The Book Thief

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY : The Book Thief Jeopardy Game

In this activity, students create categories, answers, and questions for a Jeopardy-style contest based on details from the book.

In small groups, students brainstorm possible category headings for the game. After a few minutes, a spokesperson can share their group’s strongest categories. As a class, determine the most effective five categories. Supplement students’ contributions with categories like “Spoken Quotes,” “It Happened Here,” or “Traits and Fates.”

After the categories are headed, students work independently to create two to three answers/ questions for each category. Written work should be completed by category for each of the five categories using one index card per category. (Students can earn an individual writing/comprehension assessment score in this way.)

Collect the answers/questions cards and separate by category. Pull and highlight answers/questions you will use in the game and label them with value amount. During play, keep your five categories of questions in separate piles. Students pick the category and value from a grid drawn on the board but must listen carefully as you read the answers aloud.