Title:  Number the Stars

Author:  Lois Lowry

Number of pages:  148 

Reading level:  5.2 

ISBN#:  0-440-22753-4

Summary

Number the Stars is a historical fiction novel about 10 year old Annemarie Johansen during World War II.  She lives in Denmark with her mother, father and little sister.  The story begins in 1943.  The German soldiers have already occupied Denmark and created a life of misery for the Danish people.  The German Nazis have already begun to relocate the Jews of Denmark.  The Johansen family, who is part of the Danish Resistance, is working hard to help smuggle Jews out of Denmark and over to Sweden where they will be safe.  Annemarie must find the courage within herself to help her Jewish friend, Ellen, escape from the Nazis.

Here is a preview of what the book is about.  This is a great way to introduce the book to the students.

Essential Question: Do difficult times ever justify making immoral/questionable/wrong decisions? 

Links:

BooK Title

Social Studies Standards--History

NCSS Ten Themes--Power, Authority and Governance

Number the Stars_Lesson_Plan

Number the Stars Lesson Plan Media Literacy

Number the Stars Reading Activity

Additional Resources:

This site contains many activities dealing with the holocaust which can be used with students in grades 6-8.

http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/activity/MiddleSc.htm

This site contains questions which can be anwered online or printed, lesson plans, vocabulary and activities. 

http://www.mce.k12tn.net/reading23/number_the_stars.htm

This site is a cybrary of the holocaust.  There is a large amount of information on this site.  It even includes some student work.

http://remember.org/ 

This is a movie put out by Disney which can be viewed after reading the novel, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0157996/amazon 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_at_Midnight

Map of Denmark

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/lgcolor/dkcolor.htm

Additional lesson plans.

http://www.planetbookclub.com/kids/archive/stars.99/starsintro.html

This page was created by Cindy Carey