Number the Stars - Tanya Beers

Tanya Beers

IST571: Children's Literature Lit Kit

Book: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Lesson Plan and Selling Tool:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A7vZQbwjRk5kKy5fs7htbe073SJU75IUiT5Zac6AqpE/edit 

Tanya Beers

IST 571: Children’s Literature

Share Blog Post – Week 8

Title: Number the Stars

Author: Lois Lowry

Lexile Level: 670L

Age Range:  10 to 12 years

Grade Level: 5th – 7th grade

ISBN #: 0547577095

*This book was banned in some areas due to the depiction of violence and the Holocaust.

Number the Stars is about two little girls who live in Denmark during WWII. Annemarie is 
Danish and her best friend, Ellen, is Jewish. Both girls are ten years old in 1940 during the 
start of the war and are very much innocent at first of what is slowly and systematically 
happening to the Jewish people who live around them, until the Nazi’s knock on their door. 
This story is about being brave when you are terrified and putting the needs of others before 
yourself. Ordinary people do incredibly brave things to combat evil and save lives. Would you 
be brave in the face of fear for the love of another?

Lesson for 6th graders:

I will be given a lesson highlighting the main aspects of World War II the Holocaust through 
a PowerPoint presentation.Students will read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. They will 
write a two-page paper comparing the main characters’ plight to that of real Jewish people 
during WWII. Students will also answer the following questions in their paper: “What does 
it mean to be brave? What is it about the characters’ behavior in Number the Stars that you 
think makes them brave people? Was there a time in your life that you put someone else 
before yourself? How did you accomplish that?

Learning Standards:

Common Core ELA Writing Standards for Grades 6–12 (Grade 6):

6.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.

b. Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and 
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

6.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, 
and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

a. Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as 
definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting 
(e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding 
comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
 information and examples.

c. Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or 
explanation presented.

Common Core ELA Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12 (Grade 6):

6.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary 
specific to domains related to history/social studies.

6.9. Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.

Learning Goal:

Students will apply the PowerPoint lesson and the reading to write their assignment about 
the Holocaust and its victims.

 

Learning Objectives:

1. Students will apply history to their own lives today by identifying with human real-life issues 
through reading Number the Stars, the PowerPoint lesson, and their written assignment about 
the Holocaust (Affective).

2. Through reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and analyzing and writing about the 
Holocaust and how it affected the victims, students will discover how an average person can 
be brave in the most difficult circumstances, even impossible ones, no matter what time period. 
(Cognitive and Psychomotor)

Learning Outcome:

Students will have an appreciation for what victims of the holocaust and their protectors and 
supporters went through during WWII through the PowerPoint lesson. Students will also have 
an appreciation for how that experience shaped those people (showing true bravery amidst 
danger by committing selfless acts for those they loved) and how their example of human 
character can be an inspiring influence on people today.

Works Cited:

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989.

New York State Department of Education. (2011). New York State P-12 Common Core Learning 
Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy. Retrieved from https://www.engageny.org/resource/
new-york-state-p-12-common-core-learning-standards-for-english-language-arts-and-literacy.

Selling Tool: Bookmark.

From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/109423465917258473