Ten Marks and a Train Ticket

Grade/Class: Grade 5 Literacy

Context: Grade 5 students read the book Ten Marks and a Train Ticket, a book written by Susy Goldstein and Gina Hamilton about their father's experience escaping Germany before the Holocaust.

Learning: This poignant story revolves around two brothers who make a daring escape from Germany at the onset of World War II. Through this novel, students explored important literary themes such as bravery, sacrifice, perseverance, and gratefulness.

To culminate their study of the novel and showcase their understanding, students were tasked with creating a visual representation of a suitcase containing belongings that they would bring with them under similar circumstances. The suitcase project aimed to deepen their connection with the story and its characters while allowing them to demonstrate their creativity and comprehension.

Within their suitcases, students included various items, each carrying its own significance. These items ranged from a passport and luggage tag to a birth certificate, diary entries, and poems. Through these personal artifacts, students were able to express their understanding of the characters' experiences and the challenges they faced. Additionally, students wrote a summary of the novel and provided a book recommendation, showcasing their ability to analyze and evaluate the text.