapters within Other Words For Home . This allows you to test and review the book as you proceed through the unit. Typically, there are 5-15 questions per chapter, act or section.

Evaluation Forms

Use the Oral Reading Evaluation Form when students are reading aloud in class. Pass the forms out before you assign reading, so students will know what to expect. You can use the forms to provide general feedback on audibility, pronunciation, articulation, expression and rate of speech. You can use this form to grade students, or simply comment on their progress.

Use the Writing Evaluation Form when you're grading student essays. This will help you establish uniform criteria for grading essays even though students may be writing about different aspects of the material. By following this form you will be able to evaluate the thesis, organization, supporting arguments, paragraph transitions, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. of each student's essay.

Quizzes/Homework Assignments

The Quizzes/Homework Assignments are worksheets that can be used in a variety of ways. They pull questions from the multiple choice and short essay sections, the character and object descriptions, and the chapter abstracts to create worksheets that can be used for pop quizzes, in-class assignments and homework. Periodic homework assignments and quizzes are a great way to encourage students to stay on top of their assigned reading. They can also help you determine which concepts and ideas your class grasps and which they need more guidance on. By pulling from the different sections of the lesson plan, quizzes and homework assignments offer a comprehensive review of Other Words For Home in manageable increments that are less substantial than a full blown test.

Use the Test Summary page to determine which pre-made test is most relevant to your students' learning styles. This lesson plan provides both full unit tests and mid-unit tests. You can choose from several tests that include differing combinations of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, short essay questions, full essay questions, character and object matching, etc. Some of the tests are designed to be more difficult than others. Some have essay questions, while others are limited to short-response questions, like multiple choice, matching and short answer questions. If you don't find the combination of questions that best suits your class, you can also create your own test on Other Words For Home .

Create Your Own Quiz or Test

You have the option to Create Your Own Quiz or Test. If you want to integrate questions you've developed for your curriculum with the questions in this lesson plan, or you simply want to create a unique test or quiz from the questions this lesson plan offers, it's easy to do. Cut and paste the information from the Create Your Own Quiz or Test page into a Word document to get started. Scroll through the sections of the lesson plan that most interest you and cut and paste the exact questions you want to use into your new, personalized Other Words For Home lesson plan.

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Synonyms of essay

• as in article
• as in attempt
• as in to attempt
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Thesaurus Definition of essay

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dissertation
• composition
• prolegomenon
• undertaking
• trial and error
• experimentation

Thesaurus Definition of essay  (Entry 2 of 2)

• have a go at
• try one's hand (at)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb essay differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of essay are attempt , endeavor , strive , and try . While all these words mean "to make an effort to accomplish an end," essay implies difficulty but also suggests tentative trying or experimenting.

When might attempt be a better fit than essay ?

While the synonyms attempt and essay are close in meaning, attempt stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort.

Where would endeavor be a reasonable alternative to essay ?

Although the words endeavor and essay have much in common, endeavor heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty.

When is strive a more appropriate choice than essay ?

While in some cases nearly identical to essay , strive implies great exertion against great difficulty and specifically suggests persistent effort.

How do try and attempt relate to one another, in the sense of essay ?

Try is often close to attempt but may stress effort or experiment made in the hope of testing or proving something.

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You'll know the difference if you give it the old college essay

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“Essay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/essay. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.

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My Home Essay

500 words on my home essay.

A home is a place that gives comfort to everyone. It is because a home is filled with love and life. Much like every lucky person, I also have a home and a loving family. Through My Home Essay, I will take you through what my home is like and how much it means to me.

A Place I Call Home

My home is situated in the city. It is not too big nor too small, just the perfect size. My family lives in the home. It comprises of my father, mother, sister and grandparents. We live in our ancestral home so my home is very vintage.

It is very old but remains to be super strong. There are six rooms in my home. Each family member has a unique room which they have decorated as per their liking. For instance, my elder sister is a big fan of music, so her walls are filled with posters of musicians like BTS, RM, and more.

Our drawing room is a large one with a high ceiling. We still use the vintage sofa set which my grandmother got as a wedding gift. Similarly, there is a vintage TV and radio which she uses till date.

Adjoining the drawing room is my bedroom. It is my favourite room because it contains everything that I love. I have a pet guinea pig which lives in a cage in my room. We also have a storeroom which is filled with things we don’t use but also cannot discard.

Our lawn in front of the house has a little garden. In that garden , my mother is growing her own kitchen garden. She is passionate about it and brings different seeds every month to grow them out and use them in our food.

