Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

The first time I read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, I kept thinking... I wonder how many students know what happened during World War II? 

How many even know where Germany is or Europe for that matter? 

Before I even introduced the book to my students, I asked them to locate Germany and Europe on our world map. My expert map student was raising his hand, almost leaping out of his chair and making those familiar "Ooo, ooooo" sounds, we teachers know well. He pointed to Germany and the surrounding countries as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Isn't it great to have an expert in class to help introduce lessons? :)

Then, I asked them to raise their hands if they knew one fact about WWII. One boy said his great grandfather fought during WWII. A girl raised her hand and said that WWII was a big war. Those were the only students who volunteered answers. I was shocked, to say the least. 

It was then I decided to write up a packet of student worksheets for Number the Stars that would include an informational piece about World War II. It was a good way to introduce WWII and even though it wouldn't be a detailed history of the War, it would give my students a "taste" of events and the causes of the War. 

I always try to integrate social studies with my ELA classes so this was perfect!

Lois Lowry's book, Number the Stars, has students walk in Annmarie's and Ellen's shoes as the story unfolds. The setting is Copenhagen, Denmark in 1943, the third year of the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Annmarie and Ellen, who is Jewish, are best friends. The story is how Annmarie's family take Ellen into their home to protect her from the Nazis. The story is filled with facts presented in a way students will relate to themes like friendship, trust, honesty, conflict, and hope. 

It's no wonder this historical fiction book won the Newbery Award, in 1990, as the most distinguished contribution to children's literature and remains popular to this day. 

This is my 69 page packet to accompany the book. It has detailed instructions for pre-readinng, reading and post reading activities. Also included is the nonfiction, informational article to provide students with a better understanding of World War II. 

To read the full description of the book, click on the map. There is also a free preview of the packet of my ready to print student worksheets that can be downloaded.

Ruth

After speaking with many of my former students' parents, over time, it's apparent that students aren't receiving a good base of American history throughout their school years. I noticed the changes in textbooks when I was on the social studies curriculum committee for a number of years. The information in textbooks seemed watered down and lacking in good solid information about our history. I began wondering who was writing the text for the publishers and who makes the decisions about what's included in their textbooks.  That remains a mystery, but one we educators should be asking. I hope you are. 

TEACHERS ARE HEROES

It's that time of year again. 

TeachersPayTeachers is having a sale, today

February 25, 2015

I love the name of the sale

TEACHERS ARE HEROES

Just think about it. Teachers really ARE heroes 

We devote our lives to our students 

We motivate them to reach for the stars  

We inspire them to be the best they can be 

We encourage them to make a difference 

We help them when they don't understand 

We praise them and applaud their accomplishments 

We're sad, when they're sad 

We cry inside when they're hurting 

We encourage them to think creatively 

We applaud their talents 

We listen to them 

We smile and laugh with them 

We cheer when "they get it" 

We set the bar high and are consistent with our expectations 

Our profession is admirable but 

we don't often stop to think about the impact 

we have on our students 

Everything in my store is on sale for you 

THE HEROES

who make a difference 

in students' 

lives.

Give yourself a pat on the back, every morning.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ruth

Click on the image to see my sale. 
Use the promo code HEROES at check out, to receive
another discount!

TEACHERSPAYTEACHERS BACK TO SCHOOL SALE !!!

Hi Everyone! 
 I wanted to let everyone know about the upcoming TeachersPayTeachers Back to School Sale. 

It will be Sunday and Monday! August 18th and 19th!  There will be huge discounts. To get the extra discounts don't forget to use the PROMO CODE on the banner.  BTS13 
Don't forget you can add lessons to your TpT wish list so you'll remember what you like prior to the sale. 

I always look forward to this event because it's a time when we TeachersPayTeachers can share all kinds of lessons with other teachers. TeachersPayTeachers was first started to provide teachers with FREE and affordable lessons and teaching ideas because nowadays many teachers are paying out of their own pockets for materials they need for their classrooms. 

I know myself that when I've purchased from published catalogs those materials, reproducibles and all are expensive and many of the pages I don't even use. 

The materials and lesson plans we share on TpT are classroom tested and work!  

I've been a part of the TeachersPayTeachers family for a number of years and am in awe of the quality lesson plans, book packets and more that are available at very low prices. There is also an abundance of FREE things!

What I really like about it, is I feel I'm helping other teachers save time from having to create everything. Who has the time?  I also love sharing fun educational ideas and lessons with new and experienced teachers. 

