GUEST BLOGGER LISA L. OWENS
Nonfiction history stories can help young readers think and care more deeply about the world around them, both of which are crucial components of STEM and STEAM learning. Try this set of classroom activities after reading my book set in the thick of World War II.
About the book
Heroes of Dunkirk (Lerner, 2018) discusses a massive World War II–era evacuation of Allied soldiers trapped at the French port city of Dunkirk. During this lengthy and dangerous rescue mission, civilians — who’d witnessed relentless bombing by Nazi air forces and seen that even Allied warships couldn’t ferry its troops to safety fast enough — pitched in with their own fishing boats and other small craft to help military personnel save more than 300,000 lives.
Make it a group quiz, but fun!
Check reading retention and extend the learning by sharing this interactive video quiz from Mr Bani Resources.
Afterward, have students chime in about which quiz questions were covered in the book, which facts were new to them, and what else they’d like to learn about the Dunkirk evacuation.
“What was it like during the rescue?”
Remind students that civilians felt called to help with rescue efforts at Dunkirk. Guide them in discussing the scene and people inhabiting it.
- Display the Chapter 4 photo of soldiers on the shore waiting to be rescued. Ask: Does this image show all the people rescued at Dunkirk? (No.) About how many were evacuated? (300,000+.) If you had to guess, how many people are shown in the photo? (About 100?) How does that compare to the number of people who needed rescuing? (Small number.)
- Display the linked photo of the fishing boat Tamzine, which was used at Dunkirk and is on display at London’s Imperial War Museum. Ask students: How many people do you think might safely fit into this boat? (Just a few.)
- Ask: With so many people desperate to get to safety, did transporting a few people at a time make a difference? (Yes; every little bit helped.)
- Say: Pretend that you owned the Tamzine. Why might you have offered to transport people in this situation? (To save lives; it was the right thing to do.)
Draw it out
Have students imagine and sketch a single Dunkirk rescue scene from two different perspectives. Drawings can show any type of boat with any number of total passengers. Sketch 1 should feature a ship’s captain’s expression as passengers board. Sketch 2 should focus on the same scene but featuring the passenger’s expression while boarding the boat. Invite a few volunteers to show and describe their drawings in class.
Featured image credit: “Dunkirk Evacuation shipping routes” by Strait_of_Dover_map.png: User:NormanEinstein derivative work: Diannaa is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Lisa L. Owens has written more than 100 books for young readers, including early chapter books, graphic novels, middle grade fiction, and a slew of nonfiction for ages PreK–YA. Find her online at llowens.com,This Writing Life, EFA, @LisaLOwens, and @llowriter.
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