The fondest memories I have in a place is my terrace. Our terrace is huge with many plants. I remember all the good times we have spent there as a family. Moreover, we play there a lot when my cousins come over. Thus, every nook and corner of my home is special to me.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Appreciation Towards My Home

I know a lot of people who do not have homes or not as big as mine. It makes me more grateful and appreciates my home more. Not everyone gets the fortune to have a good home and a loving family, but luckily, I have been blessed with both.

I am thankful for my home because when I grow up, I can look back at the wonderful memories I made here. The walk down the memory lane will be a sweet one because of the safety and security my home has given me. It is indeed an ideal home.

Conclusion of My Home Essay

My home is important to me because for better or worse, it helps me belong. It makes me understand my place in time and connect with the world and the universe at large. Thus, I am grateful to have a place I can call home.

FAQ on My Home Essay

Question 1: What is the importance of a home?

Answer 1: Home offers us security, belonging and privacy in addition to other essential things. Most importantly, it gives us a place with a centring where we leave every morning and long to return every night .

Question 2: Why is home important to a family?

Answer 2: A home signifies a lot more than a house. It is because we find comfort in our home as it contains memories and a place where our bonds strengthen. It is where we get plenty of benefits.

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Other Words for Home

63 pages • 2 hours read

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Part 2 Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 2: “arriving”, part 2, poems 1-8 summary.

On the long plane ride to Cincinnati, Ohio, Jude is amazed at how “tiny / and far away” everything appears out the window (61). No one hears her reaction of surprise to this first sight of America.

On arrival at the airport, Mama and Jude wait in a long line for Immigration. A kind man asks many questions in English when it is their turn at the booth. Jude knows it is up to her to answer since she knows at least some English, but the practice phrases she and Fatima used at home do not help her now. Mama gives the man documents; after he studies them, he asks Jude if they have come to visit her uncle. She tells him yes: “One word in English, but it seems to be enough” (65). Mama says they are lucky as they continue through the airport to meet her brother. Jude understands but still feels sad to be so far from home.

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For the sake of all of us, Sonia Sotomayor needs to retire from the US supreme court

She’s been described as the ‘conscience of the supreme court’. That’s why it pains me to write this

F orget Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It is Sonia Sotomayor who is the greatest liberal to sit on the supreme court in my adult lifetime. The first Latina to hold the position of justice, she has blazed a relentlessly progressive trail on the highest bench in the land.

Whether it was her lone dissent in a North Carolina voting rights case in 2016 (“the court’s conclusion … is a fiction”); her ingenious referencing of Ta-Nehisi Coates, James Baldwin and WEB DuBois in another 2016 dissent over unreasonable searches and seizures; or her withering observation at the Dobbs oral argument in 2021 (“Will this institution survive the stench that this creates in the public perception that the constitution and its reading are just political acts?”), Sotomayor has stood head and shoulders above both her liberal and conservative colleagues on the bench for the past 15 years.

And so it is with good reason that she has been called the “conscience of the supreme court” ( the Nation ), “the truth teller of the supreme court” ( New York Times ) and “the real liberal queen of the court” ( Above the Law ).

I happen to agree 100% with all of those descriptions. But – and it pains me to write these words – I also believe it is time for Sotomayor to retire.

Okay, now it is time to remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg. To recall how RBG, who had survived two bouts of cancer, refused to quit the court despite calls to do so from leading liberals during Barack Obama’s second term office. To hark back to her insistence, in multiple interviews, that it was “ misguided ” to insist she retire and that she would only stand down “ when it’s time ”. To recollect how, on her deathbed in 2020, she told her granddaughter that her “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed” – and how it made no difference whatsoever! Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett as RBG’s replacement just eight days after her death, and Senate Republicans confirmed Barrett to RBG’s vacant seat just eight days before election day.

With Joe Biden trailing Trump in several swing states and Democrats also in danger of losing their razor-thin majority in the Senate, are we really prepared for history to repeat itself? Sotomayor will turn 70 in June. Of course, only Sotomayor knows the full status of her health, still it is public knowledge that she has had type 1 diabetes since she was seven ; had paramedics called to her home ; and is the only sitting justice to have, reportedly , traveled with a medic. To be clear: she could easily – and God willing – survive a potential Trump second term and still be dishing out dissents from the bench come 2029.

But why take that risk? Why not retire now? Why not quit the bench at the same age that justices in Belgium, Australia and Japan are forced to do so?

Let’s deal with the three most obvious objections.

