PhyreBards

First, I would like to apologize for taking so long to make a post. I am not and never was the type of person to keep a journal. I never even had a diary! I know this is no excuse but I find I am struggling to keep up with posting, since it is neither a habit nor something I am comfortable with. Anyway, I am finally posting and will try to keep up in the future.

I met with my cooperating teacher last Friday afternoon, and had some initial concerns. It was clear that the teacher was trying to level with me and speak with me on a personal level but I wasn't expecting her life story like I did. She also seemed to have a somewhat negative attitude about teaching. She has been teaching for 29 years (I can't even imagine how long that is) and seems to be discouraged with the direction education is moving in: NCLB and required testing which adds pressure and takes away from teaching. I was initially turned off by this attitude but after thinking about it decided that it could have just been that she was slightly burnt out, seeing as how it was Friday at about 4:00. Also, I feel that I am not exactly happy with the way education is moving; I especially get angry about the testing and the NCLB Act, so I can't be too upset with an experienced teacher feeling the same way.

I observed her class today, which is her 3rd block and has mostly AG math and english students. It was great to see Mrs. Cooley in action-she had the students moving around and working in groups, which I loved because it seemed like I will be able to be creative with this group. Also, I was excited to find out that I had worked with some of this class last spring during effective middle level teaching when I taught an integrated unit. It is great to see familiar faces, and the kids recognized me and were happy to see me too! I am reassured about my practicum experience and look forward to seeing how things go.

Annemarie Johansen and Ellen Rosen are best friends. They live in the same appartment building, and their families are also very close. The girls live in 1943 Nazi Denmark. The Jews are being "relocated" which means that Annemarie is in danger of losing her best frien, Ellen. The Johansen family puts themselves in danger in order to help the Rosens and other Jewish families in their neighborhood. The Johansen family allows Ellen to stay with them while her parents hide from the Nazis. When the soldiers appear at the Johansen's appartment, they are very sceptical of the situation:

"Your names?" The officer barked.
"Annemarie Johansen. And this is my sister-"
"Quiet! Let her speak for herself. Your name?" He was glaring at Ellen.
Ellen swallowed. "Lise," she said, and cleared her throat. "Lise Johansen."
"Now," Mama said in a strong voice, "you have seen that we are not hiding anything.
May my children go back to bed?"
"The officer ignored her. Suddenly he grabbed a handful of Ellen's hair. Ellen
winced. He laughed scornfully. "You have a blond child sleeping in the other room.
And you have this blond daughter-" He gestured toward Annemarie with his head. "Where
did you get the dark-haired one."

What will happen next? Read as Annemarie is goes on a dangerous mission, testing her wit and courage.



Obviously, this novel will fit quite well into a WWII and/or Holocaust unit. This is an opportunity for students to make connections across the curriculum. Also, students will explore concepts and themes including pride, fear, strength, courage, and revolt. This novel can provide a gateway to teaching units on realistic fiction and/or historic fiction. The events that happened in the novel, although not completely true, very well could have happened during the holocaust. Other approaches include teaching this novel as part of a literature unit on friendships, family relationships, or different cultures.

I believe that students (especially middle grade students or those high school students with lower reading levels) will benefit a great deal from reading Number the Stars. Almost every student will be able to find at least one character to whom he/she can relate. Whether it is Annemarie or Ellen because of their relationship and age, or Peter for his revolting nature, students will be able to see themselves in some of these situations. This ability to relate to the characters will improve the students' reading experience in several ways. Seeing themselves in the situations the characters are faced with will help them to understand the importance of studying WWII and the Holocaust: this really did happen, and it happened to people like me. Also, if students are engaged in the reading, if they are able to relate the reading to their own life, they are more likely to understand the story and make connections.