TownsendHalle_Children'sLiteratureTeachingGuide

The Yellow Star

The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark Written by Carmen Agra Deedy; Illustrated by Henri Sørensen

Halle Townsend

Table of Contents

Click on the title of each item

1. Author

3. Text Synopsis

2. Illustrator

5. Questions

4. Demographics

6. Vocabulary

9. Activities

7. Writing Prompt

8. Rubric

Author: Carmen Agra Deedy

Carmen Agra Deedy is an author who has written numerous children's books. She grew up as a Cuban refugee in Decatur, Georgia. She is also an accomplished speaker, as well as an editor who served on the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Some of her well-known books are The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day, and 14 Cows for America. She also hosts a children's show called Love that Book!, where she promotes a love for reading.

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Illustrator: Henri Sørensen

Henri Sørensen is an author and illustrator from Denmark. He has illustrated many books, including The Yellow Star, which is set in Denmark. Early on in his life, even in other careers, he continued to express his love for art, and he ended up studying art history at university. His first illustrated children's book was Sun Up in 1991.

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Text Synopsis

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Overview:

1. Plot

2. Key Themes

During World War II, the king of Denmark had the courage to take a stand in keeping all Danes safe from harm through the use of the yellow star.

4. Literary Devices

3. Characters

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Book Demographics

Genre

Lexile Measure

Targeted Age/Grade

8-12 years/ 3rd-7th grade

AD550L

Fiction

Book Length

Sub-genre

Format

Historical fiction

Picture storybook

32 pages

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Comprehension Questions

3. Who came into the country and hung their flag? (literal)a. Jews b. Nazis c. Americans

1. The book takes place in Germany. (literal)a. True b. False

2. The Danes loved their king. (literal)a. True b. False

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Comprehension Questions Continued

6. What do you think happened as a result of all Danes wearing the yellow star? Why do you think this? (evaluative) Open-ended

5. Why do you think the rest of the Danes wore a yellow star like their king did? (evaluative) Open-ended

4. Why did the King choose to wear a yellow star, even though he was not a Jew? (inferential)Open-ended

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Vocabulary List

Click each word for its definition

1. Danes

2. Nazis

3. Jews

Formative Assessment

4. Gentiles

5. Yellow star

6. Defiance

7. Resistance

8. Holocaust

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Writing Prompt

Imagine if you were a character in The Yellow Star who lived in Denmark at the time of this war. What would you do if you saw your king wearing a yellow star, even though he was not a Jew? Would you do the same thing? Why or why not?Write a paragraph explaining your perspective and response to the king if you were a Dane in the book during this time. Using evidence from the book, support your explanation with details and reasons a Dane would have this response. Use correct grammar and punctuation, writing at least 4 sentences. Use at least 3 vocabulary words from this book in your paragraph.

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Rubric for Writing Prompt

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Comprehension Activities

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Pre-reading Activity

Post-Reading Activity

During-Reading Activity

Go to Next Page (Citation)

Deedy, C. A. (2000). The yellow star: The legend of King Christian X of Denmark. Peachtree Publishers.

Thank You!

Key Themes

- Having courage in what you believe in can have a great impact on others.- Unity in times of division can protect everyone involved. - When one's identity is strong, it cannot be divided. - Leaders should have compassion.

Characters

1. King Christian X - Protagonist 2. The Danish people (Danes) 3. The Nazis - Antagonist

Literary Devices

1. Simile - "Like a fierce storm, war was spreading across Europe," and "Soon Nazi soldiers gathered like dark clouds at the Danish border." 2. Repetition - "Tall Danes. Stout Danes. Old Danes. Silly Danes. Cranky Danes. ...and even some Great Danes." 3. Symbolism - the Yellow Star was originally the Star of David, meant to signify Jewish identity. The Nazis tried to turn it into a symbol of division, but King Christian transformed it into a symbol of unity. - "The flag stood for war and fear and hatred." This quote from the book shows what the Nazi flag symbolized.

Summary of Plot

Beginning: The story takes place in Denmark in the 1940s. The Danish people, or "Danes," loved their King Christian. Quickly, war spread across Europe and the Nazi soldiers began to occupy Denmark, hanging their flag to show their invasion. Middle: The king showed resistance and defiance by removing the flag from his palace and telling them he would continue to do so. The Nazis ordered that all Jews wear a yellow star to signify that they are Jewish. King Christian decided that he would support the Danish Jews by wearing a yellow star himself, setting the example for other Danes to do the same, whether or not they were Jewish.

End: The people understood his message, and all Danes started wearing the yellow star so that the Jews could not be pointed out. Again, they were all Danes.

Danes (noun)

Danes are also known as Danish people, or people from Denmark.

Nazi (noun)

A Nazi was a member of a political party in Germany (National Socialist) from 1933-1945. During this time, Nazis invaded other countries, often treating Jews and other groups unfairly.

Jews (noun)

Jews are people who practice a religion called Judaism. They can be born as a Jew or practice the religion.

Gentiles (noun)

Gentiles are any people who are not Jews.

Resistance (noun)

Resistance means to fight back or push against something, like the King in this book was fighting back against the Nazis.

Defiance (noun)

Defiance means not following rules or leaders in charge.

Yellow Star (noun)

The yellow star is also known as the Star of David, which Jewish people see as a sign of their Jewish identity. During WWII, Nazis forced Jews to wear this patch to easily point them out.

Holocaust (noun)

The Holocaust is the event that is happening at the time of this book, where the Nazis from Germany treated Jews very terribly.

Picture Walk

Before reading, complete a picture walk of this book, and then make some predictions. 1. Look at the cover and title. When and where do you think this story takes place? 2. Preview each page. Who are the main characters, and what do you predict the plot will be? 3. After looking at the whole book, make a prediction about the conflict and resolution.What will the ending be like?

Story Mapping Graphic Organizer

While reading, complete the Story Map graphic organizer that states the setting, problem, key events, and solution. Pay attention to these elements as you read so that you can write them down.

Character Hot Seat

After reading the book, you will take turns being in the "hot seat," where you pretend to be a character in the book (choose from King Christian, a Dane, or a Jew). The other students will then ask this person questions that directly relate to the book, since they are answering based on what happened in the book. The goal is for you to try to put yourself in the shoes of that character to think and answer the questions based on what you know from reading. This will also help support your understanding and remembering parts of the story.

Vocabulary Assessment

To assess these vocabulary words, the students will complete a fill-in-the-blank page with a word bank of the vocabulary words. Students will have to know what these words mean and use the context in the sentences given to select which word best fits each blank.