First, wouldn’t a replacement for Sotomayor that Senator Joe Manchin has to approve be less progressive, and more centrist, than our sole Latina, super-progressive justice? Perhaps. But, again, consider the alternative. Would we rather Biden replace Sotomayor with a centrist in 2024 … or Trump replace her with a far-right Federalist Society goon in 2025? Or, what if Trump doesn’t win but the Republican party takes control of the Senate and blocks a second-term Biden from replacing her between 2025 and 2028?

Second, is there really any difference between a 6-3 conservative majority on the court and a 7-2 majority? Isn’t all lost already? Not quite. The damage to our democracy from a 7-2 hard-right court would be on a whole other and existential level. Yes, 6-3 has been a disaster for our progressive priorities ( Dobbs! Bruen! Kennedy! ) but there have also been a handful of key 5-4 victories ( Redistricting ! Razor wire at the border ! Ghost guns !) in cases where Roberts plus one other conservative have come over from the dark side. None of that happens in a 7-2 court. The hard-right conservatives win not just most of the time but every single time.

Third, how can anyone on the left dare ask the first, and only, Latina justice to quit the supreme court?

It’s simple. Women in general, and Latinas especially, will suffer most from a 7-2 supreme court. It is because I am so worried about the future of minority rights in this country that I – reluctantly – want Sotomayor to step aside.

This has nothing to do with her race or her gender. Forget RBG (again). Consider Stephen Breyer. You remember Breyer, right? The bookish and bespectacled liberal justice who quit the supreme court in 2022, at the age of 83, in part because of an intense pressure campaign from the left.

The fact that he was a white man didn’t shield him from criticism – or from calls for him to stand down. In 2021, the progressive group Demand Justice sent a billboard truck to circle the supreme court building with the message: “ Breyer, retire .” I joined in, too. “Retire, retire, retire,” I said in a monologue for my Peacock show in 2021. “Or history may end up judging you, Justice Breyer.”

So why is it okay to pressure Breyer to retire but not Sotomayor? This time round, Demand Justice isn’t taking a position on whether an older liberal justice should quit while a Democratic president and Senate can still replace them and, as HuffPost reports, “on the left, there is little open debate about whether she should retire.”

Democrats, it seems, still don’t seem keen on wielding power or influence over the highest court in the nation. In 2013, Barack Obama met with RBG for lunch and tried to nudge her into retiring, but as the New York Times later reported, Obama “did not directly bring up the subject of retirement to Justice Ginsburg”.

Compare and contrast with Donald Trump. The finance journalist David Enrich, in his book Dark Towers, reveals how the Trump family carried out a “ coordinated White House charm offensive ” to persuade Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire in 2018. Trump himself, according to Vanity Fair , “worked for months to assure Kennedy his legacy would be in good hands”.

The offensive was a success. Out went self-styled moderate Kennedy, in came the hard-right political operative Brett Kavanaugh.

If there is to be a change to the supreme court in 2024, Biden and the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, have only a few months left to make it happen. And yet they don’t seem too bothered about Sotomayor’s age or health. Last week, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, called it “a personal decision for her to make”.

A personal decision? The prospect of a 7-2 conservative supreme court, with a far-right Federalist Soceity apparatchik having taken “liberal queen” Sotomayor’s seat on the bench, should fill us all with dread.

Biden, elected Democrats , and liberals and progressives across the board should be both publicly and privately encouraging Sotomayor to consider what she wants her legacy to be, to remember what happened with RBG, and to not take any kind of gamble with the future of our democracy.

If insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results, then I’m sorry but a liberal supreme court justice about to enter her 70s and refusing to retire on a Democratic president and Democratic Senate’s watch is nothing short of insane.

Mehdi Hasan is the CEO and editor-in-chief of Zeteo

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Mental health care is hard to find, especially for people with Medicare or Medicaid

Rhitu Chatterjee

With rates of suicide and opioid deaths rising in the past decade and children's mental health declared a national emergency , the United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis. But access to mental health care for a significant portion of Americans — including some of the most vulnerable populations — is extremely limited, according to a new government report released Wednesday.

The report, from the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General, finds that Medicare and Medicaid have a dire shortage of mental health care providers.

The report looked at 20 counties with people on Medicaid, traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which together serve more than 130 million enrollees — more than 40% of the U.S. population, says Meridith Seife , the deputy regional inspector general and the lead author of the report.

Medicaid serves people on low incomes, and Medicare is mainly for people 65 years or older and those who are younger with chronic disabilities.

The report found fewer than five active mental health care providers for every 1,000 enrollees. On average, Medicare Advantage has 4.7 providers per 1,000 enrollees, whereas traditional Medicare has 2.9 providers and Medicaid has 3.1 providers for the same number of enrollees. Some counties fare even worse, with not even a single provider for every 1,000 enrollees.

