With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family divided overnight. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?
~ Excert taken from Amazon.ca
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?
~ Excert taken from Amazon.ca
Historical Fiction
Themes: Family, Loneliness, Hope, Cold War, Rise of Communism, Resiliency, European History
Recommended Grades - Grade 4 to 7
Reading Level - 5.3, Scholastic Guided Reading level W
Read Aloud, Independent Novel Study or best used as
An excellent addition to Literature Circles with a Historical Fiction theme
Focus on Communism in different countries:
(China) - Revolution is not a Dinner Party - Ying Chang Compestine
(Soviet Union) - Breaking Stalin's Nose - Eugen Yelchin
(China) - Forbidden City - William Bell
Children in Different Government / Cultural situations
The Other Side of Truth - Beverley Naidoo
The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis
Iqbal - Francesco D'Adamo
The Tiffin - Mahtab Narsimhan
A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park
Themes: Family, Loneliness, Hope, Cold War, Rise of Communism, Resiliency, European History
Recommended Grades - Grade 4 to 7
Reading Level - 5.3, Scholastic Guided Reading level W
Read Aloud, Independent Novel Study or best used as
An excellent addition to Literature Circles with a Historical Fiction theme
Focus on Communism in different countries:
(China) - Revolution is not a Dinner Party - Ying Chang Compestine
(Soviet Union) - Breaking Stalin's Nose - Eugen Yelchin
(China) - Forbidden City - William Bell
Children in Different Government / Cultural situations
The Other Side of Truth - Beverley Naidoo
The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis
Iqbal - Francesco D'Adamo
The Tiffin - Mahtab Narsimhan
A Long Walk to Water - Linda Sue Park
Activities:
Introducing the Book and Supporting it Use History Channel. The Introduction video is fantastic. In addition there are excellent little videos and Articles on the topic, which include news clips etc.
Comprehension Questions -Questions include a wide variety of questions including inferring and connecting.
(PDF Version)
Chapter Quotes - I love when novels start their chapters with a quote. In this novel, each chapter starts with a quote. Some are from people, others from proverbs. Author's do this intentionally and I think it is a powerful activity to have students connect the chapter back to the quote. This makes the reflection on the chapter different and unique.
Identity / Freedom of speech- On page 72, Gerta sees papers on which Herr Krause was stamping a message that said, “If I cannot speak what I think, then it’s a crime just to be me.” What does this statement mean to you?
Love this! Stand alone lesson! Don't even need to read the book! Or I'd read just Chapter 11 to see how East Germany treated people who did not write/ print what they wanted to.
Propaganda -
“She [Anna] was practically quoting from the state’s propaganda, no better than a puppet on a string.” (Page 84) What is propaganda? Why is it an important tool for the Stasi? East Germany, like Stalin's Soviet Union, and Mao's China were propaganda machines. Again just read Ch. 11 and perhaps take a look at the picture book Mao and Me by Chen Jiang Hong.
After the Novel - Some thoughts on how to show learning specific to this novel
Detailed Written responses using these 'symbols' from the story. What does each represent? How are they important to the characters? What makes them symbols?
Explain how each of these things are important in the story:
The Trabant
A banana
The Beatles
A shovel
“The Farmer in March” song
Character Analysis
The characters of Anna, Greta, and Mama change the most. Document their changes. What makes them truly dynamic characters.
I also love these templates for character analysis that I found a few years ago. You will see that I have linked this site for most of the novels featured here. There are a variety of options here for all ages and grades. The activities that compare two characters are perfect. You can compare the characters in the novel to each other. Or compare them to other novels your students have read.
Introducing the Book and Supporting it Use History Channel. The Introduction video is fantastic. In addition there are excellent little videos and Articles on the topic, which include news clips etc.
Comprehension Questions -Questions include a wide variety of questions including inferring and connecting.
(PDF Version)
Chapter Quotes - I love when novels start their chapters with a quote. In this novel, each chapter starts with a quote. Some are from people, others from proverbs. Author's do this intentionally and I think it is a powerful activity to have students connect the chapter back to the quote. This makes the reflection on the chapter different and unique.
Identity / Freedom of speech- On page 72, Gerta sees papers on which Herr Krause was stamping a message that said, “If I cannot speak what I think, then it’s a crime just to be me.” What does this statement mean to you?
Love this! Stand alone lesson! Don't even need to read the book! Or I'd read just Chapter 11 to see how East Germany treated people who did not write/ print what they wanted to.
Propaganda -
“She [Anna] was practically quoting from the state’s propaganda, no better than a puppet on a string.” (Page 84) What is propaganda? Why is it an important tool for the Stasi? East Germany, like Stalin's Soviet Union, and Mao's China were propaganda machines. Again just read Ch. 11 and perhaps take a look at the picture book Mao and Me by Chen Jiang Hong.
After the Novel - Some thoughts on how to show learning specific to this novel
Detailed Written responses using these 'symbols' from the story. What does each represent? How are they important to the characters? What makes them symbols?
Explain how each of these things are important in the story:
The Trabant
A banana
The Beatles
A shovel
“The Farmer in March” song
Character Analysis
The characters of Anna, Greta, and Mama change the most. Document their changes. What makes them truly dynamic characters.
I also love these templates for character analysis that I found a few years ago. You will see that I have linked this site for most of the novels featured here. There are a variety of options here for all ages and grades. The activities that compare two characters are perfect. You can compare the characters in the novel to each other. Or compare them to other novels your students have read.