Teaching Suggestions the Book Thief
Markus Zusack: The Book Thief
Teaching suggestions
Pre-Reading:
• Book covers
Students talk about their expectations by looking at the title and the various book covers. Suggestion: one cover per group, then exchange with other groups. • Prologue activity
Hand out prologue without title, read in class (together or silently), students invent their own title, discuss questions:
- Who’s telling the story?
- What do you expect from a book which has Death as a narrator?
- What’s with the colours?
- Who is the book thief?
• Titles of chapters
Look at chapter titles of Part One, anticipate content by writing short story using the words from the titles.
While-Reading (Portfolio)
• Dictionary of terms
Students keep a vocabulary log. Different ways of recording vocabulary should be treated beforehand.
• Character mind map
Create a mind-map about characters, their relationships, add during reading
• Bubble sheet
Collect memorable (important, interesting, funny) quotes, e.g.:”At that moment you will be lying there (I rarely find people standing up)”, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”
• Soundtrack to the book Students create a soundtrack to the book and comment on their choice of music.
• Keyword summaries
Students write a summary of a part by using its chapter titles.
• Wall chart summary in groups, students create a wall chart about the book in any way they like. (e.g. comics, drawings, crossword, pictograms, etc.). Put a photo of it into portfolio.
Additional suggestion:
• Parallel reading
Reading books with similar themes parallel to The Book Thief, e.g.:
– The Boy in the Striped Pyjama
– Persepolis
– The Diary of Anne Frank
Post-Reading
- In class:
• Just a minute activity
Students have to talk about the book for a minute without stopping. Possibly give them more concrete topics (e.g. a certain scene, character, symbol).
• “Top of the Characters”
Students have to rank
Teaching suggestions
Pre-Reading:
• Book covers
Students talk about their expectations by looking at the title and the various book covers. Suggestion: one cover per group, then exchange with other groups. • Prologue activity
Hand out prologue without title, read in class (together or silently), students invent their own title, discuss questions:
- Who’s telling the story?
- What do you expect from a book which has Death as a narrator?
- What’s with the colours?
- Who is the book thief?
• Titles of chapters
Look at chapter titles of Part One, anticipate content by writing short story using the words from the titles.
While-Reading (Portfolio)
• Dictionary of terms
Students keep a vocabulary log. Different ways of recording vocabulary should be treated beforehand.
• Character mind map
Create a mind-map about characters, their relationships, add during reading
• Bubble sheet
Collect memorable (important, interesting, funny) quotes, e.g.:”At that moment you will be lying there (I rarely find people standing up)”, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”
• Soundtrack to the book Students create a soundtrack to the book and comment on their choice of music.
• Keyword summaries
Students write a summary of a part by using its chapter titles.
• Wall chart summary in groups, students create a wall chart about the book in any way they like. (e.g. comics, drawings, crossword, pictograms, etc.). Put a photo of it into portfolio.
Additional suggestion:
• Parallel reading
Reading books with similar themes parallel to The Book Thief, e.g.:
– The Boy in the Striped Pyjama
– Persepolis
– The Diary of Anne Frank
Post-Reading
- In class:
• Just a minute activity
Students have to talk about the book for a minute without stopping. Possibly give them more concrete topics (e.g. a certain scene, character, symbol).
• “Top of the Characters”
Students have to rank