Since The Book Thief is such a long novel, students begin reading and working in English before they begin discussing the historical components in social studies (although to truly make this cross-curricular we do talk about some of the events in English), one of the ways we begin to tie things together is by having the students create a writer’s notebook that they will use in both classes. In English, students will journal about quotes or themes related to the novel, as well as answer personal prompts that will eventually guide students toward choosing their topic for a memoir created at the end of the unit. In social studies, students use the notebook first to brainstorm and then to reflect on leadership characteristics. This always opens an interesting discussion on what it takes to be a good leader, especially in regard to the leaders of the world during WWII. Later we use the notebooks for various reflections on primary source documents or class discussions.
As a way to explore the novel and allow students to show what they have read, students are required to create an entrance ticket for each section of the book in order to be admitted to class the day a reading assignment is to be completed. This has truly become my favorite way to discuss a novel, because the kids come up with symbolic and personal connections to the text in a way that allows them to be creative. Some of their creations truly are works of art:
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