Number the StarsBy Lois Lowry

WebQuest

by Sunny Thornton Click to Enter

OverviewCongratulations! You have been selected as a very smart fourth

grader to work on a mission so important that when you complete it, you will be an EXPERT on Lois Lowry’s novel,

Number the Stars.

In this mission, you will be asked to follow a series of web links and complete a series of projects. You are going to explore vocabulary used in the novel, the various places in Europe where the book takes place, information on the Holocaust and World War II, and even the Star of David and what it means to Judaism.

Are you prepared to begin?

Yes! Sign me up!

No, thanks.

Directions• Follow all directions and all steps on each page.• When you have completed a section, go back home and

move on to the next section.• Some sections will ask you to write in your Number the

Starts (NTS) Notebook. The directions will be written in green. This notebook will be your assessment and will be due upon completion of the WebQuest.

Remember: All underlined words can be clicked on and will take you to another step or page. If a picture asks you to click, then it will also take you to another step or page.

Table of Contents

1. Number the Stars Notebook2. Information Page3. Key Vocabulary4. Map Skills5. Country Exploration6. The Holocaust and World War II7. The Star of David8. Compare the Rosens to the Johansens9. Freedom10. Additional Children’s Books about the Holocaust11. Additional Resources for Teachers12. References

You thought you would be

funny, didn’t you?

I’m ready and excited!!

Information PageIn your NTS Notebook, make your first page an information

page that includes the following information about Number the Stars:

Title:Author:Publisher:Published Date:Number of Pages: Number of Chapters:Awards:

Key Vocabulary

-Click on each link to view the vocabulary from each chapter group.

Chapters 1-4Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12Chapters 13-16

Chapters 1-4 Vocabulary

Nazi – Member of the German Party

Kroner – Money used in Denmark and Sweden

Halte – Stop

Occupation – Taking control of an area

Rabbi – Jewish religious leader

Rationed – Controlled amount one can use

To Key Vocabulary

Write these vocabulary words and definitions in your NTS Notebook.

Chapters 5-8 Vocabulary

Star of David – Symbol of Judaism

Exasperation – Frustrated annoyance

Specter – A haunting or disturbing image; a phantom

Tentatively – Not for certain or permanent

To Key Vocabulary

Write these vocabulary words and definitions in your NTS Notebook.

Chapters 9-12 Vocabulary

Mourning – A feeling of grief or sadness

Typhus – A severe infectious disease

Surge – Flood or spill over

Staccato – Hesitating

To Key Vocabulary

Write these vocabulary words and definitions in your NTS Notebook.

Chapters 13-16 Vocabulary

Stricken – Troubled with sorrow

Donned – To dress oneself

Contempt – The state of despising

Tantalize – To tease or torment by keeping out of reach

To Key Vocabulary

Write these vocabulary words and definitions in your NTS Notebook.

Map Skills

It is important to know where Number the Stars takes place so that when you read you will have some background knowledge on the setting of the story.

Explore the map and search for the following: the Baltic Sea, Belgium, Copenhagen, Denmark, France, Holland, the North Sea, Norway, and Sweden.

Click to view the map.

Once you have finished exploring the map, continue on

to the next page.

Country ExplorationClick on each link to learn about the

countries in which Number the Stars took place:

Denmark

Sweden

Germany

In your NTS Notebook, make a page for each country and include:

-Name of country -Picture of the flag-Type of government-Languages spoken-At least two things you found interesting

The Holocaust and WWII

Click on the link below to learn more about the Holocaust and why Ellen had to pretend to be

Annemarie’s sister.

The Holocaust, Hitler, and World War II

In your NTS Notebook, write the questions and answers to the following questions:

1. In what year did Adolf Hitler’s ride to power begin?2. In what year did Hitler gain complete control of Germany under the Nazi Party?3. What were Jews ordered to wear?4. Where were Jews forced to live?5. How many Jews were killed by the end of the war?

The Star of David

The Star of David had to be worn by all Jews. Find out what it means and more

about it by clicking here:

Click on the star

In your NTS Notebook, draw a picture of the Star of David and write about it. What is it? Why were the Jews forced to wear it?

Compare the Rosens to the Johansens

Rosens Johansens

Copy this Venn Diagram into your NTS Notebook and complete it.

