Discussion Questions for February 25

Discussion Questions: “Nonfiction—History, Science, Life Writing” and Lives of the Artists

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Number the Stars Wrap-Up

1.     More than any other text we have read so far, Number the Stars depicts the sudden maturation of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood (or at least something beyond childhood). Find at least one instance of this and discuss what it implies about the difference between childhood and adulthood.

2.     Do you sense any didacticism in the text? If so, where?

3.     In what ways does the Afterword change your understanding of the text?

4.     What is the significance of the text’s title, and how does this relate to its overall themes?

5.     Hintz and Tribunella ask, “Does historical fiction have a responsibility to remain completely faithful to the historical record? […] What makes certain inaccuracies acceptable and others not?” (250). Discuss these questions.

6.     Overall, do you find this to be a “believable” story? Would you assign it in a unit on World War II? Why or why not?

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Nonfiction Writing

1.     From Hintz and Tribunella: “When you consider children’s books about science, mathematics, and nature, do you associate them with excitement or with drudgery?” (301).

2.     From H&T: “When you were a child, did any of the biographies you read inspire you to embrace their subject as role models? If so, was it a biography written for a child audience? When you grew up, did you learn anything new about the figure you idolized or discover any information that contradicted the portrayal you saw in the children’s biography you read?” (301).

3.     From H&T: “How important do you think illustrations are in works of science and discovery?” (301). In nonfiction writing in general?

Small Group Work/Class Discussion: Lives of the Artists

1.     In what ways do the stories of Leonardo da Vinci, Diego Rivera, and Frida Kahlo seem to be designed for young readers? Consider the question is what is left out.

2.     In what ways might these stories qualify as crossover texts?

3.     Did any of the biographical information presented in these stories surprise you and/or strike you as potentially inappropriate for young readers? If so, why?

4.     What do the illustrations contribute to the presentation of the artists’ lives? The titles above their names?

5.     What do the “Artworks” sections contribute? Why do you suppose this information is separated from the rest of the narratives?

6.     Do you think these biographies are likely to inspire curiosity and further reading in young audiences? Why or why not?