Plot Diagram Activity for Number the Stars

A common use for Storyboard That is to help students create a plot diagram of the events from a book. Not only is this a great way to teach the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and help students develop greater understanding of literary structures.

Number the Stars Plot Diagram Example

Exposition

Number the Stars begins with Annemarie and Ellen, her Jewish friend, having a run-in with some Nazi soldiers. They are very scared of the soldiers.

Conflict

The Nazis want to round up the Danish Jewish population, despite an agreement that they wouldn't be aggressive.

Rising Action

Annemarie’s family decide to help sneak Ellen, her family, and other Jewish Danes who Annemarie doesn’t know, to the safety of Sweden by smuggling them on Uncle Henrik’s fishing boat.

Climax

Annemarie is tasked with taking a very important basket filled with lunch goodies to Uncle Henrik. She doesn’t realize it, but the handkerchief that is packed under the lunch is covered with a special drug that the resistance scientists have formulated. It attracts the Nazis guard dogs, but when the dogs sniff the substance, it makes them lose their sense of smell, rendering them useless at finding stowaway Jews. Annemarie gets stopped by some Nazi soldiers and almost has her whole basket taken. Without that handkerchief, the Rosens and all the other stowaways on Henrik’s boat would have been discovered.

Falling Action

The Rosens and the other Jews are packed into the boat and the dogs don’t detect them because they’ve smelled the handkerchief.

Resolution

All of the Jews that Uncle Henrik sailed to Sweden are safe and sound in the neutral country. Annemarie can safely sit back and fondly think about her friend, Ellen.