Freedom

Click on the books below to explore the definition of freedom:

1. Freedom 2. Freedom

In your NTS Notebook:

-Write your own definition of freedom. What does it mean to you?

-Write down 5 freedoms that you now enjoy.

-Write a paragraph about how you would feel if those freedoms were suddenly taken away from you.

Number the Stars Notebook-In your notebook, you will be asked to record various information from the WebQuest

and from class discussions. -At the end of your WebQuest, you will turn in your notebook to be graded.

CATEGORY Unsatisfactory 1 Satisfactory 2 Excellent 3

Information Page 0-4 filled out correctly in notebook 5-6 filled out coreectly in notebook 7 filled out correctly in notebook

Chapters 1-4 Vocabulary No vocabulary written Some vocabulary written All vocabulary written

Chapters 5-8 Vocabulary No vocabulary written Some vocabulary written All vocabulary written

Chapters 9-12 Vocabulary No vocabulary written Some vocabulary written All vocabulary written

Chapters 13-16 Vocabulary No vocabulary written Some vocabulary written All vocabulary written

Denmark Not all of the information requested is provided

Some information requested is provided or all information requested is required with mistakes

All information requested is provided with no mistakes

Sweden Not all of the information requested is provided

Some information requested is provided or all information requested is required with mistakes

All information requested is provided with no mistakes

Germany Not all of the information requested is provided

Some information requested is provided or all information requested is required with mistakes

All information requested is provided with no mistakes

Holocaust and WWII Questions 0-2 questions answered correctly 3-4 questions answered correctly 5 questions answered correctly

Star of David No picture or little to no paragraph A picture is provided along with a 2-3 sentence paragraph of correct information

A picture is provided along with a 5 or more sentence solid paragraph of correct information

Venn Diagram Not filled out/ not filled out correclty Few statements compared and contrasted

Well organized and well thought out statements compared and contrasted

Freedom Little to no self-made definition of freedom, 1-2 freedoms enjoyed, little to no paragraph about freedoms being taken away

A self-made definition of freedom, 3-5 freedoms enjoyed, a 2-3 sentence pararaph about freedoms being taken away

A correct, self-made definition of freedom, 5 freedoms enjoyed, a solid 4-5 or more sentence paragraph about freedoms being taken away

ReferencesCraney (2007). Mr. Craney’s Home Page. Retrieved

October 1, 2007. Web site: http://teachers.plainfield.k12.in.us/jcraney/default.htm

Cornish, J.(2003). Elementary Themes. Retrieved October 2, 2007. Web site: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/number_the_stars.htm

Pearson Education (2007).Fact Monster. Retrieved October 1, 2007. Web site: http://www.factmonster.com/

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved October 3, 2007. Web site: http://www.ushmm.org/

Yellow Badge. Retrieved October 2, 2007. Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_badge

Additional Children’sBooks about the

Holocaust

Additional Resources for Teachers

-Number the Stars Lesson Plans

-Teaching Guide to the Holocaust

-Teaching About the Holocaust

Additional Children’s Books about the Holocaust

• No Pretty Pictures by Anita Lobel This book is a memoir of the years the author, brother and nanny spent eluding the

Nazis in Poland. It also covers their capture and internment in a concentration camp. The author tries to come to terms with having to pretend to be Christians to survive and how difficult it was to get back to normal when they were reunited with their family at the end of the war.

• Clara's War by Kathy Kacer The Jews captured and deported from Denmark were sent to a ghetto in Terezin,

Czechoslovakia. This novel is set in this ghetto and tells the story of how children made the most of their situation in order to survive.

• Hide and Seek by Ida Vos This novel tells the story of the experiences of an eight year Jewish girl and her

sister during the occupation of Holland by the Nazis. After moving to escape capture, the family is separated and the children wonder if they will ever see each other or their parents again.

• Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl and Marion Lazan Many Jewish children ended up in ghettos from which they were transported to

various concentration camps and some to their last days on earth in death camps. This is the story of a girl who experienced, and because of the liberation by the Allies, survived one of these camps.

• Jacob's Rescue by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin Many Jewish children escaped being arrested by the Nazis by hiding with Christian

families. This novel covers one of these children and the family that saved him.