Book Thief

Grade Level:

9

Subject:

Language Arts

Start Date:

End Date:

Goal Summary:

General Goals:
To read and discuss contemporary fiction
To develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills
To track and discuss significant themes
To gain a deeper appreciation of literature through close reading and analysis
To read literature with an understanding of historical context
To decode figurative language
To analyze text/image combinations
To analyze style and its function
To synthesize different kinds of text into a unified reading experience
To understand the relationship between structure and content

Specific Goals:
To track Liesel's development
To analyze the novel's use of layering and repetition
To discuss the novel's use of lists and enumeration
To evaluate the narrator's style
To list and discuss examples of substitution/ effacement
To decode the power of words in the novel
To unravel the relationship between the two books entitled The Book Thief
To list the books important to Liesel
To analyze the narrator's concept of distraction
To characterize the narrator

Standards Met:

IDs Only
Detail

Essential Questions:

I. Individual and society: Identity

Who am I? What are the various factors that shape identity? In what ways is our identity defined by others?
How does society influence our identity and the choices we make?
What does it mean to be “from” a place? How does where we are from influence who we are?

II. Membership: We & They

How do people make distinctions between “us” and “them”? Why do they make these distinctions?
What is community? How are decisions made about who belongs and who is excluded?
How does a society integrate immigrants and how do immigrants transform societies?

III. Historical/literary case study: Holocaust

What choices do people make in the face of injustice?
What makes it possible for neighbor to turn against neighbor?
How is genocide and other acts of mass violence humanly possible?
What choices do people make that allow collective violence to happen?
Who decides how laws or rules are applied? How can we ensure that laws and rules are applied to everyone in the same way?

IV. Memory and Legacy

What is justice? How can it be achieved?
What does justice look like after genocide?
How can individuals and societies remember and commemorate difficult histories? What is the purpose of remembering? What are the consequences for forgetting?
How do you evaluate the legacy of historical events?

V. Choosing to Participate

Why do some people standby during times of injustice while others try to do something to stop or prevent injustice?
What factors influence decision-making in the face of injustice?
Under what conditions are most people likely to feel more responsible for helping others? What factors reduce feelings of personal responsibility?
What obstacles keep individuals from getting involved in their communities and larger world? What factors encourage participation?

Understandings:

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Content Goals:

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Skill Goals:

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Other Information:

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Private Notes:

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Reflection:

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