With the Common Core Standards, that have now been accepted by most of the states, teachers are looking for lessons they can actually USE in their classrooms. Most of the information about it, given at workshops, isn't what actually is needed to implement the Core. 

I'm sharing some of my links that will help teachers save precious time. Custom Categories on TpT is a fantastic feature so teachers don't have to scroll through pages and pages to find just the right thing they need.  

Here are some of my custom categories if you'd like to browse through any of the materials I offer. 


Back to School  Store: Ruth-S - TeachersPayTeachers.com

COMMON CORE  Store: Ruth-S - TeachersPayTeachers.com Don't forget to turn the pages at the bottom of the page. These are Common Core lessons and other things to prepare students for the Common Core. Many of my Core packets are ready to print student worksheets that can be used with any book or story. 

One of my newest Common Core packets is FREE.  It's an informational text packet about the cheetah. Download this to your Common Core desktop folder and use year to year. Even those teachers, whose states aren't aligned with the Common Core, should download this packet so their students have experience working with nonfiction text. The article is high interest. Kids love animals and this gives them interesting facts about the big cat. After they're finished reading the article and answering the questions, it's fun to have them draw pictures of the cheetah in its environment that can be displayed in the classroom. I have them write one fact at the bottom of the picture they think is the most important. It's interesting to see if some of them draw a picture of a cheetah in a tree because the article states that cheetahs can't climb trees!! :)

COMMON CORE ELA INFORMATIONAL TEXT ARTICLE (CHEETAH) - TeachersPayTeachers.com

Behavior Management Store: Ruth-S - TeachersPayTeachers.com  This is a HUGE concern in many of our classrooms today. I have a FREE behavior reward system that works! Punch/stamp cards are listed in this category and I've had tremendous success using the cards. 

My "Student Report Card for Encouragement" is a little report card that encourages home/school communication in an informal way. Parents love it because it keeps them well informed about their children's progress socially and educationally. 

There are also behavior forms for teachers to use that is more formal and is geared for upper elementary, middle school and secondary teachers. 

Novel Packets and ready to print worksheets are some of my most popular products. The one teachers love the most are my Novel Response Task Cards that can be used with any fiction book. Teachers of grades 4 - 11 have used them with their students. This is taking into account the WIDE range of learners we have in our classes these days. BE SURE to read the comments teachers have made about these cards. :)
NOVEL RESPONSE TASK CARDS - TeachersPayTeachers.com


NOVEL PACKETS  Store: Ruth-S - TeachersPayTeachers.com

There are three pages in this category. Be sure to turn the pages at the bottom of the page. My Number the Stars packet is 69 pages and includes everything needed to teach this novel including websites, and ready to print student worksheets. I love integrating social studies into my ELA classes, so there's an article that provides students with background information they need before they read the book. Also there are two maps, one of Europe and one of Denmark with questions about each. All activities are aligned with the Common Core. 

NUMBER THE STARS BY LOIS LOWRY - TeachersPayTeachers.com

TASK CARDS Store: Ruth-S - TeachersPayTeachers.com  I created task cards that can be used in so many ways. Activities at centers, small groups, independent work, and more. My poetry activity cards encourage reluctant student poets to join in the fun! Each card has an example of the poem with an illustration. I've included the classic poetry forms and humorous  poems. It's fun for students to work together in small groups to write their poems. They collaborate about the types of poems and sometimes write them together. This is a GREAT keepsake if you turn them into a booklet. Parents love them.
POETRY ACTIVITY CARDS - TeachersPayTeachers.com


Another really popular download are my Maniac Magee Task Cards. What a GREAT story this is! Maniac is an example of a bigger than life character who is described as a "legend". This book teaches students valuable lessons about caring, hope and friendship.  There are 100 activities with five per card. These are great to have when students are working on my 32 page Maniac Magee activity packet. 
MANIAC MAGEE ACTIVITY CARDS - TeachersPayTeachers.com

Remember to look for my Vocabulary Detectives Task Cards that are used for weekly contests. Students find the required words/terms  as they read in class then fill out the coupons and put them in the Detective Jar for the weekly drawing!  There are six sets of them that require they find different things in the books.  Figurative language, homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, parts of speech and more! Fun!

I've listed only a few of my Custom Categories here. To see more, look on the left side of my store page and you'll see them all. :)

Wishing everyone the best!  

Have a wonderful new school year!