Number the Stars Novel Study: Lesson Plans, Activities & Resources

Some books teach important lessons.

Some books spark great discussions.

And then there are books like Number the Stars that do both.

Every year I’ve taught this novel, students become invested in Annemarie’s story. They cheer for Ellen, worry about the Rosen family, and find themselves asking some big questions about courage, friendship, and doing the right thing when the right thing isn’t easy.

It’s one of those rare historical fiction novels that helps students understand an important moment in history through the eyes of a child their own age.

If you’re planning a Number the Stars novel study, this post will share pre-reading activities, post-reading ideas, and teaching strategies to help students engage deeply with the novel. I’ll also share the literature study unit I use with grades 5-7 and cover reading level, themes, and content considerations to help you decide if it’s the right fit for your classroom.

Whether you’re teaching Number the Stars for the first time or looking for fresh ideas, this guide will help you create meaningful discussions and learning experiences around this powerful novel.

Number the Stars: Book Summary

Set in Denmark during World War II, Number the Stars follows ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen as she witnesses the Nazi occupation of her country and helps protect her best friend, Ellen Rosen, who is Jewish.

When the Nazis begin targeting Denmark’s Jewish population, Annemarie’s family becomes involved in a dangerous effort to help Ellen and her family escape to safety in Sweden. Along the way, Annemarie learns what courage really looks like and discovers that even ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference.

At its heart, Number the Stars is a story about friendship, bravery, sacrifice, and standing up for others. While the novel introduces students to important historical events, the focus remains on the people affected by those events rather than the politics behind them.

That’s one reason this book works so well in upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Students connect with Annemarie as a character first, which makes the historical context more meaningful and memorable.

Teachers often use Number the Stars as part of a World War II unit, a historical fiction study, or a character analysis unit. It also provides excellent opportunities to discuss themes like courage, resistance, identity, and doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult.

Number the Stars Novel Study: Pre-Reading Activities

Before jumping into the novel, I like to spend a little time building background knowledge.

Students don’t need a complete history lesson before reading Number the Stars, but they do need enough context to understand why the characters make the choices they do throughout the story.

The goal isn’t to frontload every detail about World War II or the Holocaust. In fact, too much information upfront can be overwhelming.

Instead, focus on helping students understand a few key ideas: Nazi occupation, the danger facing Jewish families, and the role Denmark played in helping many Jewish citizens escape to safety.

A little background knowledge goes a long way toward helping students connect with the story and understand the stakes from the very beginning.

Here are a few pre-reading activities that work especially well before starting the novel:

WWII and the Holocaust: What Do We Know?
Start with a simple discussion or K-W-L chart about what students already know about World War II. This doesn’t need to be a full history lesson. A brief, age-appropriate overview of the Nazi occupation and why Jewish families were in danger is enough to give students the context they need to understand the story without feeling overwhelmed.

What Does “Occupation” Mean?

Before reading, discuss what it would mean to have soldiers from another country controlling your city, dictating where you could go, what you could buy, and who you could be seen with. A brief discussion or quick write on this concept helps students immediately understand the stakes in Annemarie’s world.

Map Activity
Show students a map of Denmark and Sweden. Talk through how close the two countries are and why that mattered during this time. This helps students visualize what’s happening in the story and makes the idea of escape feel more concrete.

Bravery Without Knowing: Uncle Henrik tells Annemarie that it is much easier to be brave when you don’t know everything. Ask students before reading: Is this true? Is it better to be brave without knowing all the risks, or to know everything and choose bravery anyway? This question resurfaces meaningfully at the end of the book.

“What Would You Do?” Discussion Prompt
Ask students: If helping a friend meant putting your family at risk, would you do it? Give students time to think, write, or talk through their responses. Keep this low-pressure… there’s no right answer here. Revisit this question after reading to see how their thinking changes.

Star of David: Introduce the Star of David — what it represents historically, and the specific context of Jews being forced to wear identifying badges in occupied countries. This is essential background that Annemarie’s story assumes students will understand.

Vocabulary Preview
Introduce a few key words from the beginning of the book in context. This helps students move into the story with more confidence, especially those who tend to get stuck when they encounter unfamiliar words.

Book Cover & Title Discussion
Show students the cover and title before sharing details about the plot. Ask: What do you think this story might be about? What might “Number the Stars” mean?

You can return to these ideas at the end of the book, which creates a natural and meaningful reflection point.

Number the Stars Post-Reading Activities

When students finish Number the Stars, they usually have a lot to say.

They want to talk about Annemarie’s choices, Ellen’s family’s escape, and whether they would have acted the same way in similar circumstances.

That’s why I try not to rush straight into a final project.

Students need time to process what they’ve read.

Some of the best learning happens during those conversations and reflections after the final chapter. Giving students opportunities to discuss, write, and think about the novel helps them move beyond simply remembering what happened and start thinking about why it mattered.

The activities below encourage students to reflect on the novel’s themes, characters, and historical context while helping them develop deeper comprehension and critical-thinking skills.