"When you have so few providers available to see this many enrollees, patients start running into significant problems finding care," says Seife.

The findings are especially troubling given the level of need for mental health care in this population, she says.

"On Medicare, you have 1 in 4 Medicare enrollees who are living with a mental illness," she says. "Yet less than half of those people are receiving treatment."

Among people on Medicaid, 1 in 3 have a mental illness, and 1 in 5 have a substance use disorder. "So the need is tremendous."

The results are "scary" but "not very surprising," says Deborah Steinberg , senior health policy attorney at the nonprofit Legal Action Center. "We know that people in Medicare and Medicaid are often underserved populations, and this is especially true for mental health and substance use disorder care."

Among those individuals able to find and connect with a provider, many see their provider several times a year, according to the report. And many have to drive a long way for their appointments.

"We have roughly 1 in 4 patients that had to travel more than an hour to their appointments, and 1 in 10 had to travel more than an hour and a half each way," notes Seife. Some patients traveled two hours each way for mental health care, she says.

Mental illnesses and substance use disorders are chronic conditions that people need ongoing care for, says Steinberg. "And when they have to travel an hour, more than an hour, for an appointment throughout the year, that becomes unreasonable. It becomes untenable."

"We know that behavioral health workforce shortages are widespread," says Heather Saunders , a senior research manager on the Medicaid team at KFF, the health policy research organization. "This is across all payers, all populations, with about half of the U.S. population living in a workforce shortage."

But as the report found, that's not the whole story for Medicare and Medicaid. Only about a third of mental health care providers in the counties studied see Medicare and Medicaid patients. That means a majority of the workforce doesn't participate in these programs.

This has been well documented in Medicaid, notes Saunders. "Only a fraction" of providers in provider directories see Medicaid patients, she says. "And when they do see Medicaid patients, they often only see a few."

Lower reimbursement rates and a high administrative burden prevent more providers from participating in Medicaid and Medicare, the report notes.

"In the Medicare program, they set a physician fee rate," explains Steinberg. "Then for certain providers, which includes clinical social workers, mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists, they get reimbursed at 75% of that rate."

Medicaid reimbursements for psychiatric services are even lower when compared with Medicare , says Ellen Weber , senior vice president for health initiatives at the Legal Action Center.

"They're baking in those discriminatory standards when they are setting those rates," says Steinberg.

The new report recommends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) take steps to increase payments to providers and lower administrative requirements. In a statement, CMS said it has responded to those recommendations within the report.

According to research by Saunders and her colleagues at KFF, many states have already started to take action on these fronts to improve participation in Medicaid.

Several have upped their payments to mental health providers. "But the scale of those increases ranged widely across states," says Saunders, "with some states limiting the increase to one provider type or one type of service, but other states having rate increases that were more across the board."

Some states have also tried to simplify and streamline paperwork, she adds. "Making it less complex, making it easier to understand," says Saunders.

But it's too soon to know whether those efforts have made a significant impact on improving access to providers.

CMS has also taken steps to address provider shortages, says Steinberg.

"CMS has tried to increase some of the reimbursement rates without actually fixing that structural problem," says Steinberg. "Trying to add a little bit here and there, but it's not enough, especially when they're only adding a percent to the total rate. It's a really small increase."

The agency has also started covering treatments and providers it didn't use to cover before.

"In 2020, Medicare started covering opioid treatment programs, which is where a lot of folks can go to get medications for their substance use disorder," says Steinberg.

And starting this year, Medicare also covers "mental health counselors, which includes addiction counselors, as well as marriage and family therapists," she adds.

While noteworthy and important, a lot more needs to be done, says Steinberg. "For example, in the substance use disorder space, a lot of addiction counselors do not have a master's degree. And that's one of their requirements to be a counselor in the Medicare program right now."

Removing those stringent requirements and adding other kinds of providers, like peer support specialists, is key to improving access. And the cost of not accessing care is high, she adds.

"Over the past two decades, [in] the older adult population, the number of overdose deaths has increased fourfold — quadrupled," says Steinberg. "So this is affecting people. It is causing deaths. It is causing people to go to the hospital. It increases [health care] costs."

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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New York Takes Crucial Step Toward Making Congestion Pricing a Reality

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority voted to approve a new $15 toll to drive into Manhattan. The plan still faces challenges from six lawsuits before it can begin in June.

