Number the Stars
Important Info!
You can work
individually, with a partner or in a small group of three or four. No group can
have more than four students working together. You will have three class
sessions where you will be given time to work on this project. Come prepared
with the materials and information to use the time productively.
End of Book Projects
Graphic Novel - Draw a picture for each of the 17
chapters in Number the Stars. In each panel, show what you consider to be the
main event in that chapter. Write a brief caption for each panel that
summarizes the action in your picture. Put each panel on a separate page, and
then bind the pages into a book.
Historical Fiction - Select an event from
the history that occurred the year before you were born. This event should be
an act of real-life heroism or courage. Write a Wikipedia article or create a
PowerPoint about the heroic/courageous act as a writer of historical FICTION
(fiction would change minor details, add fictitious characters, and/or reveal
unknown/fictitious details…) but keep the basic details true to life.
Be a Film Critic - Use
these links to access the films we have watched related to this novel. Assess
how each film enriched your reading, be specific. Explain what you like and/or
didn’t like about the film(s). Use examples from the book and films to explain
to other students how they could use these and similar films to enrich their
reading of Number the Stars. Your explanation can be a typed-written
paper, video or multimedia presentation.
Links
A Study in Courage - Heroism displays itself
in different ways. Think of five characters from Number the Stars who behave heroically.
Explain what each character does that is heroic. Your explanation can be a
typed-written paper, video or multimedia presentation.
Developing a Secret Code - In wartime, secrecy and
code language are vital when conveying important information. Discuss how the
Danes conveyed information to each other in Number the Stars. Then investigate
the code that Navajo soldiers used to outwit the Japanese during WWII. Why was
this code so successful? Create presentation to inform your classmates about
the Navajo Code Talkers.
Living with the Enemy - Imagine that your own
town has been overtaken by a force called the Zinates.
The Zinates’ goal is to eliminate all people who have
blond or brown hair and blue or green eyes. With your group, plan a rescue
operation you might perform to save the targeted victims from annihilation.
Explain your plan to the class. Then discuss you this exercise helped you to
understand the real-life stresses the Danes were facing in WWII.
Facing History, Facing Ourselves – Research Anja
Elizabeth Rosmus. What did she try to do in 1981? What did her
efforts lead to? What evidence can you give that confronting the past has both
positive and negative effects? What effect did her efforts have on her life
goal? Your explanation can be a typed-written paper, video or multimedia
presentation.
Office of Special Investigations – In 1979 the United States government established this office (OSI) in
the Department of Justice to hunt Nazis. Your explanation can be a
typed-written paper, video or multimedia presentation. Inform the class of
OSI’s history, success, Discuss the long-term and short-term consequences of
tracking down (or not tracking down) war criminals.