If you’re looking for Number the Stars teaching ideas, Lois Lowry’s Newbery‑winning novel is an excellent choice for exploring courage, friendship, and the realities of life in Nazi‑occupied Denmark. Students connect deeply with Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen as they navigate fear, danger, and the bravery required to protect the people they love. This post includes anchor charts and writing prompts to support your novel study.
Reading Level
Lexile 670L
Interest Level
Grades 4-8
Length
160 pages
Award
Newbery Medal
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⭐ About the Book
Number the Stars begins in September 1943, when German soldiers occupy Copenhagen. Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen try to act like ordinary schoolgirls, even as they pass soldiers on street corners and hear frightening rumors about Jewish families disappearing. Soon, the danger becomes personal. Jewish‑owned shops close, families flee their homes, and Peter Neilsen, a trusted family friend, warns the Johansens that Ellen’s family must escape before the Germans begin rounding up Jewish citizens.
Ellen’s parents leave first, but Ellen stays behind with Annemarie’s family, pretending to be one of their daughters. Late one night, German soldiers burst into the Johansen apartment. Ellen must hide her Star of David necklace and remain calm as the soldiers question the family. After tense moments, they leave, but the danger is far from over.
The next day, Annemarie’s mother takes the girls to her brother Henrik’s home in Gilleleje, a coastal town where many Jewish families secretly escape to Sweden. Annemarie becomes part of the Resistance effort, helping deliver crucial items, outsmart soldiers, and protect Ellen at every turn. Her bravery grows as she faces terrifying situations, proving that courage often comes from ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
⭐ Book Details
| Publication Date | 1975 |
| Reading Level | Lexile 670L • Scholastic Guided Reading Level U |
| Interest Level | Grades 4–8 |
| Major Awards | 1990 Newbery Medal |
| Length | 160 pages (approx. 24,215 words) |
| Estimated Reading Time | About 1 hour and 36 minutes (at 250 words per minute) |
| Audiobook Length | 2 hours, 45 minutes |
| Genre | Historical fiction • War drama |
| Setting | Copenhagen and Gilleleje, Denmark (1943) |
| Point of View | Third person, limited omniscient |
| Themes | Friendship • Courage • Lies and Deceit • War • Fear • Prejudice |
| Memorable Quote | “Ellen had said that her mother was afraid of the ocean, that it was too cold and too big. The sky was, too, thought Annemarie. The whole world was: too cold, too big. And too cruel.” |
| First Line | “"I'll race you to the corner, Ellen!" Annemarie adjusted the thick leather pack on her back so that her schoolbooks balanced evenly.” |
Activities for Number the Stars
Number the Stars Unit Samples
Check out Number the Stars Book Unit with these free samples including:
- Vocabulary Practice for Chapters 1-2
- Comprehension Questions for Chapters 1-2
- Constructed Response Question – Setting
You can get the free book unit sample by clicking the button.
Teaching Idea #1 – Parallel Stories
In the first activity, students complete a chart to compare the parallel events taking place in Annemarie and Little Red Riding Hood. Both Google Slides and printable charts guide students through making comparisons of the two stories. Answer keys are included.
This button opens a pdf with links to the Google Drive folder with the activities. In this folder, you will find 4 files. Save these files to your Google Drive to make them editable.
- The first file is the comparative activity for Little Red Riding Hood.
- This next file is the “Writing Activity” described in Teaching Idea #2 below.
- The third file is instructions.
- In the final file, you will find the printable versions of the two activities. This is also where you will find the answer keys.
You must save these files to your Google Drive to edit them.
Teaching Idea #2 – Writing Activity
Extend the activity by having students write their own stories. A chart guides students’ planning. After completing a chart of comparisons, students try writing in this style. The two intermingled stories include a scene from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the story of The Engine that Could. You’ll be surprised at the end results!
Teaching Idea #3 – Story Elements Booklet
Have students read the picture book or watch the video version The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by author Carmen Agra Deedy. This is the story of King Christian X of Denmark and how he stood up against the Nazi occupation during World War II.
Have students compare details about Christian X from Number the Stars to the man portrayed in The Yellow Star.
Teaching Idea #4 – Story Elements Booklet
This six-page booklet has space for students to write about the following:
- characters
- setting
- theme
- point of view
- plot
You can get the story elements booklet by clicking the button.
Videos
If you missed the links, here they are again.
See the product that inspired this post.
Number the Stars Book Unit contains vocabulary, comprehension, constructed response writing, and skill practice.
6 comments
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Thank you, Gay! What a great comparison. Sandy
Author
You’re welcome!
These comparison activities are so fun and will really get students THINKING. Thank you 🙂
Author
You’re welcome! I hope your students enjoy them.
What a great collection of activities! Using these on a Smartboard to model would be perfect for modeling the skill. I love the text to text connections too.
Author
Thank you!