By Winnie Hu and Ana Ley

New York City completed a crucial final step on Wednesday in a decades-long effort to become the first American city to roll out a comprehensive congestion pricing program, one that aims to push motorists out of their cars and onto mass transit by charging new tolls to drive into Midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The program could start as early as mid-June after the board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that will install and manage the program, voted 11-to-1 to approve the final tolling rates, which will charge most passenger cars $15 a day to enter at 60th Street and below in Manhattan. The program is expected to reduce traffic and raise $1 billion annually for public transit improvements.

It was a historic moment for New York’s leaders and transportation advocates after decades of failed attempts to advance congestion pricing even as other gridlocked cities around the world, including London, Stockholm and Singapore, proved that similar programs could reduce traffic and pollution.

While other American cities have introduced related concepts by establishing toll roads or closing streets to traffic, the plan in New York is unmatched in ambition and scale.

Congestion pricing is expected to reduce the number of vehicles that enter Lower Manhattan by about 17 percent, according to a November study by an advisory committee reporting to the M.T.A. The report also said that the total number of miles driven in 28 counties across the region would be reduced.

“This was the right thing to do,” Janno Lieber, the authority’s chairman and chief executive, said after the vote. “New York has more traffic than any place in the United States, and now we’re doing something about it.”

Congestion pricing has long been a hard sell in New York, where many people commute by car from the boroughs outside of Manhattan and the suburbs, in part because some of them do not have access to public transit.

New York State legislators finally approved congestion pricing in 2019 after Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo helped push it through. A series of recent breakdowns in the city’s subway system had underscored the need for billions of dollars to update its aging infrastructure.

It has taken another five years to reach the starting line. Before the tolling program can begin, it must be reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected to approve it.

Congestion pricing also faces legal challenges from six lawsuits that have been brought by elected officials and residents from across the New York region. Opponents have increasingly mobilized against the program in recent months, citing the cost of the tolls and the potential environmental effects from shifting traffic and pollution to other areas as drivers avoid the tolls.

A court hearing is scheduled for April 3 and 4 on a lawsuit brought by the State of New Jersey, which is seen as the most serious legal challenge. The mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., Mark J. Sokolich, has filed a related lawsuit.

Four more lawsuits have been brought in New York: by Ed Day, the Rockland County executive; by Vito Fossella, the Staten Island borough president, and the United Federation of Teachers; and by two separate groups of city residents.

Amid the litigation, M.T.A. officials have suspended some capital construction projects that were to be paid for by the program, and they said at a committee meeting on Monday that crucial work to modernize subway signals on the A and C lines had been delayed.

Nearly all the toll readers have been installed, and will automatically charge drivers for entering the designated congestion zone at 60th Street or below. There is no toll for leaving the zone or driving around in it. Through traffic on Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the West Side Highway will not be tolled.

Under the final tolling structure, which was based on recommendations by the advisory panel, most passenger vehicles will be charged $15 a day from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. The toll will be $24 for small trucks and charter buses, and will rise to $36 for large trucks and tour buses. It will be $7.50 for motorcycles.

Those tolls will be discounted by 75 percent at night, dropping the cost for a passenger vehicle to $3.75.

Fares will go up by $1.25 for taxis and black car services, and by $2.50 for Uber and Lyft. Passengers will be responsible for paying the new fees, and they will be added to every ride that begins, ends or occurs within the congestion zone. There will be no nighttime discounts. (The new fees come on top of an existing congestion surcharge that was imposed on for-hire vehicles in 2019.)

The tolls will mostly be collected using the E-ZPass system. Electronic detection points have been placed at entrances and exits to the tolling zone. Drivers who do not use an E-ZPass will pay significantly higher fees — for instance, $22.50 instead of $15 during peak hours for passenger vehicles.

Emergency vehicles like fire trucks, ambulances and police cars, as well as vehicles carrying people with disabilities, were exempted from the new tolls under the state’s congestion pricing legislation .

As for discounts, low-income drivers who make less than $50,000 annually can apply to receive half off the daytime toll after their first 10 trips in a calendar month. In addition, low-income residents of the congestion zone who make less than $60,000 a year can apply for a state tax credit.

All drivers entering the zone directly from four tolled tunnels — the Lincoln, Holland, Hugh L. Carey and Queens-Midtown — will receive a “crossing credit” that will be applied against the daytime toll. The credit will be $5 round-trip for passenger vehicles, $12 for small trucks and intercity and charter buses, $20 for large trucks and tour buses, and $2.50 for motorcycles. No credits will be offered at night.

Grace Ashford contributed reporting.

Winnie Hu is a Times reporter covering the people and neighborhoods of New York City. More about Winnie Hu

Ana Ley is a Times reporter covering New York City’s mass transit system and the millions of passengers who use it. More about Ana Ley