Here are some engaging post-reading activities for Number the Stars:

Courage Gallery Walk: Create a gallery of quotes from the novel that relate to courage. Students can move through the room, select a quote that stands out to them, and write a short response explaining why. This is a simple way to get all students thinking, even those who don’t usually speak up in discussions.

What Is Bravery? Discussion: Facilitate a structured discussion around the question: What does it mean to be brave? Is Annemarie brave? Giving students time to write their thinking first helps make the discussion more meaningful and allows more students to participate.

The Annemarie Change Chart: This can be built directly into the novel study. Students track Annemarie from the girl who races through the streets in chapter one to the girl who carries the packet through the dark woods in chapter fifteen. The visual contrast is striking and makes for excellent character analysis writing.

What Would You Have Done?: A reflective journal prompt: knowing what you know now about what the Danish people did to protect their Jewish neighbors, what do you think you would have done? This is a genuine moral question, not a trick question — there’s no easy answer, and that ambiguity is exactly what makes it worth writing about.

Uncle Henrik’s Quote: Students return to the quote that anchors the book — “It is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything” — and write a response arguing whether they agree, using both the novel and their own experience as evidence.

Letter from Annemarie: Students write a letter from Annemarie’s perspective… either to Ellen or to her younger self. This encourages students to step into the character’s thinking and reflect on how her understanding of courage has changed.

Then and Now – WWII Research Project: Students explore one aspect of the historical context from the novel, such as the Danish Resistance or the rescue of Danish Jews. Keeping this focused and manageable is key. Short presentations or brief reports work well without overwhelming students.

The Importance of Small Acts: Have students identify moments in the story where a small action made a big difference. This helps students see how the novel frames courage… not as something dramatic, but as a series of choices.

Symbolic Objects: Have students analyze objects like the Star of David necklace or the handkerchief. This is a strong way to introduce symbolism without overcomplicating it.

Write a New Chapter: Students write an additional scene, alternate perspective, or short epilogue. This works well for students who need a more creative way to demonstrate understanding.

Personal Reflection: Ask students: Did this book change the way you think about anything? This is a simple but powerful way to close the unit and give students space to process their thinking.

The Number the Stars Literature Study Unit

When I teach Number the Stars, I want students focusing on the story, the characters, and the important conversations the novel inspires…not spending all their energy figuring out what they’re supposed to do next.

That’s why I designed my Number the Stars Novel Study to provide structure without overwhelming students.

The unit covers the entire novel across three weeks of instruction and follows the same format I use in all of my novel studies: one comprehension skill per day, one vocabulary word per day, and manageable activities that help students think deeply and discuss the text.

Because Number the Stars deals with complex themes and historical events, the activities gradually move students from basic comprehension to deeper analysis as the story unfolds.

Students begin by making predictions, using context clues, and comparing characters. As the stakes rise in the novel, they transition into skills like making inferences, supporting ideas with text evidence, analyzing character change, and evaluating theme.

The structure stays consistent, but the thinking becomes more sophisticated as students progress through the story.

That consistency is especially helpful for struggling readers because students can focus on the content rather than learning a new format every day.

What’s Included in the Number the Stars Novel Study?

The unit includes everything needed to teach the novel from beginning to end.

Three Weeks of Trifold Novel Studies

Students complete 15 days of reading and response activities covering all 17 chapters of the novel.

Each weekly trifold is printed front-to-back and folds into an easy-to-manage study guide that students can complete as they read.

Weekly Vocabulary Flip Books

Each chapter includes an important vocabulary word selected because it is either essential to understanding the story or a strong academic word students are likely to encounter again in future reading.

Rather than overwhelming students with long vocabulary lists, the focus stays on meaningful words that support comprehension.

Reading Journal Prompts

For students who need additional space to write and reflect, the unit also includes cut-and-paste reading journal prompts.

These work particularly well for teachers who prefer interactive notebooks or who want students responding more extensively to the text.

Teacher Planning Materials

The unit also includes a teacher’s guide that outlines:

• Daily reading assignments
• Student learning objectives
• Tier 2 academic vocabulary
• Answer keys

Everything is organized and ready to use, making it easy to implement whether you’re teaching the novel for the first time or the tenth.

Comprehension Skills Covered Throughout the Unit

One thing I love about Number the Stars is that it naturally lends itself to meaningful comprehension work.

As students read, they practice skills such as:

The skills build throughout the novel just as Annemarie’s story builds. Early activities focus on understanding the events of the story, while later activities ask students to think more deeply about character growth, courage, and the novel’s larger themes.

Looking for More Historical Fiction Novel Studies?

If your students enjoyed Number the Stars, there are several other novels that pair beautifully with similar themes and discussions.

For Students Interested in World War I & II

• The War That Saved My Life
• The Devil’s Arithmetic

For Students Interested in Courage and Resistance

• Among the Hidden
• Refugee
• The Giver

For Teachers Planning Additional Novel Studies

You may also find these resources helpful:

• How to Plan a Novel Study
• Novel Study Discussion Questions for Upper Elementary Students

One of the things I love most about teaching novels is that each story opens the door to another.

Students who connect with Annemarie’s courage often find themselves eager to explore other stories about resilience, justice, and standing up for what is right.

And those conversations are often where the most meaningful learning happens.