“Number the Stars” Lesson Plan

A 5th Grade Lesson Plan

Justine Turner

RDG 504

Southern New Hampshire University

Overview

O Students will learn about life during the

Holocaust from primary

sources/videos/reading. They will then read

the book “Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry

and keep a reading journal. Lastly, they will

compare this fictional account of life from the

book to the real facts and have a complete,

clear understanding of what life was like

during the Holocaust. It will total 2-3 weeks of

class time for completion and the will

assessed with both formative and summative

assessments.

Materials Needed

O -Video from TeacherTubehttp://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=95247

O -“Number the Stars” by Lois Lowry

O -Map of Europe worksheet with questions

O -Lined paper and envelope, white paper for letter and picture

O -Primary sources from http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/document/document.htm

O -A binder/notebook for reading journal

O -Poster board/markers for comparison chart

GLEs Addressed

O This project will focus on the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. It will address the following standards for Grade 5 Reading for Informational Text:

O RI.5.1: “Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

O RI.5.2: Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

O RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

O RI.5.5: Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts” (CCSS, 2010).

Essential Questions

O 1. What happened during the Holocaust?

(What was life like? What was Hitler’s

thinking behind this? What happened to

lead up to this event? When did it

happen? Why did it end? What happened

after?)

O 2. How was life different during the

Holocaust than it is now?

Anticipatory Set

O “There are pretty significant examples of hard times during our history, not just in the United States, but in the World. One of the scariest times during our history was the time of Adolf Hitler’s reign and the Holocaust.”

O -give introduction of this time

O -watch Holocaust video fromhttp://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=95247

Procedures: Before Reading

O Complete map of area affected by Holocaust and areas covered in “Number the Stars”

O Look at primary sources given (pictures, journals, etc.) and use cues to get an idea of life during this time

O Prepare a letter to a friend and explain life during this time (fears, sights, etc.) and draw picture to accompany letter

O Get copy of the book once these are complete

Procedures: During Reading

O Key Three Comprehension journal

O One entry for each chapter(s) assigned

during reading

O Complete first one for them, then complete

one together as a class, and lastly read the

chapter together and complete in groups

(gradual release of responsibility)

Procedures: After Reading

O Compare/contrast chart

comparing/contrasting differences

between fictional account from book and

real accounts from sources

O Choose 10 comparisons, make a poster

board with these comparisons and

prepare a presentation for the class.

Closure

O Students will present their comparisons in

3-5 minute long presentation to class

accompanied by poster.

O Small group discussion of learning and

completion of reflection worksheet.

O Larger class discussion of learning, make

class poster of comparisons to be

displayed in class.

Assessments

O Students will be graded using formative

and summative assessments. Rubrics

provided.

O Formative assessment- Key Three

Comprehension Journal

O Summative assessment-

Compare/contrast chart, poster, and

presentation-

Differentiation

O This project offers students multiple ways of showing their learning, and allows for creativity in their final projects by incorporating the arts into their projects.

O Use of different resources for learning (more videos/pictures, less difficult text, etc).

O Half-way completed journal entries/charts for easier understanding.

O Discussion and use of compare/contrast chart for assessment instead of presentation.

References

O BJankoski. (2009). Holocaust movie. Retrieved from

O http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=95247

O CCSS. (2010). Common Core State Standards. Retrieved from

O http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf

O Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (2005). A teacher’s guide to the Holocaust.

O Retrieved from http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/resource/document/document.htm

O Lowry, L. (1998). Number the Stars. Laurel Leaf. New York.