GOAL:
To build background for the story, including history and geography
ASSIGNED READING:
Chapter 1
WRITING PROMPT:
Why is Kirsti not afraid of the soldiers?
How would you have felt if you had been Annemarie when the soldiers spoke to her? Why?
ONLINE PROMPT:
Use the Student Comment Form to share ideas and questions about Number the Stars with your online peers.
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Before students begin reading, show them a map of Europe and have them locate Denmark, where Number the Stars takes place. The following web sites have maps of Denmark that show its proximity to Sweden.
Tap students' prior knowledge about World War II and provide any additional information they'll need to understand the story. They don't need a comprehensive understanding of the war to read the book, but they should know when it took place and the role of Hitler and the Nazis. Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in the 1930s. He founded the National Socialist German Workers party, also known as the Nazi party. Members of the Nazi party believed that the German people were superior to all other races, and that the German nation was destined to rule all of Europe. Nazis were also strongly anti-Semitic, meaning that they hated Jewish people.
As Hitler gained power, he began to build up Germany's armed forces. In the late 1930s, Germany began invading and taking over its European neighbors. In 1938, Germany took control of Austria and Czechoslovakia, followed by Poland (1939); Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary (1940); Yugoslavia and Greece (1941). Hitler's forces invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, a move that would finally turn the tide of the war against him when the advance was halted in 1942-43. By early 1945 the Allies (including the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union) invaded Germany. Hitler killed himself in April, and Germany surrendered in early May 1945. At the end of the war, between 15 and 20 million soldiers and 25 million civilians had died. Civilian deaths included 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis in concentration camps.
You may also wish to point out that Number the Stars is an example of historical fiction. This means that the main characters were invented by the author, but that the historical context (WWII) and political figures such as King Christian X are real. Lois Lowry's Afterword gives more information about which parts of the story are fictional and which are real.
Have students read Chapter 1 and write in their reading logs. They may write responses to the Writing Prompt questions, or they may write about whatever they think is most interesting in the chapter. They may also write down questions that they'd like to ask their classmates or you. Students should then meet with their book clubs and discuss their responses.
During community share, ask students to share the most interesting points that came up in their book club discussions. If they have any questions that remain unanswered, invite them to pose these questions to the entire class.
Remind students that they should be thinking about what they'd like to share with their online peers. On this first day of the activity, you might give them some extra time to plan what they'll submit to the Internet conversation. Then send them to the Student Comment Form to type their messages.
Click to go to Lesson 2.
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